~ Comfort Zone ~
by Shea K.

Disclaimer: Welcome to another original story by this lunatic. The story and the characters are mine. Do not use them without my permission. Also, any and all characters, events, and situations found in these stories are fictional. If there are any similarities between these things and real people, events, and situations, it is purely a coincidence.

General warning: I'm sure you know there will be a sexual relationship between two women, but if you don't know this is me warning you. There will be a sexual relationship between two women in this story.

If this story looks familiar to anyone, it's because its actually based on a fanfic I wrote called "There for You." The characters are different, but the plot is very similar. I hope you enjoy it.

Contact the lunatic at: starving.lunatic@gmail.com and lemme know what you think of the story. Thanks and enjoy. You can also find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SL-Kassidy/482097488469386

Many thanks to my betas - Rleef and RevSrVixena.

11: Love

Mallory could not believe Poe was seriously fighting her, but she supposed it showed just how much pain she had caused the younger woman, how far she had allowed their relationship - if it could ever be called that - to decay. Poe would rather beat her face in than talk things over with her now. What the hell did I do to her? How badly have I truly fucked up? Despite those thoughts, or maybe because of them, Mallory refused to give up. She needed Poe in her life, and a small part of her hoped that Poe needed her, too.

"Poe, please, just listen," Mallory implored as she blocked another series of punches. Her forearms were beginning to sting. She's not pulling these things or anything!

"No!" the writer barked as she spun into another roundhouse kick.

Mallory hissed as the kick landed against her side and pain ripped through her. Instinctively, she pushed Poe back. Of course, that seemed to piss Poe off and she came back with a vengeance. Mallory feared that Poe might hurt her or, even worse, she might actually have to hurt Poe to get her to stop. That might be too much damage to repair, if this isn't already beyond anything I can do.

"Poe, please!" the redhead begged.

Poe did not seem to even hear that one, not even blinking to the words. Instead, she continued her furious advance, trying to break something if only she could get a direct hit in. Mallory considered grabbing Poe into a judo hold, but doubted that she could get away with it without hurting the younger woman, especially with the fight that burned in Poe. She needed another way to subdue Poe, a way that did not involve violence or injuring the younger woman, so they could finally talk and she could hopefully get her friend back. I doubt we could be more than friends if this is Poe's reaction to wanting to talk, but I still have to try.

She had a difficult time thinking as Poe pushed her back deeper into the loft. She might end up wrapped up in the curtains that hid the bedroom from the rest of the apartment and then Poe would wail on her for sure. Wait, the bedroom? I might be able to do something, after all!

"Poe," she tried one more time only to get the same result. There was no getting through to outraged artist. Mallory figured she would just have to go through with her plan.

Not wanting to be obvious and needing to defend herself anyway, Mallory blocked Poe's punches and managed to dodge any kicks that came her way. She also had to give ground while making certain that she did not end up tangled in curtains. I hope this works.

Mallory successfully backed into the room without losing her advantage. She ducked a kick and fell back the edge of the bed, which was just where she wanted to be. Before hopping to her feet, she retrieved a pair of handcuffs lined with black fur. She hid them from Poe's view, not that the artist would have noticed since she was all about trying to take Mallory's head off of her shoulders.

The redhead dipped and ducked several punches, but eventually was taken down by a hit that she did not see. She was surprised to find herself on her back, but she was thankfully on the futon. Poe leaned down, still trying to come at her.

Mallory grabbed the tight fist when it was a breath away from her face. She slapped the cuff on the tanned wrist and yanked the younger woman forward. Poe yelped. God, that noise was cute. Mallory quickly shook that thought away and focused on her current situation.

Poe growled and yanked, trying to pull back. Mallory countered and tugged with her full force. The smaller woman fell forward as Mallory snapped the other end of the cuff to the wooden frame. Poe pulled back and seemed incredibly surprised that she could not get up. She let loose a guttural scream.

"Damn you, Mallory! Let me the fuck go!" Poe ordered, hovering above the redhead on the bed.

"Not until we talk," Mallory replied.

Poe snarled. "No! I don't want to talk!" She yanked powerfully at the chain, shaking the light bed frame.

Mallory's brow furrowed. "Stop pulling before you break the bed."

"I don't care! I don't fucking care! Let me go and get the hell out!" Poe was roaring and turning bright scarlet in the face. If she was not careful, she might actually pass out from lack of oxygen.

Mallory put her hand around Poe's waist, almost purring for the delightful feel of those hard muscles. God, I've missed this, missed the feel of her. Maybe she's the same. She began gently massaging Poe's side and, sure enough, she felt the artist relax slightly, undoubtedly subconsciously. Suddenly, Poe snarled.

"Stop touching me! Leave!" Poe ordered, her voice a little weaker now, but her face was still pure scarlet.

"I can't do that," Mallory answered honestly. There was no way that she could stop touching Poe now that she had started.

A sob escaped the writer and she dipped her head, but not before Mallory witnessed a tear slide down her cheek. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" she implored, her voice cracking.

Mallory's heart broke as she realized that she was tormenting Poe, but it could not be helped. She just needed Poe to hear her out. She caressed Poe's side tenderly, hoping it would get her to calm down.

"I can't," Mallory answered, her voice almost a mangled whisper, shredded by wretched despair and bleeding hope. "I can't because I tried and it didn't work. You scared me so much, Poe. I didn't know what to do …"

"So you throw me away? Abandon me? I'm not some toy you can pick up and put down at your leisure!" The shout was hoarse and crackling. Tears slid down tan cheeks.

Mallory reached up and gently wiped away the tears with her thumb. "I know you're not and I never thought you were."

"I was a cuddle toy to you! A sex toy!" Poe sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut so tight that Mallory was afraid she would tear her eyelids.

"No! You were not and I don't want you to think such nonsense! I cared about you! I care about you! I was the idiot for letting you go! I was the one that couldn't handle it! I was the one that got scared and ran away! I was the stupid one!"

Chocolate eyes opened with a flooded fury. "No shit! Now, you can leave! I don't want to see you ever again!" She yanked on the bed once more, moving them with the light frame.

Mallory gave her a sad smile, tears now sliding down her pale cheeks. "You don't mean that, but I'm sorry I pushed you to the point that you feel the need to say that. I'm sorry for all of this, Poe. I'm sorry I didn't handle this like an adult, I'm sorry I didn't tell you how I felt before, and I'm sorry for hurting you so badly. I was stupid."

"Yes, you were, so now be smart and leave!" Poe yanked at the cuffs again, shaking the whole bed again.

"Stop pulling or you'll break your bed," Mallory sternly warned the younger woman. "Poe, I want to be with you. I … I think … I think I love you," her voice quivered with the confession.

Poe scoffed loudly, but her tears continued to pour down in a blazing storm. "Why would you even say something so stupid?" she demanded.

"It's not stupid! I love you! I loved you then and it scared the shit out of me!" Mallory screamed, tears falling as hard as her lover's were. "I was so scared! I didn't know what to do! I didn't know what to do with these feelings. I didn't know you would affect my life, but I was so afraid that you'd turn my life upside down and I wasn't ready to deal with that."

"And now you're ready? Well, maybe I don't care! Maybe I've moved on! Maybe I don't need or want you anymore! Maybe I don't even believe your bullshit!" Poe hollered. Her face was so red now that she appeared to be on fire. She was panting, failing to get enough air into her lungs.

Mallory gave Poe a sorrowful smile. She moved, adjusting her body, so that Poe was settled in between her thighs. Both hands were now on Poe's sides, stroking her, trying and succeeding to calm the younger woman down. Poe's breathing seemed to become more under control and she did not have to worry about the little author passing out.

"I understand if you just want to scream and yell and vent. Do that all you want, but don't doubt my feelings for you and don't doubt how genuine my love for you is. I made a mistake and if you've really moved on, I respect that, but your eyes don't tell me that. Your tears and anger don't tell me that and the way you're responding to my touch doesn't tell me that," Mallory stated in a soft tone.

Poe sniffled and shifted, trying to move, but the handcuffs and Mallory's body prevented much motion. Mallory reached one hand up and petted her head. Poe was able to dodge that.

"No! You don't get to hurt me and then caress my head! Only my mom can rub my head now! No one else will ever get to touch me like that ever again!" More hot, fat tears poured out of Poe's eyes.

The redhead swallowed a bit. I've hurt her to the point where she won't let another soul give her her most cherished, comforting touch? I've never felt like such a monster before. Her chest tightened a bit at the knowledge and she had to take a few breaths before replying.

"Okay, I won't rub your head. But, please, know that I'm so sorry that I hurt you so much. You're so wonderful and you make me feel so good. I just did not know what to do with all of these emotions. Please, believe me," Mallory implored, pushing her body up just a bit. She stared into watery brown eyes briefly, seeing just as many emotions as she was currently experiencing. Pressing forward, she gave Poe perhaps the sweetest kiss that she could possibly muster.

For a long second, Poe was cold and unwavering. Mallory was almost tempted to pull back and accept that she had made the biggest mistake of her life, a mistake that she feared would haunt her for the rest of her life. But, suddenly, Poe melted into her. Those delicious, precious lips returned her kiss, moving gently, fondly against her mouth. It was almost innocent, but seemed to go on for a grand eternity. As they pulled apart for air, Poe lowered herself onto Mallory.

"You say you love me. Can you prove it?" Poe asked in a low, almost frightened whisper. Her lips trembled, causing her voice to quiver.

"I'll damn sure try," Mallory vowed.

She pushed herself up to give the artist another, more passionate kiss. As she pulled away, she slid away from the younger woman. Poe whimpered and Mallory wanted to do the same, body begging to stay as close to Poe as possible.

"I'm going to get the key. I don't want to do anything like this," Mallory said, eyeing the handcuffs.

Poe nodded. "I forgot you left these here." She then looked at the cuffs disdainfully.

Mallory did not respond. She knew from the way Poe looked at the bonds, they would not be using them again anytime soon. I have to earn that trust back. Damn, I'm so fucking stupid! What the fuck is wrong with me? What kind of moron throws away the best thing in her life? While mentally berating herself, the redhead released Poe from the cuffs, which fell to the floor with a soft clank.

"Poe …" Mallory whispered as the author rose to her feet. She half-expected Poe to attack her again, especially when she reached out for the shorter woman.

Thankfully, Poe did not begin a new onslaught, nor did she flinch or dodge when Mallory made initial contact with her. Mallory pulled them together and held Poe against her, savoring the feel of Poe. She inhaled the scent of Poe and sighed as a honeyed smell filled her, calmed her, and set her on fire at the same time.

"You're so special to me," Mallory said before capturing Poe's mouth in another torrid, soft, and sensual kiss. Her world righted herself when Poe kissed her back. Her spirit soared when Poe returned the embraced and moaned slightly from their connection.

When they broke apart for air, Mallory caressed Poe through her clothes, enjoying the feel of Poe even more. Her fingertips itched to dance across the hard muscles under worn cotton. I need to feel more of her! She started slow, easing her hands underneath Poe's shirt. Poe did not protest, so Mallory guessed it was all right. A low groan escaped both of them as Mallory's fingers and palms pressed against hot flesh.

"You feel so good, Poe," Mallory said as she caressed Poe's tight abdomen.

"You just like me for my body," Poe remarked with a slight smirk.

Mallory chuckled, but wanted to be sure that they were on the same page and understood there was so much more to like, to love. "Oh, no, Poe. I like you for more reasons than I could ever count. You're gifted and talented. Brilliant with a touch of shining innocence. You know me and let me know you. You let me be myself -"

Poe silenced Mallory with a passionate kiss. Mallory responded and her hands clutched at Poe, trying to hold more of her. Before they pulled away, Mallory's hands wandered up Poe's torso and massaged her small, perky breasts, which hung freely. Kneading the tender flesh caused Mallory to groan again.

"I love it when you don't wear a bra," Mallory said against Poe's lush lips.

"Show me," Poe said, speaking right into Mallory's mouth. Her breath tasted so good!

The redhead moaned loudly at the notion and palmed Poe in both hands. Caressing soft skin made Mallory whimper and whine. Poe echoed the sound and Mallory swallowed it, reveling in the taste of the noise. It lit a blazing fire in her belly and her body burned like an erupting volcano for Poe.

"I need you so much!" the older woman hissed, feeling like she might jump out of her skin if she could not be with her love right now.

"Show me," Poe repeated.

Mallory decided that talk was cheap, even though she liked talking in bed. She eased Poe's shirt off and her mouth drifted to Poe's neck, kissing and licking warm, scrumptious skin. Poe moaned and clutched her shoulders, fingers digging in and her nails biting into pale skin, leaving angry red marks, but making Mallory want her all the more.

The redhead gently directed Poe down onto the bed, her mouth refusing to leave Poe's body. Mallory followed her down, sitting beside her. She then took one of Poe's hands from her shoulder and put it to the hem of her shirt.

Pulling away, Mallory looked Poe in the eye, drowning in the dark umber and never wanting to be saved. "You're my lifeline. I need you."

Poe smiled and kissed her adoringly while pulling her shirt off. Mallory had to fight back tears as Poe's knowledgeable hands glided across her quivering stomach. When those gentle, yet powerful hands brushed against the undersides of her heavy breasts, Mallory nearly forgot what she was supposed to be doing. The redhead was supposed to be the one on the quest to prove herself. She was supposed to show that she was worthy of her lady. She had to lead.

Mallory moved her mouth from Poe's in order to enjoy every other tasty bit of the artist. Taking juicy nips of Poe's strong shoulder, Mallory marched slowly across and down the expanse of Poe's tanned, toned torso. As she got to prized hills, she kissed each treasure with care while applying enough pressure for Poe to know to lie down.

Poe settled on the mattress while Mallory remained occupied with her breasts. Mallory's hands and mouth fell on Poe as if trying to cautiously unlock some great mystery and she was determined to solve the unsolvable. She discovered one gem atop the heaving hill and teased it with the tip of her tongue. Poe whimpered and her hand went to Mallory's hair, wanting the older woman to take more of her into her mouth.

Mallory gave Poe just what she wanted, wrapping her lips around the burnt sienna jewel and suckled as if it held the key to immortality. Poe cried out and her back bowed, pushing more of her delicious skin into Mallory's hungry mouth. Mallory flicked and licked on the distended gem while her fingers glorified its twin.

"You taste so good," Mallory said as she pulled away, just to switch sides, wanting to keep all things equal.

Poe moaned. "You're good at that."

Mallory only smiled to herself and applied more pressure. Poe wiggled beneath her, tossing about as if Mallory were driving her mad. The artist did not seem to know what to do with her hands, clawing at the bed in one instance, clutching Mallory the next, and caressing Mallory's body after a while. The redhead took that as a good sign. She doubted that anyone else could or would ever make Poe feel the way that she did.

"How you doing, Poe?" Mallory asked. The writer whimpered as she realized Mallory's mouth left her.

"More, please. I want more," Poe answered in a raw breath.

"Anything you want, baby. I will give you anything you want."

Mallory reached for the button on Poe's jeans and opened her pants with no problem. She pulled them down as much as she could with one hand and then had to pull back for a moment. She disrobed Poe as swiftly as she could without tearing the pants or hurting the artist.

"You too," the younger woman said.

A smile curled onto Mallory's face and hoped that she was interpreting the words correctly. She stripped out of her pants and shoes, standing before Poe naked. Poe looked on with interest, which Mallory was used to and finally understood why Poe often stared. Poe was not just admiring her, but studying her with an artist eye.

"Do you like what you see?" Mallory asked with a smirk.

Poe nodded. "You're inspiring."

Mallory's smirk transformed into a genuine smile at the sincere compliment. "Poe, you're so real." She could not think of a better way to put it and in her world of acting, make-believe, pretense, and pure fantasy, she could think of no better compliment.

Poe smiled, which Mallory took as Poe understanding how great that was. The redhead turned her attention back to Poe's body. She began at Poe's feet, which were small and cared for. She kissed both heels and then all ten, surprisingly manicured toes before moving up to the ankles. Each kiss drew her higher and pulled captivating, wondrous sounds from Poe.

Mallory's hands roamed Poe's body slowly with no real destination in mind, just taking in all glory that was the love of her life. Her lips touched each of Poe's knees before moving up to strong, tense thighs. Her tongue came out as she nuzzled Poe's right thigh. She tasted the tangy essence of her love and it caused her to inhale, wanting, needing to experience Poe with all five senses.

The redhead felt infused with Poe, energized and sustained by the younger woman. Her kisses became wetter and Poe followed suit, giving her more to eventually drink up. She nipped and nibbled on both thighs as she slowly moved, leaving several marks in her wake. Poe lifted her leg onto Mallory shoulder, silently begging for more. Wanting more of that sharp, sugary taste, Mallory obliged her.

Poe screamed and arched as Mallory's lips embraced her pleasure center. The redhead's tongue lapped up the cherished honey dripping down Poe's legs. It sounded as if Poe wept from the attention, so Mallory gazed upward as best she could. Poe's face was flushed and her mouth moving, spouting sheer nonsense as Mallory loved her.

Mallory's mouth could not get enough of Poe and her hands felt the same. She inhaled deeply as she imagined the grand sounds that Poe would make when her hands and mouth worked in tandem. The deep breath caused her to smell more of her love and she was almost overwhelmed, dizzy from such delight.

Caressing every inch of Poe that she could reach, Mallory's hands eventually moved back to Poe's wonderful breasts. They fit in Mallory's hands as if they had been made for her. True treasures. She had never taken the time to focus on what she liked about Poe's body beyond the muscles, but, god, her small breasts were perfect. But, her taste is really heaven.

Mallory adjusted her mouth to have more of Poe, who was grinding against her face now. The redhead moaned as she moved a hand to Poe's hip to try to keep her under control. She feasted on Poe like there had never been a finer meal and Poe put a hand to her head, trying to pull her closer only made her hungry for more.

With her mouth being richly busy, Mallory worked on breathing through her nose, so she took in more of the fine scent of her woman. My woman, her brain growled. The thought, along with the aroma, made her lightheaded again. But, she still needed more. She needed to hear more, feel more, experience more.

One of her hands smoothly descended from a breast, floating down to join her mouth. She shuddered, as did Poe, when her index finger glided through sleek heat. A whimper and moan bounced off the walls, driving Mallory close to mad, as she slipped into Poe. Mallory's mind was spinning. Nothing mattered now. The world began and ended in Poe.

All too soon the end came up on them with her tongue pressed against Poe and two fingers buried deep. Poe's hand fisted in Mallory's hair and the artist screamed to the high heavens. Mallory almost passed out it felt like all of her senses were hit by a tsunami named Poe.

The redhead almost burst with pride as Poe fell to the mattress, panting as if she had run a mile. Mallory smirked as she sat up to look at her handiwork. Poe was covered in a sheen, a beautiful layer of sweat. Her hair was draped over her shoulders and the little lilac streak was stuck to her forehead. The whole image beckoned Mallory to cuddle up to her, wanting to feel Poe against her. She moved slowly, in case Poe actually did not Mallory near her.

Poe let Mallory snuggle into her, but she did not return the embrace. Mallory knew that was a bad sign and her heart was starting to sink already. She grabbed for Poe's hand and played with her fingers, but Poe did not respond.

"Poe, does that prove it?" Mallory asked with a hopeful smile. They had just made love for the first time.

The sorrowful smile that cracked through Poe's features broke Mallory's heart into a million tiny pieces. I blew it. I really blew it. I messed up the best thing in my life.

"Mallory, you know me. You know me better than anyone, even my own parents. Could this possibly be enough to prove it?" Poe countered in a low voice.

Mallory frowned and ground her teeth together briefly. The truth was a bitch with a harsh bite that she did not want to face. She refused to respond. Poe fondly caressed her cheek and she had to will her eyes not to tear.

"Mallory, I know sex is important to you, but we both know sex alone isn't going to be enough to prove anything to me beyond you like having sex with me," Poe pointed out.

"But, this was more than sex. I know you felt it," Mallory argued, unable to hold back a whimper.

There was that sad smile again. "I feel so many emotions with you, most of them are extraordinary. That's why you were able to hurt me badly. Mallory, I've spent most of my life craving acceptance, a home, and people that love me. I've found it once, but before that I had already been burned dozens of times. My parents had a hell of a time getting into my heart, but you … It's almost scary how you sneaked in. You slipped by every defense almost effortlessly."

"I wouldn't say effortlessly."

"Okay, maybe subtly. You weren't really trying to get in, but you did."

Mallory sniffled. "You weren't trying either and you made it through all of my defenses, too."

"I know." Poe actually kissed the top of her head. "Neither of us realized what was happening."

"No …"

"But, the second you realized what happened, your first instinct was to abandon me, not embrace me. Your first instinct was to run rather than stay," Poe stated coldly and Mallory cried, holding onto Poe tightly now.

"I'll stay now!" the redhead promised.

"Now is too late. I can't trust you not to abandon me again, reject me again. I can't trust you."

Mallory scowled. "Oh, but you can sleep with me? Give me false hope?" she demanded.

Poe shook her head. "All hope is false. It's a desire for things to change with no effort on your part. You want to be upset with me for sleeping with you? How about you try being ignored by the woman you love for two weeks only to see her by the side of a random, creepy man at the most important event of your year instead of by your side and she won't even acknowledge you? Better still, reach out for her and have her pull away without even bothering to look at you. Try that and see how easily you could trust her again."

That familiar lump was back in Mallory's throat and she could not talk around it. Even if she could talk, the burning in her lungs let her know that she would not be able to say much due to lack of air. It did not matter anyway because she was speechless. She did not know what to say, could not defend herself, because Poe had a point. She should have known that it would take more than sex, even if it was the sweetest love that she had ever made. Poe was so much more complicated than that.

"I'm sorry for everything," Mallory sniffled, a tear ghosting down her face.

"Me, too," Poe sighed as a melancholic cloud seemed to devour the room.


Sitting alone on her couch, Poe stared off into nothingness. The apartment was dark with all of the lights off and empty as Mallory had left hours ago, tears stinging both of their eyes. There was a void inside of her, darker than the darkest abyss and it was ever expanding, without Mallory. Unfortunately, she knew that the void would continue to exist with Mallory because there was no way that she could ever trust Mallory again.

Groaning, Poe hid her face in both hands and scratched the top of head. "I should feel better knowing she came to me after all of this, but I don't. I feel worse. It was like she expected it to be so easy, expected me to be so easy. Poor little orphan girl that'll jump at the chance to be loved, even if I have to be hurt while it's happening." She scoffed. "Get the fuck outta here with that. She's about sixteen years too late for me to jump that easily."

Of course, she had been tempted to fall for the pretty words and tears, especially through the haze of that fantastic orgasm. But, she could feel the ripping pain of Mallory ignoring her, pulling away from her, and she knew that she would never forget it. Every time she looked at Mallory, possibly even thought about Mallory, she would remember that torturous ache. She would remember and withdraw.

"I'll never love her again," Poe believed. Because without trust, how could there be love?

Poe was not sure what to do with herself now. Brooding and trying to justify things to herself were only making her feel worse. She knew that she could not use art as her outlet as she had been blocked on both of her passions for quite a while now.

"Because of Mallory," she knew. Or, at least, because of her feelings for Mallory, both the good and the bad.

She thought of the saying that it was better to have loved and lost, wondering if it applied to her. All she knew was that she felt terrible now and quite possibly would have traded in all of her good times with Mallory since she was in the same space now as before. Well, physically anyway.

"I may never be the same emotionally again," Poe lamented.

She was not sure if she liked that idea or not. She hated knowing that she would sit there and try to figure it out. She also was more than aware that no matter how much she thought on it, she would never figure anything out. She did not even know what "it" was. Her emotions? Her love? Mallory's love? Their relationship or lack thereof? Their time together? Any or all of the above? She did not know.

"Was this what Nadi and my parents wanted for me when they tell me to find someone? Someone else in my life to get sick of me and drop me like a hot brick?" Poe grumbled.

She began to recognize that she might be in over her head. She did not know what to do with everything. Tearing herself off of the sofa, she searched the apartment for her cell phone. For whatever reason, the phone was in the bathroom. She called Nadi.

"Poe, what's up?" Nadi answered the phone.

"Um …" Poe scratched her head. "Good question. Uh … I think I need you to come here."

"Come? Poe, is everything all right?" Nadi asked and Poe could hear noise in the background that indicated her friend was rushing about her apartment.

"Nadi, it's not too serious!"

"It has to be! You never say you need me! Usually, you act like you could and would prefer to live without me. What the hell happened? Was it that bitch Mallory again? I swear I will fucking murder her!" Nadi thundered, storming about her place. Poe hoped that Justin was not trying to paint.

"Nadi, calm down," Poe said.

"I will not! I'll see you in ten minutes!"

The call was disconnected before Poe could say anything else. The artist sighed and stared at her phone, not sure what to do, not even sure why she had called her best friend. She returned to the sofa and waited. Nadi was knocking at her door exactly ten minutes later. She burst into the loft all fury and righteous indignation.

"I swear I'll whip that bitch's ass if she's hurt you again!" Nadi hollered, throwing her elegant arms around.

"Nadi, calm it down, please. It's not that serious," Poe insisted, moving to intercept her friend.

"So says you! The woman pulls your heart out and stomps all over it! And you just want me to be calm? To hell with that! You're my best friend, Poe! You're the closest thing I have to a sister! I don't like anybody hurting you, especially like this!"

Poe offered her friend a small, appreciative smile. Nadi surprised her by yanking her into a hug. It broke something inside of Poe and she found herself weeping for the second time in a twenty-four hour period. Nadi held her tightly, as she always would.

"I lost this with her!" Poe wailed.

"Mallory?" Nadi asked.

"She apologized and was so sweet. She even said she loved me! But, I can't ever believe she'll always hold me like I know you will!"

"Poe, you know you're like my family. Of course, I'm always going to be there for you. So, tell me about what happened with Mallory?"

Poe nodded as Nadi led her to the sofa. They sat down and Nadi was patient as Poe finished crying. She then explained everything about Mallory's visit, including the sex, which caused her to weep again.

"I felt so many emotions during …" Poe sniffled, wiping her nose with her hand. "But, I still had to turn her away! How could I trust her, Nadi? How could I ever believe in her again?"

Nadi gave her smile. "I'm so sorry for you, Poe. You love her."

"How can I love her when I can never trust her again?"

"Poe, trust can come back. Now, I don't like Mallory because of how she treated you recently, but you pointed out that she was scared and I can look past her bad behavior if you really want me, too. I can do that for you."

Poe sighed, shoulders slumping. "I don't know what I want or what to do. Can trust come back?"

Nadi smiled again and rested her forehead against Poe's. Poe could only wonder why that touching her head always soothed her. She supposed it had something to do with her mom. Her mother's touch was the first constant, caring touch and Rayne always went for the head.

"Trust can come back. I know you haven't had that experience because most people in your life suck," Nadi conceded.

"Do you think Mallory's one of those people that suck?"

Nadi thought on it for a long moment. "There's a chance, but there's also a chance that she was sincere. You have to ask yourself if she's worth the risk. Which one weighs more on the grand scale of things: the way you feel when you're with her versus the pain that she can inflict on you if she decides to be an ass?"

Poe opened her mouth, but decided to not say anything. She thought on it. Mallory made her feel something beyond amazing when everything was all right. In fact, Poe was sure that heaven could not hold a candle to how Mallory made her feel when everything was all right, but Mallory also could make her feel beyond awful, almost wishing that she was dead. Is the risk worth it? She dropped me, but came to pick me up again and she meant it, not like I was some toy. She was sincere.

"Nadi, what would you do?" Poe asked with watery brown eyes. "I mean, is my action not normal or was that the right way? What should I do?"

"Poe, there's no 'right way' or 'normal' when it comes to relationships. It's all relative. What is normal for you? What is normal for your relationship? What are you willing to put out there for her? Are you willing to put anything out there now?"

Poe nodded, even though she was not saying that she she was ready to put anything out there. "She was …"

"When she came here, she did risk something. You know how much she risked much more than I do. Is it something that stops and make you think?" Nadi asked curiously.

Poe scratched her head. "Well, yeah, which is why I thought about it. Mallory has a lot of pride and she admitted that she made a mistake in ignoring me. I know that took a lot of courage on her part."

Nadi twisted her mouth up. "It sounds like you might want to give her another chance."

"It does, doesn't it? Did I blow it with her?" Poe asked with a frown.

Nadi offered her a small smile. "Poe, if she's serious about things and about you, she'll be back. I think you did the best thing because you are unsure. You shouldn't jump into something with her if you're not sure. Don't take her back unless you're sure or that'll just make things worse."

Poe nodded. "Do you think I can be sure?"

"Well, she's really the first friend I've ever seen you make on your own. That's huge, Poe. I've never seen you do that, especially without a fight. Hell, for us to be friends, you had to attack me and I had to use you to get closer to your mother. You refused to talk around Justin for six months!" Nadi reminded her with a laugh.

Poe chuckled a bit, too. "I had to make sure he was cool."

Nadi scoffed. "My point is that you don't let people in. You let Mallory in. That says something to me. I don't want you to punish yourself because she made one mistake. I mean, it was a huge mistake, but I think you can recover if you're both serious about your feelings."

Poe nodded. "I'm glad I called you."

Nadi smiled. "I'm glad you did,too."


Mallory groaned as she put her drink down on her coffee table. The glass was mostly full. She had taken a sip and her stomach had clenched, refusing anymore. She felt sick, heartsick, and she did not know what to do about it. Her cell phone happened to catch her eye and she was calling her sister before she even realized the phone was in her hand.

"Hey, ugly," Meghan greeted her sister with a smile in her voice.

Mallory laughed. "You shouldn't insult yourself like that."

"I know, which is why I insulted you. But, enough of that. What's up? You just missed the kids."

"That's okay. I was calling to talk to you, anyway."

"Okay, what's up?" Meghan repeated.

"It's Poe."

"The younger woman you're head over heels for? What happened? Did you start trying to woo her back to you?"

"I tried, but I don't think I'll be successful. Meghan, I did worse than dump her and hurt her. I lost her trust. She's grown up almost never trusting people because she's been hurt so many times. She shut herself off, but she let me in and I hurt her just like everyone else. She said she'll never trust me again," Mallory reported with a sigh.

"Never is a bit much. I mean, do you know how long never is? Do you think she loves you?"

"She said not anymore because she doesn't trust me."

"Well, I call bullshit. I think you need to prove to her that you're different from the people that hurt her before. You're not like them. You made one mistake and you'll do your best to make up for it."

Mallory's brow furrowed. "That'll work?"

"It worked on me. Back when we were first dating, Patrick was still in touch with an old girlfriend and I found text messages between them. Some of them were a little racy. I was hurt and we had a big blow out. I broke up with him, told him to go back to her if she was the one he wanted, and a bunch of other stuff. It wasn't pretty."

Mallory sat up, as if that would keep her from missing the great wisdom from her sister. "So, how did he win you back?" her voice trembled.

Meghan giggled, actually giggled like a gossiping schoolgirl. "First, after a few days, he came to see me, in tears. He cried about how much I meant to him and how stupid he was to play around with a girl he didn't even have feelings for anymore. He deleted her number and text thread right there, in front of me."

"You didn't let him off that easily."

Meghan scoffed. "Of course not! But, he knew that and he remained in action. He didn't look at any girl but me for like a year. We went on expensive dates, he bought me gifts all the time, and he listened carefully to everything I said to surprise me often. He went out of his way to show me I was special. We even went rock climbing one time."

"Isn't Patrick afraid of heights?"

"Exactly! He knew it I wanted to rock climb and did it with me despite his crippling fear. Of course, he damn near fainted when we were barely ten feet off the ground and we had to turn around, but he tried. You need to make her feel like she's special."

Mallory nodded to herself. "Show her that I'm not ready to give up and I can make up for being an idiot."

"Not to mention, she's worth it. You have to let her know that you can and will protect her heart. But, don't be a stalker about it."

"Well, duh," Mallory deadpanned.

"Hey, don't get smart with me when you need my help!" Meghan laughed.

"Can't help what I am."

"Let me know how this goes, Mal. I'm rooting for you. You definitely should've been domesticated before me."

Mallory laughed. "I think all things have happened in the proper order." I'm milking this job for a little longer, until I can figure out what to do with myself.

"If you say so. Good luck."

"Thanks." The call was disconnected and Mallory began thinking of a plan of attack. Operation "Get Poe back" was about to be on.


12: No place like it

Poe had decided to give up on painting and writing for a while because everything that flowed from her made no sense, mixing sorrow and agony with hope and elation. It would not have been so terrible if the amalgamations at least were eye pleasing in some way or sent a message that made something close to sense. Instead, everything was a jumble torrent of strange emotion that would only cause a person to wonder what was going on. To her, her work all just looked like they had been swept up in a hurricane and only resembled art. She needed some time to clear her head.

"Or maybe I need to stop thinking. I dunno. I need something," she muttered to herself as she fled her apartment.

She went down to Goodies to drown her mind in soccer and junk food. Leander sat with her for a while, making a friendly wage on one match. Poe lost ten dollars. She could only laugh, but the expression did not reach her eyes, yet it sounded hearty enough. She did not dwell on the strange sensation, losing herself in more sport. Returning home in dire need of her bed, Poe was surprised to find a pile of roses waiting on her couch. They were all red, except for one in the center that had a violet-colored rose, very close to the color that streaked down through Poe's inky mane. There was a card resting on top of the bouquet.

"I know you told me not to break in again, but I was careful. I hope the roses find you well. Make sure you eat more than that garbage at Goodies," the card said.

Poe scoffed and showed the card what was really garbage. She flung the card into the trash with all of her might. She went to her fridge, just to eat more junk food. She was in for another surprise. There was food container with a card on top on it.

"Home made. Please eat this before you just throw something together that shouldn't be together," the card told her.

Poe frowned, but pulled out the food container anyway. She popped it open and her mouth dropped open. While she did not really have a favorite food, there were things that she enjoyed, but rarely ate. Salmon steak with brown fried rice and steamed vegetables. Her stomach growled and her mouth watered.

"I guess I'm eating this. Doesn't make sense for it to go to waste," Poe figured as she put the food in the oven to heat. "A microwave probably would come in handy right now." She glanced at the kitchen counter, which had more than enough room for a microwave. Her parents had bought her one when she first got the apartment, but it had broken and she never bothered to go out and get a new one.

The food did not take long to heat up and was absolutely delicious. It felt like it filled more than her stomach, but she shook that silly notion away. Sighing somewhat contently, she curled up in bed, even though she did not feel the least bit sleepy, and wondered what it all meant, if it meant anything. She decided to wait and see what else Mallory would do next.

"Maybe it's like Nadi was saying, maybe Mallory is willing to try harder. Well, she'll definitely have to try harder than some stupid flowers and a cold dinner," Poe grunted. I'm not that easy!

She was not sure what it would take to get her to forgive and trust Mallory again. She wished that she had more experience in relationships to get a better understanding of what was going on, what was expected of her, and what she should expect. Reaching for her phone, she called Nadi.

"Poe, love you like a sister and all, but it's two in the morning," Nadi groaned.

"Is it? I just ate dinner," Poe said, as if that made everything all right.

"Poe, you have no internal clock and day and night mean nothing to you. Is this important? I have to be up in three hours and rehearsing in four."

"Mallory bought roses and left them on the couch. She made me dinner and left it in the fridge. What do I do?"

"Eat it if you haven't already, put the roses in water, and wait for more goodies. You never give in on the first round of gifts. Goodnight." The line went dead.

Poe shrugged. "She gives good advice at two in the morning."

The artist scratched her head and went to take a shower. She fell asleep and passed the next day the same as the last few Mallory-less days with her trying to do something that seemed like art and failing miserably. She got a delivery of high-price art supplies that afternoon, brands that she normally purchased for herself. They were gift wrapped with a card bearing a simple message: forgive me. A plea, not a question.

"Not yet," Poe muttered.

She was not sure when, but as more gifts arrived, Poe was surprised to find herself less inclined to do so. There was something about all of the things that was rubbing her the wrong way and the irritation got worse with each gift. She tensed whenever the bell rang and scowled whenever someone was at her door. When a television set arrived, it was the straw that broke the camel's back. She did not even bother to read the card and very nearly cursed out the men that carried it up. She decided to save her fury for the right person, though.

Growling, Poe reached for her cell phone and dialed a number that she had not used in weeks. She did not even consider how odd it was that she still knew the number by heart. It barely rang before Mallory picked up. Poe was actually startled by this.

"Poe, are we back on speaking terms?" Mallory asked, hope burning her air.

"No, we are not! You think you can just buy my trust?" Poe roared, throwing her arm out, as if Mallory could see her.

The redhead gasped. "What? No! Of course not!"

"Oh, yeah? Then why the hell would you buy me a fucking TV? You think I can't afford a TV and that's why I don't have one? Are you fucking kidding me? Did it ever occur to you that I don't have a TV because I don't want one? I don't have certain things because I don't want them!"

"Uh … is this really about the TV or was that your way of saying you don't want me?" Mallory inquired, sounding seriously perplexed.

Poe snarled. "It means you can't fucking buy me! Don't think that just because my apartment doesn't have all of the luxuries that your condo has, it means I can't afford them!"

Mallory sighed, dejectedly and sorrowfully. "Sweetheart, I'm not trying to buy you and I'm hurt that you'd think so little of me. You really don't trust me at all anymore."

The fact that it was a statement and not a question caused Poe to pause. She was certain that she could hear Mallory slipping away from her over the phone. Her chest tightened, gripped with fear and she realized something that made her stomach flip. I'm not ready to lose her yet!

Poe swallowed, weighing her next words. They came out smaller than she expected, but she was certain that would only help. "I don't understand you anymore, Mallory. I don't understand how I should feel about you and things that you do."

The older woman was silent for a long moment. "I'm trying to fix that. I know you don't have those things because you don't want them, or at least that's what you tell yourself. Poe, I wanted your apartment to feel more like home for you, so it would have things that you take comfort in. I wanted you to feel like you were living there, staying there, and that you could be yourself there." Poe nodded, forgetting that they were on the phone, and then Mallory proved that she still knew the artist well. "You have to say something, Poe. I can't see you nodding."

An embarrassed blush rushed to Poe's cheeks. "Sorry!" she yelped. "I'm just … I dunno, shocked, I guess."

"I still care about you, Poe, despite how stupid I acted before. I want you to see how much I care and I want to take care of you. I want you to be in a space that relaxes you. I want you to see that you can be at home in more than one place and that you can count on me to be there for you."

"You don't hafta worry about me," Poe grumbled petulantly.

"Don't pout, especially when I can't kiss away the cute expression. I don't want to hurt you anymore, Poe. I don't want to cause you any pain," Mallory promised.

"I don't want any more stuff. It doesn't prove anything."

"Okay. I promise I won't send you any more stuff. What about the food? Has that been okay?" Mallory inquired, sounding just shy of begging.

The artist nodded eagerly and then again remembered that they were on the phone. "It's good. I didn't know you cooked because we usually get takeout."

"Well, before I was just lazy. I'm glad you like it. Is it all right if I keep sending meals then?"

Poe was silent briefly and an honest response fumbled from her lips in a breath. "Yes, please."

The conversation did not last much longer after that, but it definitely ended on a better note than it started. By the time they disconnected, Poe's heart longed for more of Mallory's sweet voice. She lightly rubbed the center of her chest.

"I wanna smile and cry at the same time," Poe mumbled, not sure what to do with herself now.


Mallory sighed as she stared at her cell phone. She was not sure how to take the call, but it seemed like a good thing. Poe had not ended it screaming as she had began it and she had admitted to liking the food that Mallory made for her. She figured that was as good as a green light to continue her atonement in some shape, even though she could not send goods to make Poe's house a home.

"All right, what should I do now? I know I need to help Poe realize she can depend on me, count on me, and trust me. I want her to be able to have a home because I know she needs it and I know it'll help her see me in a more positive light. So, if I can't buy her things that help her place seem like a home, what can I do?" Mallory wondered aloud. "What can I do to help her realize she has a home? That I can be part of that home?"

The redhead went through a list of ideas that she already had and was now considerably shorter since Poe did not want her to buy things. She mentally berated herself for being so stupid as to think that Poe would go along with such presents. Poe would live on paper and pencils if she could, after all.

"But, she deserves so much more," she sighed. "She deserves a loving home beyond her parents. I want to give that to her, if she'll let me. How the hell do I do that?"

Shifting on the sofa, Mallory moved onto her back. She grabbed a notepad that she had been keeping on her coffee table and jotted down ideas of what she could do. How can I give her a home if I can't buy her stuff? She considered the things that Poe had liked and she felt like a light bulb went off in her head. Smiling, she quickly dropped the notepad and went to work.

"I hope this doesn't blow up in my face," Mallory muttered as she made her way to her bedroom. She practically leaped in her closet, grinning all the way. Somebody once said, go big or go home. Maybe I can do both.


Poe awoke with a start as her doorbell went off and she almost fell out of bed. Her hair was going at all angles, which she did not care about. She went to her intercom to find out who was there and was so surprised to hear Mallory's voice that she buzzed her in. She met the redhead at the door.

"Mallory, what are you doing here?" Poe inquired with her face twisted. Why does she have a duffel bag and suitcase? A big suitcase. Oh, my god, what if she's leaving! Poe's entire body felt like it was being shredded because of the conflicting emotions.

"Um …" Mallory squinted, as if she were thinking on a response. She gripped the bar of her rolling suitcase tightly. "I wanted to try talking again before anything else, but it looks like you're sleeping."

"Yeah. Is it some weird time to be asleep?" Poe asked, rubbing her forehead.

"I think it depends. If you're a five-year-old, eight at night is the perfect time to be asleep," Mallory remarked with a snicker.

Poe scratched the top of her head now. "Eight? Well, at least it's dark out."

Mallory gave her a soft smile that made her blue eyes sparkle. "That is a step up for you."

The artist countered with a small, lighthearted smile of her own. "Yeah, it is. Well, I guess you can come in since you're here and all." Poe stepped to the side, allowing Mallory entrance. She eyed the bags as Mallory passed her. What's she doing? Why all the stuff?

Poe shut the door while Mallory stared around the space. There were boxes littering the floor; they housed the packages that Mallory had sent to her over the last couple of weeks. Sorrow flickered through deep blue eyes and Poe felt a twinge of guilt, knowing that she was the reason for the emotion. Shaking her head, she realized that she did not want to face Mallory now.

The writer needed time to get her head together. She could not talk to Mallory while feeling worried, guilty, or downright awful for the redhead or she might give in before she was ready to do so. She wanted to make sure that she made the right decision at the right time, so she needed to get her head together.

"I'm gonna go back to bed. I only went to sleep an hour ago and I've been up for the last couple of days," Poe explained, causing her guest to face her.

"That's fine. I'll wait for you," Mallory replied with a small, almost reassuring smile.

Poe nodded and retreated to her bedroom. She crawled back into bed and tried to figure out what she should do about Mallory just showing up. She suspected that she should be angry, but she was not. She was off balance, but not angry. She could not even begin to guess what she should do about the concern and trepidation that she was feeling over Mallory showing up with large bags. What the hell do I do with any of this?!

She was tempted to call Nadi, but did not want to chance Mallory hearing the conversation. Dammit, what a time to actually need walls! She knew it was not very likely that she would get any answers for herself, but she actually wore herself thinking about it. She eventually fell back to sleep, wondering about what she should do. She could hear noises around the apartment in her sleep, but did not know what they were.


Mallory sighed as she looked around at Poe's apartment. No effort had been made to set anything up. She shook her head and began straightening up. She wondered how long it would take Poe to realize what she was up to and how she would react.

"I hope it is good reaction," she muttered, but a trembling in gut told her that she feared how things could turn out, too.

She left her bags by the sofa and went to work on liberating appliances from boxes. At least she opened the boxes to see what they were. Of course, it would have been even better had Poe put them where they belonged, but that could work to her advantage.

She removed a toaster from a box and went to place it in the kitchen. She had been extremely surprised to find that Poe did not own a toaster when she had first stayed in the apartment long enough to go into the kitchen. She considered it a given to have a toaster, but one day when she had been craving a bit of toast and jam, she had almost thrown a tantrum to find Poe did not think the same as she did when it came to the appliance. Poe offering her bread with jam had not helped and she had refused to come back to the apartment for a while after that, always taking Poe to her place instead.

She had also purchased a teakettle because Poe did not have one. The strange girl would actually heat up water in the single pot that she owned. Well, no more of that insanity. Also no more of this one pot bullshit either. She had purchased a small pot set for the younger woman. Also, among the gifts was a George Foreman grill. Mallory just thought it was the sort of appliance that Poe would use because of the ease, but it sat in a half-open box just like everything else. Mallory sighed. This is going to be an uphill battle.

Mallory fought long and hard for a few of hours with setting up the kitchen and then began a new battle. She cooked a breakfast, knowing Poe would be up soon. She brought pancake batter and other items that she would need in her large suitcase. She knew that she could not trust Poe to have anything that she required to help her little plan along. When Poe rose, at the very random hour of eleven at night, breakfast was done and waiting on the counter.

"You cooked?" Poe asked while yawning as she exited her bedroom. She scratched the top of her wild hair. There were lines underneath her eyes and a frown marring her tempting lips that showed she had not gotten a good sleep.

"Midnight breakfast," Mallory replied with a smile. She had to resist the urge to run her fingers through Poe's hair.

"How'd you make pancakes?" the artist inquired, her voice was rough, which made her guest shiver. She cleared her throat a couple of times.

Mallory shrugged and smirked coyly. "A gal has to have some secrets." Getting the eggs over in her duffel bag to make scrambled eggs was the real bitch. I've got it bad, figuring out how to smuggle eggs in a fucking duffel bag. Not to mention her scratchy voice makes me hot. Something is seriously wrong with me.

Poe nodded, but her focus was already on the food. Mallory just made a stack of pancakes with a plate of eggs and another plate with sausage because she was not sure how much Poe would eat. She had seen Poe devour helpings at restaurants and takeout, but she had never seen what Poe would do if she could make her own plate. She dared hope that she made enough. Poe, not being picky, grabbed the final clean plate; she had a set of four plates, four saucers, and four bowls.

"How many of these can I eat?" Poe inquired as she stood by the pancakes.

"Take as many as you want. I made it for you," Mallory replied with a smile.

"To make talking easier?" the younger woman guessed.

Mallory sighed, forgetting that was the excuse used to gain entry to the apartment. I might need some food for this, too. She nodded to answer Poe's question and waited for the artist to make her plate.

Poe grabbed six pancakes, over half of the eggs, and an equal amount of sausage. Mallory used the plate with the rest of the eggs to hold her food, getting two pancakes and two pieces of sausage. Poe poured syrup on her short stack and then looked at the bottle as if it had fallen from the sky into her hands.

"You brought syrup, too?" Poe inquired with an arched eyebrow.

"No, this you actually already had, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why," Mallory remarked.

Poe's forehead wrinkled cutely. "I wonder. Maybe I had some frozen waffles one time. Well, that, or I made some syrup sandwiches."

Mallory laughed. "That's old school."

The writer shrugged and retreated to living room to eat on the couch since that was still the only place to sit. Mallory followed suit, but got up again for something to drink. She poured herself and Poe a glass of lemonade. She returned to find Poe through a third of pancakes.

"I think you'll need this to make sure you don't choke," Mallory commented as she offered the lemonade to Poe.

"Oh, thanks." A small smile adorned Poe's face as she accepted the drink. "Did I have this in the fridge?"

Mallory scoffed. "Please, like you ever have anything beyond water and milk on its way to spoiling. Oh, and the occasional flat liter of soda."

"Sometimes, I have sports drinks, too."

Mallory chuckled. "I have yet to arrive for that occasion."

"They're there, sometimes," Poe insisted and Mallory decided not to fight her on that.

They sat quietly for a while, just enjoying their meal. The redhead noted that every now and then Poe would look up at her. She wished that the younger woman would just start the conversation, if only so she could see if her plan had a shot. Thankfully, she did not have to wait long.

"So, I'm sorry for how I snapped at you before," Poe apologized.

"It's okay, Poe. I should've thought of a better way to do that. I definitely should've thought about how you would've taken it. My plan wasn't well executed," Mallory admitted, shaking her head ruefully.

Poe nodded. "I could've handled it better."

The fact that Poe was willing to shoulder some of the responsibility was like music to Mallory's soul. There was at least some part of Poe that still wanted her. She had to latch onto that part with a death grip and wiggle her way back into Poe's heart.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" the younger woman asked.

"Well … I was wondering if it would be all right for me to take you out some time," Mallory requested, which was entirely true. She would love to take Poe on a simple date again. Dinner and a movie sounded like heaven.

Brown eyes went down to her food, which she was almost done with. "I think it's too soon for that."

"I figured you'd say something like that, but I wanted to try. What can I do, Poe? I'm trying, but I need help. I don't know what to do," Mallory confessed, her voice cracked toward the end. She sniffled, forcing back tears. She was not going to cry because she knew that it would not help. She also did not want Poe think that she was trying to manipulate her, so she had to hold it together. Get a hold of yourself before she throws you out!

A small frown settled onto Poe's face, but her focus remained on her food. "I dunno, Mallory. I don't really know right now. I'm not saying nothing will work. I just don't know what you can do to get us back to where we were. I don't know if anything can be done to get us back there."

The redhead nodded. "Maybe we don't need to do that," she muttered thoughtfully.

The words caused the artist to look at her guest and Poe's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? Are you … are we breaking up? Can we break up?"

Mallory smiled and tenderly patted Poe on the knee. "I don't think we can break up because we were never really together, not officially anyway. But, it doesn't matter because that's not what I meant anyway. Maybe instead of trying to get back what we had, maybe we need to start over. I mean, we didn't get off on the right foot, anyway."

Poe looked even more confused, scratching her forehead and squinting, as if that would help her solve this complex puzzle. "We did well, I think anyway. I'm not an expert or anything, but we did okay. We took care of each other."

"Eventually, but we started off with you hating me and then you being my date. Not really the beginning of a great romance."

"I guess."

"Making it worse, it started out being mostly about sex." Mallory did not even want to admit that Poe had started out as just someone she could train and teach everything that she liked in bed while being built exactly the way Mallory pictured her dream lover. They definitely needed to start over.

There was a lull in the conversation. Mallory used that time to take Poe's plate from her and carried it to the kitchen. She covered the leftover food and put it in the refrigerator while letting the dishes soak. She was certain that Poe would eventually make short work of the leftovers. She took her time with washing the dishes and eased her way back into the living room to find Poe sitting in front of a fresh canvas. Mallory sat quietly on the sofa and busied herself with a book, falling asleep with it in her hands. Her last conscious thought was wondering if Poe remembered that she was still there.


Poe was surprised to find herself able to put a little something on her canvas that did not look like a dog got into her paints. She lost herself in creating for a while and happened to turn to the couch, discovering Mallory in a dead sleep with a book on her chest. A smile settled on her face before she knew it.

She wondered if Mallory had been sleeping as poorly as she was. Something told her that was the case, even though Mallory had not moved or made a sound from her spot on the couch. She went to fetch a pillow for Mallory as well as a blanket. She eased the book out of Mallory's hands and put the pillow under her head. She carefully made sure Mallory was covered from head to toe with the blanket.

Mallory cooed in her sleep as soon as she was covered. Poe leaned down and kissed Mallory's forehead. A small, content-looking smile eased onto Mallory's face while Poe fought back a giggle. She resisted the urge to caress a pale cheek, leaving Mallory to her slumber. The artist returned to her canvas and continued working, her brush flowing with ease and her colors mixing so well. It was as if her creativity had never abandoned her weeks ago.

Soon, the sun was up and filling the room with light while the outside world came to life with the sounds of cars driving by. Poe heard Mallory get up and shuffle around the apartment, but she was in the middle of working and could not stop now to see what the redhead was up to. After all, she was not sure if she would ever be able to paint again if her block returned. She needed to get everything inside of her out while she had the chance.

Mallory did not disturb her for a while … she thought anyway. She was not sure about the time and as Nadi said, she had no internal clock really, but eventually Mallory appeared before her with a sandwich and some chips along with a soda. Poe blinked twice at the food presented to her.

"Uh … thank you," she mumbled.

Mallory smiled at her. "No problem. You need to keep your strength up. I see you're in a zone."

Poe nodded as she accepted the food. Mallory leaned down and gave Poe a sweet kiss on the forehead before walking off to make herself busy. A smile worked its way onto the artist's face as Mallory walked away. Poe ate, not even thinking about where the food came from since she knew that she did not have anything to make a sandwich in her apartment, and then returned to painting. She could hear Mallory puttering around the apartment, but did not bother to look up until she realized she needed to take a shower since she could smell herself over her paints. Damn, I might have stink lines coming off of me if I can smell me like that.

Rising from her seat, which she was surprised she did not stick to, Poe yawned and stretched. Her eyes roamed the apartment and she realized the noise had been Mallory cleaning up. There was a pile of broken up boxes waiting by the door and the contents of those boxes were in their proper places in the loft. She blinked at the surprise of it all.

"Mallory, you didn't have to do all of this," Poe said when she remembered that she could talk.

The redhead waved her off. "I needed something to do. I hope you don't mind. I know you didn't want the stuff, but you hadn't thrown it out either."

"Uh … it's fine." Poe's eyes wondered the apartment, settling on the television. It was not a large television, just 32 inches, but it was more than enough for her. Mallory had set up the television on a crate that Poe usually used to hold art debris. It was a couple of feet from the sofa. It really was fine, she realized. She was not angry or even upset over it. In fact, warmth slowly spread from her belly to every inch of her as she took in the older woman's hard work.

"Okay, good. Ready for some dinner?" Mallory offered.

"You're gonna make dinner?" Poe asked, not meaning to sound as pleased and hopeful as she did.

The older woman smiled. "Of course, we gotta eat, after all. So, are you ready?"

"I need to take a shower, but okay."

"You shower and I'll cook. The food should be ready by the time you get out."

Poe nodded and went to take her shower. She showered and dressed, which took a little more than a half-hour. She returned to the outside of the apartment to the heavenly smell of dinner. She marched into the kitchen to see Mallory pulling bread out of the oven.

"Oh, spaghetti," Poe chirped as she saw the plates already decked out with food. "Where'd this come from? Actually, where'd that sandwich come from that you made me earlier? I don't have any sandwich meat or even bread for that matter."

"Don't worry about it. Do you want Parmesan cheese on it?"

Poe did not mean to light up the way that she did. "Yes, please!"

Mallory laughed and buttered the bread before putting the cheese on Poe's pasta. She put a slice of toasted bread on Poe's plate and handed the writer her food. Poe grinned and went to sit on the sofa to eat. Mallory followed, but did not sit down until she retrieved drinks for both of them.

"This is so good! I haven't had real spaghetti for a long time," Poe declared with her mouth full.

Mallory smiled proudly. "Good. I'm happy you like it." Blue eyes drifted to the television ahead of them. "Want to watch a movie or something?"

"Uh … I don't have any." For the first time in a while, Poe felt bad for not having something.

"No, but you have a computer and internet." The redhead nodded toward the small laptop.

Poe shrugged. Mallory grabbed Poe's laptop from nearby and hooked it up to the television; the artist wondered where Mallory got the wires for that, but she did not ask. It took about ten minutes before Mallory had a movie playing on the television from the laptop. When Mallory settled back on the couch, even though she was on the opposite end, Poe found herself suddenly happy to have a television.

At the end of the movie, Mallory cleared their plates and scrubbed the dishes. Poe was tempted to help, but decided against it since there were only a few dishes and she did not want to be in the way. She returned to her painting, feeling something was up, but she could not figure out what just yet. In fact, she partially did not care because whatever was up allowed her to paint again.

She heard Mallory moving around again, but did not really look to see what she was doing. When all was silent, she turned to see Mallory asleep on the sofa again with the same book as last night on her chest. Poe went to cover her again and also went to bed after that.

The next morning, there was breakfast again. It was somewhat the same as yesterday actually. They ate, Poe painted while Mallory read, and they watched a movie during dinner. The only difference was that Poe had made herself a snack, using a cold pancake and some potatoes that had been in her fridge from before Mallory showed up. Mallory looked on with disgust and her face did get a bit green as Poe put ketchup on the potatoes and rolled them into the pancake. But, the redhead did not say anything.

The next day passed in a similar fashion. Poe knew something strange was going on, but continued to let it go, not bothering to try to figure out what it was. Why dwell on something that was not hurting her?


Mallory was surprised to have made it through a week without Poe kicking her out. She was not entirely sure if Poe realized that she had stayed there for a week. She was going to have to bring it to Poe's attention, though, because she was out of clothes and they were out of food. Well, food that she could put together.

Now, she was in a tricky position. If she told Poe that she needed to leave for more clothes and such, she would call attention to the fact that she had unofficially moved in. She was not sure how the younger woman would react to that. On the flip side, she could not sneak out because she was not sure how Poe would react to that.

"If I have learned nothing else from this, it's that talking is always better than running and I have to be honest to both of us," Mallory decided.

The redhead stepped out of the kitchen, where she had been hiding to figure out what to do. She scanned the apartment for Poe, finding the younger woman on the couch. Poe was on her laptop, working on her next book. Mallory sat down next to her, confident enough to let their bodies touch. Poe did not flinch or pull away, which she took as a good sign.

"Poe, can we talk for a second?" the older woman requested.

"Yeah, sure," Poe replied with a shrug and she set her computer down on the floor. Brown eyes then turned completely to Mallory and she needed to take a breath before speaking.

"Poe, I'm not sure if you've realized this, but I've been here for a week," Mallory started.

Poe's forehead wrinkled in thought and she blinked a couple of times. "It's been a week?"

"Yeah, I've been here for a week. I wanted to stay from the moment that I showed up. I want you to see that I can be here for you. I can make you feel at home if you give me a chance. I can make us both feel better. I know it might take longer than a week, so I just want to know if you're okay with me being here for as long as that takes or do you want me to just leave now?"

"Leave?" Poe yelped. Panic actually shot through those lovely chocolate eyes.

"Yes, do you want me to leave?"

Poe quickly began shaking her head. "No, you can stay. This week has been … nice."

Mallory smiled and her heart settled to the proper timbre. She felt like she could breath easier now. "That's good." Now, she was sure that she could leave the apartment and Poe would allow her to come back in. "So, I need to leave."

Brown eyes went wide and Poe's mouth dropped open. "But, you just said!"

Mallory continued to smile and bravely took Poe into her arms. "I'm coming back. I need to go get clean clothes and we need more groceries. I can't keep cooking if we don't have the supplies."

"I like your cooking," Poe mumbled, nuzzling the redhead.

"And I like cooking for you. For that to continue, I need to go shopping. I should be back in a couple of hours. If you keep working, you won't even notice I'm gone."

"I always notice when you're gone. It makes my heart empty."

Oh, god, that shouldn't make me feel as good as it does, but she feels the same way I do! "I know what you mean, so I'll definitely come back. We'll have dinner and watch a movie, just like we've been doing and everything will be fine."

Poe smiled and gave Mallory a sweet kiss on the cheek. After a hug, she departed for her apartment, taking her empty bags with her. She glanced back to see Poe watching her from the door.

"I could come," Poe offered.

"No, you keep working. I'll be right back," Mallory replied. She needed Poe to see that she would come back on her own. She needed Poe to trust her.


Mallory returned with tons of grocery bags and luggage packed with a great deal of her clothes. Poe was at the door waiting for her and she felt her insides melting. This is best for both of us. The only way the moment could have gotten sweeter to her was if Poe greeted her with a kiss, but she doubted that would happen any time soon. No, I still have more work to go before that stage, I'm sure.

"Let me help with the bags," Poe suggested, running out to grab as many grocery bags as she could. "This is a lot of stuff."

"Yeah, it should keep us well fed for a few days, provided someone doesn't start combining leftovers into Frankensteinian monsters," Mallory teased. She was pleased when Poe smiled.

They settled inside and Poe helped Mallory put the groceries away, cutely asking where items went in her own kitchen. The smile never left Poe's face either, which put a smile on Mallory's face. A pleasant air seemed to hang around the whole area while they were in the kitchen together. Mallory then cooked while Poe finished working. They had dinner and watched a movie. Poe even cuddled against Mallory.

"I could get use to this," Mallory admitted in a low tone. Poe smiled and nodded while snuggling in closer.

13: Bonded

"What's that buzzing noise?" Poe asked curiously as she paused her typing on her keyboard. She angled her head to listen for it again. "Mallory, do you hear that buzz?" She looked around curiously. She was sitting on the couch, resting against the redhead.

"Yeah, what the hell is that?" Mallory wondered aloud as she put down the book that she was reading. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her head. "Shit, that's my cell phone."

She rushed off to answer it, causing her lover to fall over. Poe yelped while Mallory realized that forgot where she had left the damned thing. She paused right in the middle of her stride and looked around.

"Have you seen my cell phone?" the redhead inquired with an arched eyebrow.

The painter shook her head as she repositioned herself on the sofa. "Nope. I didn't even know you had your cell phone here."

For her first week there, Mallory did not want Poe to remember that she had a cell phone. She had turned her work and personal cell phones off that first week to give Poe her undivided attention. After a couple of days, she had turned her personal cell phone back on, but not the one for work. She had charged it, but now she can't remember what the hell she had done with it after unplugging it from the charger.

"What the hell did I do with it?" Mallory asked the air, which was just as helpful as asking Poe. She scratched her head as she tried to recall, but her cell phone had been the last thing on her mind for a while now.

Her eyes happened to fall on her bags and she vaguely recalled going into the bags earlier. She shrugged, figuring that was the best place to start looking. By the time she found the phone, it had stopped ringing. She scanned through it to see that she had missed a ton of calls, mostly from family.

"Shit. My family have put out a missing person's report," Mallory remarked to herself. She chuckled a bit.

"Did you find it?" Poe asked, not even looking up from her computer.

"Yeah, I missed a call from my sister. I completely forgot about this damned thing," Mallory chuckled again.

"You haven't used it since you came here," Poe noted.

"Yeah, and my family have been blowing it up. I have to call somebody back before they send out the hounds," the older woman remarked. Although, I doubt they'll be upset if I tell them why I haven't answered the phone in over a week.

Poe chuckled. "My parents would've kicked my door in by now if I didn't answer my phone for a week."

"You know, they might've done that. I need to ask if they did," Mallory muttered quite seriously.

She stepped into the bathroom for some privacy, and also just in case yelling was involved. She did not want to disturb Poe with her possible loud family drama. She sat down on the edge of the tub as she called her sister back.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Mallory! Where the hell have you been? I've been calling you for the past three goddamn days!" Meghan screamed. "Mom is one hour away from sending Dad and Shaun to your place while praying to God that they don't find your fucking body!"

Mallory made a face and could only wonder how things were about to come to that. "Sorry! Geez, when did she first call me?"

"Like five days ago. I was able to talk her out of calling the cops when you didn't answer the first eight calls. You're lucky I knew you were focused on getting your girl back or I'd have been right with her. Now, where the hell have you been?" the older sister demanded.

Mallory smiled, grinned really. "Getting my girl back." 'My girl.' I like the sound of that. A giddy feeling traveled up and down her spin.

Meghan actually cheered. "Atta girl! What did you do?"

"Moved in."

"You moved in?" her sister asked incredulously.

"Well, kind of. I need her to see that she can depend on me."

"That is fucking crazy! You're fucking crazy! You, the one who has been burned enough to not go on third dates with people you really like now actually moved in with someone!"

Mallory laughed a bit. "She's worth it and I know she's not going to burn me. And, for the record, I've only been burned twice."

"What's that saying about being burned and shy?"

"Shut up."

"So, how's it working out?"

Mallory let out a long breath. "She hasn't kicked me out yet, so I guess that's a good thing. I think she's starting to see her apartment more as her home, which is huge. Best yet, I think she's starting to see me as home." She smiled at the thought and actually giggled.

"That's great. Does she trust you again?" Meghan asked.

"She hasn't said so. I think I need to do more. I've only been here for a week and a half. I'm sure Poe will need much more time, but I'm willing to give her all the time she needs as long as I can stay here like this. I'm so content, Meghan."

"Content? Not happy?"

"No, it's different from happiness. Happiness happens in a moment. I know when I'm a happy and it's never this long. This has persisted since I came here last week. It's a quiet feeling that makes me think that everything is all right. I really like it," Mallory said.

"That's good. I hope she treats you right."

Mallory smiled a bit. "I'm not sure if it would seem right to most people, but it's right for me. I don't know why, but she does it for me."

"You're the only one she needs to do it for. You sound totally smitten, which is so cute for you. So, when do we get to meet her?" Meghan laughed.

Mallory scoffed. "She'd probably faint meeting so many people at once."

"Wouldn't it help prove you're serious about her, though? I mean, you want her to meet your family. Taking her home to meet the folks has to scream commitment, right?"

Mallory thought on that. Meeting her family would certainly show that she was serious about Poe, to both Poe and her family. Her family would make a big deal about it, though. It would annoy her and possibly overwhelm Poe.

"It might scare her," Mallory told her sister.

"You should try it, anyway, because it might not scare her. Bring her by for Sunday dinner. That way you can show Mom you haven't been murdered and left in a ditch somewhere," Meghan pointed out.

"I'll run the idea by Poe and see how she reacts to it," Mallory sighed, shaking her head. "But, if she agrees, you guys - you especially - can't act like the crazy people you are. Poe's not open or friendly really with people she's just met. She's very introverted and somewhat bashful."

"Oh, we'll be on our best behavior. She'll love us and we'll love her!" Meghan proclaimed as if that was a solid fact.

"She might tolerate you guys, but love I think is a strong word. I barely love you guys," Mallory joked.

Meghan loudly scoffed. "Oh, please! I had your precious niece and I'm your twin. You're required by law to love me."

"I'm pretty sure that isn't in the Constitution. Let me go run this idea by Poe. I'll call you back when I'm done. Call Mom and let her know I'm okay. Warn me if she comes up with some crazy code word or question that she'll want me to answer when I call her. I'll call her later tonight," the younger sister promised.

"Sounds good. Good luck to you, not just in getting her to come to dinner, but getting her in general."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"Keep fighting."

"I will." They disconnected the call and Mallory smiled as she looked at her phone. She then took a deep breath before returning to the living room.

Poe was still on her computer, working away on her book. She sat down next to the artist and draped herself on Poe, who did not complain. She glanced at the page to see that Poe definitely had a rhythm going.

"I just spoke with my sister. My family's freaking out because I haven't returned a call to them in almost a week," Mallory explained.

"That is a long time," Poe agreed.

"Yeah, I suppose. My mother probably just wanted to talk about something silly, too. It was my bad luck that she happened to call when I had my cell turned off." Sometimes, we can go a month without calling each other and the one week I decide to turn the phone off is the time Mom decides we need to talk? What kind of luck is that?

"So, what are you going to do?" Poe asked curiously, looking up from her laptop for a moment.

Mallory shrugged. "I'm not really going to do anything. My sister will tell them that I'm okay and my Mom'll call back, acting like I've just come back from the dead."

The younger woman laughed. "She's a good mother."

Mallory smiled thoughtfully. "She is. Would you like to meet her?"

Brown eyes blinked several times and Poe actually swayed, as if she might faint. "You want me … you want me … you want me to meet your mom?" she asked as if that was the craziest thing that she had ever heard in her life.

"Well, my family really. We do Sunday night dinners. We could go, together," Mallory explained, trying her best to sound normal. It would have been easier if her heart would stop beating a mile a minute. Oh, god, I actually want her to meet my family!

"Family?" All of that beautiful tan coloring drained from Poe's face. Mallory rushed to her side, hoping to make her feel better about the idea.

"Oh, sweetheart, don't look like that." Mallory cupped Poe's face and kissed both cheeks. "My family has already heard about you. My sister pushed me into chasing you when I was too busy having my head up my ass."

Deep brown eyes blinked before focusing on the redhead. "Your sister pushed you to me?" The fact that she sounded so incredulous broke Mallory's heart.

"Yes, she did, sweetheart. I basically cried on her shoulder when I thought I lost you. She told me not to give up so easily. She really would like to meet the person that could get close enough to me to make me fall head over heels in love." A big smile took up her whole face.

Poe smiled. "Head over heels, huh?"

Mallory chuckled and tapped her lover's nose. "Don't be smug. You don't look adorable when you're smug. Back to the business at hand, would you like to meet my family? We could go to Sunday dinner. They'll love you," she promised with another smile. They will, too. They'll love you just as much as I do.

The artist scratched the top of her head. "Can I think about it?"

"Of course. You've got until Sunday afternoon to make a decision. Two more at my mom's table won't matter on short notice because she cooks enough to feed an army anyway."

Poe smiled a bit and Mallory kissed her before letting her get back to work. A few minutes later Mallory's phone went off, pulling her away from the couch. She spent the next hour on the phone with her mother. Her mother spent the time yelling at her and crying about how worried she had been. Mallory did not even really get a chance to explain what happened and her mother hung up after ordering her home for Sunday dinner.

"Well, I'm going home whether I like or not," she muttered while putting her phone away.


Poe sat in the dark, on the bed with her legs folded underneath her. She was considering Mallory's proposal. While she was not the most social person on Earth and had done very little dating in her life, she knew that meeting a girl's family was huge. Meeting Mallory's family seemed monumental and the thought made her dizzy. She could not sleep, knots kept tying themselves in her guts, and she feared that she might throw up at any moment.

"I should feel good about this. She wants me to meet her family. She's serious about this, about me. She wants us to work. I want that, too … right? Well, yeah, that's why I let her stay, why I wanted her to stay. She wants this to be real. It will be real if I meet her family. Am I ready for this?" Poe wondered aloud. The butterflies in her stomach made her unsure.

She thought about what might happen if she declined. She knew that Mallory would assure her that it was no big deal, but she knew the message it would send. Mallory would start to doubt herself and doubt her effort in getting them back together. A decline would be a step backward for them. Their bond was too tenuous right now and any doubt could wound them beyond repair.

"But, if I do this and I'm not ready, I could make a huge ass out of myself and mess things up even more. I mean, if her family hates me that definitely would affect us," Poe muttered, twisting her mouth up in thought. "Maybe it's better to get it out of the way before we totally set ourselves right."

She did not want Mallory's family to hate her after she and Mallory became a true couple because it would probably drive them apart. The very thought pained her. She imagined how deep her emotions for Mallory would be by then and she lose Mallory, lose herself possibly. The thought made her weak.

"But, she said her family would love me. Why should they? No one else does," Poe muttered with a frown.

"I do," Mallory said, stepping in from beyond the curtain.

"Mallory!" Poe squeaked and jumped.

Mallory moved quietly and slowly sat down next to Poe. The artist was certain the reason that the redhead went so slowly was to give her a chance to tell Mallory to stop. That did not happen and Poe edged closer to Mallory once she was down.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," Poe apologized. The older woman had been sleeping on the sofa last she checked.

"You didn't mean to and I'm glad you did. I need you to know you're loveable. You are worth loving and can be loved. My family would definitely love you. You're bright and talented. You can be polite and civil. You can carry a conversation if someone gets you going and you try hard enough. You're not an asshole. You're actually pretty normal," Mallory assured her.

"I'm normal?" I can't be normal because if I was, I wouldn't be such a mess over this, and Nadi wouldn't have to yell at me all the time, and I'd have been able to hold onto Mallory in the first place. People would like me if I was normal.

Mallory chuckled. "Yeah, pretty normal. There's nothing wrong with you and you don't really have any vices. You're insecure not unlike a lot of girls your age. You're sensitive, again not unlike a lot of girls your age. Making matters more extreme, you're an artist and you have an artist's temperament. You want to protect yourself from pain, like most people. You've built up walls, but lots of people do. There's nothing wrong with you."

Poe looked down at the bedspread. "I feel like there is."

"There isn't. People are just jerks and you ran into more than your fair share because you were in a system that let's a lot of jerks through. You're fine and my family will love you."

Poe's eyes remained on the bedspread. She nodded for lack of a better thing to do. In the dark silence, she heard Mallory sigh.

"If you really don't want to meet them, you don't have to," the redhead said, just as Poe feared.

The writer's head snapped up. "No! Don't say that, especially not like that! I want to meet them!" Her words surprised the older woman. Because her eyes had adjusted to the dark, she could see Mallory blink in shock.

"You do?" the redhead inquired.

Poe took a deep breath and nodded. "I do." She's taken so many steps toward me. I need to take one toward her. I care about her, after all.

"So, we're going to Sunday dinner?"

Now, Poe swallowed a lump in her throat and it felt like a stone landed in her stomach. "Yes, we'll go. I just want to apologize in advance if I mess up."

"You'll be fine," Mallory promised, grabbing her around the shoulders and pulling her close.

The younger woman felt the warmth from Mallory's body and it filled her with all sorts of good, warm feelings. She wrapped her arms around Mallory's waist and pulled their bodies even closer. Mallory kissed the top of her head and if felt like everything was right in the world. A smile settled onto Poe's face before she realized it.

"Get some sleep," Mallory whispered as she disentangled their limbs. She gently forced Poe to lie down. "It's not going to be bad. I promise. I'd never take you somewhere I knew you'd get hurt, not even to dinner with my family."

Poe nodded and moved up to the pillows as Mallory pulled the covers over her. Mallory kissed her forehead, much like a mother would do to a child, which bothered Poe. A frown took up residency on her face.

"You don't have to kiss my forehead. You're not my mother," Poe said and if came out with more snap than she intended.

Mallory pulled back. "I don't want to be!" she declared in near horror.

Poe reached out and took her hand. "I didn't mean it like that. I just mean, my mom kisses my forehead and you're not my mom. You should kiss other places."

Mallory smirked. "Oh? Do you have any suggestions?"

"Anywhere but my forehead."

"Anywhere?"

The author nodded and ignored how naughty Mallory made one innocent word sound. The redhead had mercy on her and leaned down, giving her a tender kiss on the mouth. Thankfully, Mallory kept it simple and pulled away after a few seconds.

"Thank you," Poe whispered.

"No, thank you. You settle something within me, Poe. I need you and I need you to know that," Mallory said.

"I need you, too," Poe admitted before she could stop herself. Shit! I have no filter tonight!

Mallory only smiled and returned to the sofa. Poe was tempted to call her back, but decided against it. Instead, she tried to get some sleep now that the sense of fear and dread had passed. I'm going to meet her family. For some reason, it was not as frightening. Is it because Mallory promised? Her heart told her "yes."


Poe had to shove her hands in her pockets to keep from fidgeting as she got out of a taxi with Mallory. She stared at the house that they were standing in front of and noted how normal it looked. It actually reminded her of her parents' house, which helped settle her.

"Ready to go?" Mallory asked, holding her hand out for Poe.

Poe took a deep breath and nodded. "I can do this," she proclaimed with confidence as she took the redhead's hand.

"It'll be fine," the older woman vowed.

"You sure?"

Mallory smiled. "Positive. It'll be fine."

They walked into the yard and Mallory opened the front door, which was not locked. The sweet smell of food hit Poe the second she was inside the warm house. She could hear childish giggles and mumbled conversation. Mallory led her to the source; the family was gathered in the dining room.

"Hello, everybody," Mallory greeted them with a smile.

Suddenly, all eyes were on them. Poe fought back the urge to squirm as she took in the number of people. It was only six of them, but it felt like hundreds. Mallory squeezed her hand, which helped settle Poe. She did not feel like a specimen under a microscope and reminded herself to just be herself. I'm fine, I'm normal, Mallory said so.

"Auntie!" a little blond girl cheered. She was in the arms of a man that looked like he was probably Mallory's age or maybe a bit younger. He looked a lot like Mallory, Poe noted.

"Hey, goober," Mallory smiled as she reached out to ruffle the child's blond locks. "Everybody, this is Poe." She held up their hands, silently announcing that they were together, but it seemed unnecessary to do.

Poe felt an odd grumble in her stomach and figured it was from the lack of position attached to her name. She was just Poe, not "my friend" and certainly not "my girlfriend." It made sense and it was her fault. She was the one stuck in limbo about their relationship despite Mallory devoting two weeks of nonstop attention to her.

"Poe, that's my dad, Marcus," Mallory began introductions, pointing to a bulky middle-aged redheaded man. "My goober, Kelly." She ruffled the little blond's hair again. "My brother Shaun." The man holding Kelly offered Poe a friendly smile. Mallory then turned to a woman with a baby. "My sister and Kelly's mom, Meghan."

"I'm the good looking twin," Meghan remarked, reaching out to shake Poe's hand.

"Twin?" Poe echoed, scrunching up her face. Mallory never said anything about having a twin. She and Meghan did look alike, but they could not be identical in her opinion. She did not even notice the friendly, extended hand because she was too busy trying to figure out how the sisters were twins.

"They're Irish twins," Shaun explained with a snicker. Clearly this was some family inside joke that Poe was not meant to get and her face only showed that.

"We were born less than a year apart," Meghan added, which did not help clear up Poe's confused expression.

"Poe, you have never heard that expression before, have you?" Mallory asked and Poe shook her head. "Good, because it's not important and it's not really a nice thing to say anyway. Back to intros, the baby is Ricky and his father, also Kelly's father and Meghan's husband, Patrick." Mallory motioned to the last man.

"Nice to meet you all," Poe managed to say. They all replied in kind and moved to shake her hand. She managed to make it through that without fainting, which she felt was an accomplishment. Mallory did not move from her side, which helped keep her calm.

"Come on. One more person to meet," Mallory whispered to her, gently guiding Poe to the kitchen where a middle-aged woman was slaving over the stove. "Mom, stop for a second," Mallory huffed.

"I'm trying to get everything ready," the woman replied without bothering to look up from her task. Poe was actually thank for that as it gave her extra time to take a few deep breaths.

"Mom, unless you can make the food cook faster, stop for a second and say hello to Poe," Mallory requested.

"Poe?" Mallory's mother popped up and quickly spun around. "Oh, my goodness, forgive me. I was hoping Mallory would have you with everyone else to entertain you until I was finished in here," she explained with a smile that made her eyes shine as she extended her hand. "It's a huge pleasure to meet you. I'm Shani."

"The pleasure's all mine," Poe replied, shaking the offered hand. The warm shine in Shani's eyes set her at ease. Maybe everything will work out.

"I hope my mixed up middle child is treating you well," Shani remarked.

"Mom!" Mallory barked.

Shani laughed. "What? At least you're not the wild one or the sullen one."

"I am not sullen!" Shaun called from the adjacent room.

"I meant Patrick," Shani continued.

"I think you're confusing sullen for serious," Patrick replied.

"I think you're taking the bait like she wants you to," Marcus remarked.

Mallory chuckled. "Come on, Poe. We'll leave Mom to finish up in here."

Shani waved them out and Mallory walked Poe back into the dining room, leaving her arm around Poe's waist. They sat down with the rest of the family. Mallory had to release her waist, but took hold of her hand. Before Poe realized it, all eyes were on her again.

"So, Poe, how'd you meet the boring one?" Meghan inquired with a light laugh.

"Boring?" Poe echoed and she looked to Mallory for clarification. Surely, she doesn't mean Mallory!

"She means me. Meghan considers me the boring twin," Mallory commented with a glint in her eyes that clearly scoffed at the idea.

Poe guessed that Mallory's family had no idea what she did for a living. She did not see why they would now that she thought about it. She doubted that Mallory boasted about her line of work. But, it was funny that they thought Mallory was boring.

"I was in a bar and she tried to buy me a drink," Poe replied as to how she met Mallory.

"Tried?" Shaun echoed with an arched eyebrow.

"Poe shot me down pretty good, letting me know she wasn't old enough to drink," Mallory reported with an amused smirk.

"What the hell were you doing in a bar then?" Shaun blurted out.

"Thank you! I said the same thing! Makes no damn sense, right?" Mallory said.

"How do you drink a bar?" Kelly asked curiously.

"You don't worry about it, goober," Mallory told her niece.

"So, Poe, what do you do for a living?" Meghan asked, setting the tone for the rest of the evening.

"I write and I paint," Poe answered modestly.

Mallory chuckled. "She's damn good at both." No one pressed for more than that, just moving onto the next thing.

The family asked Poe questions and she answered as best she could. Sometimes, it got a little overwhelming when more than one of them would ask, but she maintained her composure. It helped that Mallory squeezed her hand every now and then, reminding Poe of why she was doing this, why she needed to come out of this liked. Thankfully, the family did not ask anything too deep, leaving Poe to suspect that Mallory prepared them by requesting they keep their questions light.

"Hey, Poe, can I talk to you for a minute?" Meghan requested during a rare moment that she was separated from Mallory. Meghan had waited for her little sister to go to the bathroom.

"Uh … okay," Poe agreed. There was nothing about the oldest sibling that really bothered her, so she figured that she should be able to last through a conversation with Meghan.

Meghan motioned for Poe to follow her. Poe nodded and they stepped out onto the porch. It was a quiet night and again reminded Poe of her parents' neighborhood. This helped keep her calm. These are normal people, normal people that seem to like me.

"Poe, first, I want to thank you for giving my sister a second chance," Meghan began.

Poe blinked, not expecting that. "It wasn't really a big deal."

"Yes, it was, for both of you. She had to humble herself, which isn't easy for anyone in our family. She had to admit she made a mistake and try to win you back, but you also had to humble yourself to give her another chance. She told me how hard it is for you to let people in. It's hard for her, too."

Poe nodded. "It is?" Mallory seemed so outgoing.

"Yeah, Mallory's closed off, but we all are. We can be because we're all best friends, me, Mallory, and our brother. Shaun's barely two years younger than Mallory, so we're all close because we're all almost the same age. It's always been that. We tend to be wary if someone's trying to get into our little circle. Now, we're all friendly and social, but that doesn't mean we let people in. Making it worse with Mallory is that her first two serious relationships, both when she was just a teenager, ended badly, so she's more closed off than any of us. You, you're in deep with her. Treat her right. She'll be good to you."

Poe nodded again. She had not really thought about things from Mallory's point of view. But now that it was on her mind, she realized that Mallory did not seem to have any close friends. She had never called Mallory and found the redhead with plans, except for work. Sure, Mallory talked to friends or went out with them every now and then, but she did not seem to have people over her place all of the time or anything like that.

Mallory never talked about past relationships either. It was not something that Poe liked to think about because she knew that if she did, she would then compare herself to other people that Mallory might have been with. She knew in her mind she would never measure up and it would only make her anxious when she was around Mallory. Now, she found herself curious. She wanted to know more and she wanted to help heal Mallory in any way that the redhead might need. We need to talk more. I need to talk to her more.

"I never really realized that," Poe admitted.

"It's hard to tell. Mallory's always been popular and she likes partying sometimes, but none of those people mean what you mean. If they never called her again, she wouldn't care. If you never called, she'd have a nervous breakdown," Meghan chuckled, shaking her head.

"I don't want to be the only one calling."

"Just let her know that. She's very open to the idea of being in a relationship with you and she wants things to go right."

"I want things to go right, too."

"Well, you have to show her that. Be good to her and she'll be very good to you."

Poe could only nod. Meghan smiled and patted Poe on the shoulder before disappearing back into the house. Brown eyes stared into the night and a smile settled on her face. She felt good, she realized. Meghan had left her feeling good. I think I like Mallory's family.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" Mallory inquired as she stood next to Poe. "My family bugging you?"

The artist shook her head. "They're actually really nice. You were right. I'm glad I came and met everybody."

Mallory grinned. "That's good."

"Um … maybe you could meet my family, too."

The grin turned into a wince. "That might be a little tricky. I wasn't very nice when they saw me at the art expo."

"No, but if we're going to be together, you'll have to meet them eventually. I'd like it to be soon, so they can stop worrying about me and stuff," Poe explained.

"Wait, are we together?"

Poe grabbed Mallory by the hand and stepped into her personal space. "I certainly hope so." The response caused Mallory to smile, which warmed Poe. "Can you cook for them? It should help."

"Hell, I'll cook for an army if it'll help! I'll do my best," Mallory proclaimed with confidence. Poe smiled, too.


Mallory took a deep breath as Poe went to get the door. She was not sure how she managed to together a meal for seven people - Poe had invited her best friends along with her family - but, she was pleased with herself that she had. Now, she just had to let the family know that she was not the cold bitch from the art show or the heartless douchebag that hurt Poe. Easier said than done.

"Poe!" Mallory watched as a little boy fling himself at the artist. Poe hugged him and laughed. Everyone else came in after him. Mallory released her deep breath as she stepped to Poe's side.

"Come in, everybody. Please meet Mallory," Poe said, motioning to the redhead. "Mallory, these are my parents, Nolan and Rayne Bryant." She pointed to the older couple.

"Me, Poe! Me!" the little boy shouted, calling attention to himself before anyone could move.

"And this is my little brother, Calvin," Poe said, rubbing his back.

"Nice to meet you," Calvin declared, sticking his hand out to her to shake.

Mallory laughed and shook his hand. In that time, the parents pushed by her. Nadi and Justin were behind them and they both glared at Mallory. The redhead sighed, but silently promised herself that she would get through the night. I have to do this for Poe. Hell, for me, too. I can't have her whole universe hate me.

"So, Mallory cooked, but I still don't have a table or extra chairs," Poe announced with a sheepish laugh.

"No, but you have a lot of new stuff," Nolan commented, looking around the place.

"Yeah, it actually looks like someone live here now," Justin noted, sounding rather incredulous about it all.

"Oh, yeah. Mallory bought all of it and she set it up," Poe replied with a smile. That news earned Mallory some surprised looks from everyone, except Calvin. She hoped those were good looks.

"I wanted the place to look a little more like someone lived here, like it was someone's home," Mallory explained with a shrug.

There were nods, but no one said anything. Mallory retreated to the kitchen to escape the thick tension and finish fixing dinner plates while Poe tried to figure out the seating. Nolan, Rayne, and Nadi ended up on the small sofa. Justin and Calvin held down the floor, which was where Mallory and Poe would have to sit, too. Mallory served the parents first, then the young couple, and then the siblings. Mallory sat down only after everyone had food and drink. Poe cuddled close to her.

"This is good. I like the little potatoes," Calvin said, probably because everyone else was being quiet.

"Mallory's a great cook. She makes sure I eat properly and she cooks almost everyday," Poe chimed.

Mallory smiled, happy that Poe was trying to sell her, but it was clearly not working. The only visitor willing to talk while Mallory was around was Calvin. He talked about school, but no one else said a word. They mostly just glared at the redhead as if trying to force her to melt. Mallory sighed as she went to do the dishes. She was not sure how to fix this mess. I just had to go to that fucking art show with that pompous ass and then act like a fucking bitch!

"Mallory," Rayne said as she stepped into the kitchen.

"Mrs. Bryant, can I get you something?" Mallory inquired in her softest and most polite tone while turning to face the older woman.

"No, I know my way around pretty well." She looked around. "Well, I used to know my way around. I'm sure you changed some things around."

Mallory was not sure if that was an insult or not. She doubted that things would get better. She hoped that she made it out of the kitchen alive, though. She was about to say something, just something that showed she was there for Poe, but she did not get the chance.

Rayne glared at her. "What are your intentions towards Poe? You tore her heart out once before. How do we know that you're not going to do it again?"

"Well, Poe trusts me enough to give me a second chance. I mean, that has to say a lot in and of itself," Mallory pointed out.

Rayne was quiet for a few moments. "It does. She trusts you, but she's also rather naοve when it comes to relationships. She doesn't really know how they work."

"I know. Believe me, I know. But, she's sought advice about me. I know I've left a bad taste in your mouth, but I'd like a chance to change that. I'm so sorry for what I did and I try to spend every day making it up to Poe. I do love your daughter and I'm going to do everything in my power to show her I do, to show you and the rest of your family. I'm doing my best and I'll continue doing my best to hold onto Poe. She's the best thing in my life outside of my family," Mallory said, wondering if she sounded as pleading to Rayne's ears as she did her own.

Hell, if it would get this woman to like me, I'd probably get on my knees and beg with her. Mallory knew that she and Poe would never be able to have a relationship if Rayne did not like her. After all, Poe thought the world of Rayne and if Rayne badmouthed her to Poe then it would always be a scar on whatever they tried to build.

"She cried over you so much. I can't watch her go through that again," Rayne said. "I hate seeing her in pain. She's already been through so much."

"I know. I don't like it either. It took me doing something stupid to realize how much she means to me. I can't go through it again. I won't go through it again," Mallory vowed, making a fist.

Rayne studied the redhead briefly and then nodded. "I'll give you a chance because as you said, Poe is willing to let you have another chance. I can see you care for her. But, if you hurt her again …" She could only growl.

Mallory nodded to show that she understood and accepted the threat. Rayne accepted that and returned to the living room. Mallory released a breath that she did not know she was holding, only to find out that she let it go too soon. Nolan was in the kitchen moments later and began grilling her about her intentions toward his daughter.

She handled him just as well as she had his wife. He was just as tough as Rayne and she suspected that both parents would do their best to make her life Hell if she hurt their daughter again. She was actually glad for that because Poe needed that support in her life and it would help keep her honest.

"I just have to show them I mean business and everything should be fine. I do mean business, after all," she told herself.

She knew the toughest nut to crack would be Nadi. The dancer stared at her with intense dislike that was bordering on hatred. Nadi did not even have words for her. She guessed that her actions would have to prove her intent with Nadi.

The night remained tense and Mallory was happy it was a school night so the Bryants had to leave early. Nadi and Justin seemed to hang around only to make Mallory uncomfortable, which worked very well as they glowered at her the whole night. The redhead had to take a long shower once they were gone, hoping to wash away the tension.

"You okay?" Poe asked as Mallory, fresh from the shower, settled on the sofa.

Mallory pulled Poe to her. "I'm better now."

The artist snuggled into the older woman. "I'm sorry they weren't nicer, but I'm sure things will get better when they see you're here to stay."

"I am," Mallory declared.

Poe smiled. "I know. I do trust you, you know?"

"It's good to hear."

"You put your whole life on hold for me and you're trying so hard for me in all directions. The least I can do is trust you."

Mallory shook her head. "No, that's the most you can do."

Poe smiled and pushed herself up to plant a surprising kiss to Mallory's lips. The redhead yelped in shock, but surrendered to the pleasing touch. It felt like it had been an eternity since she experienced Poe's sweet mouth. She sighed as Poe slowly pulled away.

"So, Poe, will you be my girlfriend?" Mallory asked. She wanted things to be clear between them.

Poe grinned. "I'd love to."

Later, when they both decided it was time for bed, Poe invited Mallory into the bed. They only cuddled, but it was all Mallory needed. She was certain that it was the best sleep she ever had.

14: Ever after

Mallory frowned as she heard her phone going off. It was not her personal phone, which was resting a few feet away from her by the television. She ignored it as she had taken to doing since unofficially moving in with Poe almost three weeks ago. She had turned it on in a moment of curiosity to see what she was missing, but found herself uninterested in her messages one text in and had disregarded it again, forgetting to turn it back off.

"Is that your phone?" Poe asked as she flopped down on the couch next to Mallory.

As soon as the smaller woman was down, Mallory gathered her up in her arms and pressed Poe to her. "Yeah, but I'm letting it go," she replied before kissing behind Poe's ear. Holding her has to be what heaven feels like.

Poe giggled and then her brow furrowed, as if something troubling just entered her mind. Her eyes drifted to the phone by the television. "It's your work phone, isn't it?"

Mallory sighed, wishing the artist had not realized that. She held Poe closer to her. Poe returned the embrace and turned to face the redhead. Brown eyes locked onto hers.

"You haven't gone to work since you got here," Poe noted.

"No, I haven't," Mallory replied, not really wanting to talk about it. She was certain that any reminder of her job would ruin the little bubble that they had created around themselves and might even cost her everything that she managed to build with Poe.

"Did you quit?"

"I haven't. You're just my top priority right now," Mallory easily admitted. She wanted Poe to know just how much she meant to the redhead, but she could not quit her job. She did need a means to support herself, after all.

"Are you going to go back?" Brown eyes glistened, letting Mallory know there was a wrong answer here and she was probably going to give it.

"I'd like to. I like my job, it's good money, and I'm good at it," Mallory answered. "I'm good at it?" Why the hell would I tell my girlfriend I'm good at being a hooker? Fuck! "You don't want me to?" she asked, even though she could guess the answer.

Poe pouted. "I don't wanna share you."

Mallory leaned down to kiss away the moue, which did not work. "You wouldn't be sharing me. My dates don't mean anything to me. You mean everything to me."

The painter sighed and shook her head. "You'd still be sleeping with other people."

"But, it wouldn't mean anything beyond making money. It's just a job to me, Poe. A service job, like waiting tables or masseuse. I don't feel anything for my dates."

The pout was full on now. "I was your date once."

"Aw, babe, you're special. Do you think I invite all of my dates back to my place for soccer?" Mallory teased, nibbling on the tip of Poe's ear.

"You better not," Poe grumbled, squirming slightly against the older woman.

"Poe, you are the only one for me. You got me to stop drinking my loneliness away. No one has been able to do that. You reach inside of me and touch my heart and soul." The redhead caressed the small of Poe's back, hoping it would calm her lover down.

The artist glanced down in thought. "I don't want other people reaching inside you."

"I guess that was a poor choice of words," Mallory said, sighing a bit herself. "Poe, I've been doing this for years. I know how to separate my work and my personal life. It doesn't mean anything to me, except money to go toward my dream."

Poe made a noise in the back of her throat and her eyes searched the floor. "You know, Nadi told me to be ready for this conversation when we had everyone over for dinner. She wanted me to think about what it meant to have a call girl for a partner."

Mallory frowned a bit, but she could not be mad at Nadi for trying to look out for Poe. Besides, she was the stupid one for practically bragging to Nadi about what she did for a living. She ran her hand through Poe's hair, causing brown eyes to flutter shut briefly.

"Poe, you know I don't want to hurt you in any way. My job is just that to me - a job. I know it's hard for you to wrap your head around. Honestly, I never planned for any of this, to fall in love, to need to make a decision. I've lived my life in a fugue state almost, floundering around, never really figuring out what to do with my life. I always told myself I'd figure it out eventually and there was no rush. There's a rush now," Mallory stated.

"I don't want to put any stress on you," Poe admitted in a low, almost ashamed voice. The way that she sounded made the redhead scowl because it seemed like Poe was ready to settle and she knew that came from Poe's unhappy childhood.

Mallory shook her head. "I need the stress. Poe, don't you get it? If not for you, I'd be a call girl until my tits fell off," she remarked with a chuckle. "It's not my ideal job. I'm just settled and it makes me so much money and I get so many gifts. I'd never figure out what I want to do with myself, but I do know I want to do right by you. You deserve the best and I have to be able to deliver as close to that as I can."

Poe squinted and looked so adorably perplexed. "So, you will quit?"

Mallory chuckled. "Will you give me some time? I just need to figure out what I want to do with myself."

"What do you mean? How much time?"

The older woman scratched her head, thinking about it for a second. "I won't take forever. But, I just need to figure out what to do with myself. Like you, you know you're an artist. You get paid to paint and write. You're good at those things and they make you happy. I have to figure out what job would make me happy."

Poe nodded, but her eyes still appeared skeptical. Her brow furrowed as she thought on things. Mallory ran her fingers through Poe's hair again. She hoped that Poe accepted that, but she was certain that she would bend if Poe demanded that she quit. She just was not sure what she would do about remaining in the lifestyle that she was accustomed to, but Poe came before that. Poe came before everything.

"You were a call girl before we made things official and I didn't really mind. I never really thought about it," Poe commented in a low tone, as if she were speaking more to herself.

"But, we weren't official then," the redhead pointed out. While she was making things harder for herself, she wanted Poe to consider everything before giving in to make sure the artist did not end up resentful.

"No, we weren't, but I never would've thought to tell you what to do with your life and I still won't. I want you to be happy, just like you want me to be happy. I know better than most how hard things can be when people start to try to control you. I don't want to control you."

"And I don't want you to be bothered by my job," Mallory insisted.

Poe nodded. "I might be able to live with it. I've seen a lot of things in my twenty short years and interacted with a lot of different people. I'm not going to judge you about your job or be upset when you have to leave. I think I can separate our private lives and your job."

"Are you sure?"

Poe smiled "I'm willing to try, just like you're always willing to try stuff for me. I should be able to handle it. Plus, it's not forever, right?"

"Definitely not," Mallory insisted. I have to figure out what the hell to do with myself because I'm not going to let this damned job cost me Poe.

"I'll tell you if I feel uncomfortable."

"Please do." Poe nodded and Mallory hugged her tightly. "How did I get so lucky to find you?"

"I think we were lucky to find each other."

Mallory smiled and leaned down to kiss Poe. The author eagerly returned the show of affection, kissing her until they were both out of breath. Mallory caressed Poe's cheek as they pulled away from each other.

"You have exclusive rights to my kisses, though," Mallory stated and Poe laughed.


The next time that Mallory's work phone rang, she decided to answer it. She was not surprised by her boss' thundering yell almost blowing out her eardrum. The crazy Russian was screaming so loudly that Poe was looking at Mallory with a puzzled look. Mallory waved Poe back to her painting.

"Tatijana, we both know I have no fucking clue what you're saying unless you speak English!" Mallory hollered back at the woman she imagined was red in the face from her boisterous rant.

"Don't tell me what language to speak, you traitorous son of a mule!" Tatijana roared.

Mallory rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that sounds worse in Russian. How am I a traitor?"

"I know you've moved onto another agency! That can be the only reason you've missed so many dates and haven't returned any of my calls! I had hoped you were dead, so I wouldn't have to kill you with my own bare hands!" She then went off in Russian, swearing and cursing Mallory more than likely.

"Calm the fuck down. I can't understand shit you're saying," Mallory pointed out. She hoped that Tatijana could be reasoned with or she was sure that the livid Russian woman would try to murder her with her bare hands.

"Don't fucking tell me to calm the fuck down!" More loud Russian followed.

Mallory was not in the mood for a headache, so she hung up. "Let her think about it for minute."

"Is everything okay?" Poe asked with concern lacing her big, brown eyes.

"Yeah, crazy boss just being crazy is all," Mallory replied. As her phone began buzzing again, she turned her attention back to it. "Hello," she answered in a pleasant voice to mock Tatijana's anger.

"How dare you hang up on me?" Tatijana bellowed.

"It's pretty easy. I'm about to do it again if you don't calm the fuck the down," Mallory said.

"You don't tell me what the fuck to do!"

Mallory rolled her eyes and hung up again, secretly hoping she was not signing her own death warrant. Poe glanced at her, but she waved her lover off. Poe shrugged and turned back to her painting. Mallory's phone began ringing again and she just let. She decided to check her messages, only to find more of Tatijana's screaming. Blue eyes rolled again and she deleted all of the messages. Once she was done, she saw that her boss was trying to call her again.

"Do you have to go to back to work?" Poe asked.

"Not yet. I do have to watch a movie with you, though," Mallory remarked.

Poe chuckled. "Let me wash my hands."

"I'll get as some snacks."

They both moved to get things in order before meeting back out the couch. Mallory threw her arms around Poe as soon as she could. That put the snack bowl in Poe's lap, which was fine since she was going to do most of the eating. Mallory nuzzled her neck just for the hell of it.

"Before we start, you should know we have to do some shopping. That's the last salty treat in the place," Mallory informed the younger woman.

"What? But, I need salt!" Poe joked.

Mallory laughed and ran her hand through Poe's hair. "You need food that goes together, though. I refuse to let you eat pickles and jelly again."

Poe frowned. "It tastes good!"

"To you. I'll never eat that, so I refuse to eat it."

The artist chuckled. "I'll eat anything, but you know that."

"Clever," Mallory deadpanned.

"Hey, can I go with you shopping? I shouldn't just leave it to you," Poe said.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to. I can handle the shopping."

"You don't have to do everything. We can be partners in this. I want to be there with you doing stuff," Poe said, patting Mallory's hand.

The redhead smiled. "You're right. I'd like to do regular stuff with you."

"Me, too. I like having you around, so I want to do things with you to help keep you around. We should do little things together since we're official."

"You got it." Mallory kissed Poe's head. They focused on the movie after that, ignoring the buzz from Mallory's phone.


Poe watched Mallory looking through the kitchen, taking stock of what they needed. She had seen her mother do something similar before going on a "shopping expedition," as her mother used to call them. She never bothered with that when she went shopping.

"Can we go yet?" Poe groaned. She wanted to go and come back as soon as possible, as she always did when she had to go shopping.

"No, I need to make sure I know what we need. I don't want to make a trip to the supermarket and take a cab back only to find out we need to go back to the market for things," Mallory explained.

Poe sighed impatiently. "How long is this gonna take?"

"Poe, if it's such a bother why don't you just leave it to me? I've got this."

The younger woman puffed out her cheeks and pouted. "Sorry for being such a pill. I just never do it like this. I just go out and buy stuff."

Blue eyes rolled as Mallory moved to see what was in the cupboards. "Why am I not surprised?"

Poe did not respond. She did her best not to fidget while Mallory worked. She wanted to do this to get closer to her lover because she really did like being around Mallory and liked having her around. She wanted to be able to take care of the redhead just as the older woman did her. So, she needed to learn to do normal things the right way.

"All right, I'm ready to go," Mallory announced.

Poe grinned. "Hey, before we do the shopping, let's get lunch at the diner two blocks away."

"Sounds good. Oh, I want to go to that bath and beauty store, too."

Brown eyes blinked twice. "Why?"

Mallory smirked. "You'll see."

A shiver ran through Poe. She wondered what Mallory had up her sleeve. She looked forward to it.

The pair left the loft and started off for the diner. Poe lived in a very good section of the city where there were tons of things within walking distance, including everywhere they had to go. They sat down in the diner and Poe ordered breakfast just because it was still being served.

"It's never too late for pancakes," Poe chuckled.

Mallory smiled at her and for the first time she was able to see the love sparkle in sapphire eyes. She could actually see that Mallory thought she was adorable. She smiled back, hoping that her eyes showed the same. She could feel the emotions swelling her heart and calming her soul. Unable to help herself, Poe reached across the table and put her hand on Mallory's. Mallory clutched her hand tightly and smiled again.

"We should go on more dates," Poe realized.

"I'd like that," Mallory replied.

Poe beamed. "I'll take you to the movies tonight!" It seemed like the right thing to do. They watched movies all of the time now and enjoyed them on the couch. Watching a new movie in a theater should be just as good.

"I'd definitely like that."

The artist beamed even more. She made a mental note to do more date things with Mallory. I need to do more things for Mallory, just like she does things for me.

"Bear with me while I learn how to be in a real relationship," Poe requested.

Mallory laughed. "Of course. I know this is hard for you. Poe, you're not the only one that has to learn. After all, my last real relationship was when I was a teenager. Don't stress yourself. I think we're doing fine so far and we'll learn as we go."

Poe nodded in agreement. Their food arrived and they ate in peaceful silence for a while. The writer glanced up and out of a window in front of their table. It felt like someone was watching her, but she did not see anyone focused on her. But, it happened a few times.

"You okay?" Mallory asked, probably because Poe kept looking out of the window. "Something going on outside?" Blue eyes glanced out the window.

"No, it's nothing," Poe replied, going back to her food.

Poe did her best to focus on eating, if only to avoid freaking Mallory out and to not look like a crazy person. She managed to make it through the meal without peering out of the window again. When the check came, she insisted on paying.

"Why do you get to pay?" Mallory asked with a teasing smile.

"I asked you, so I pay. I believe you taught me that," the younger woman answered.

The redhead chuckled. "Touchι. The teacher has been schooled. Pay on, my dear."

Poe smiled at the term of endearment, even though she knew that Mallory was just playing around. Poe paid for the meal when they were done and they were off to the next store, which was a few blocks away. Again, it felt like someone was watching her as they walked. She glanced behind them.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Mallory inquired as she slid an arm around Poe's waist.

"Yeah. I dunno. I must be paranoid or something," Poe replied, waving the sensation off.

"What do you mean?"

"I feel like I'm being watched, which also makes me feel like we're being followed. Do you think I'm being silly or that something's up?"

Mallory glanced behind them. "Something might be up or we might both be silly. We'll see."

Poe shrugged because there was nothing that they could do. They went into the bath and beauty store that Mallory wanted to visit. Poe watched and wondered as Mallory grabbed scented candles, lotion, a jar with what looked pink jelly beans, another jar that looked blue dust, and what she guessed was bubble bath. Poe scratched her head.

"What's all that stuff for?" the artist asked.

"A bath," Mallory simply answered.

"So, you're gonna take a bath later?"

Mallory smirked in a way that made Poe want to melt. "You'll see. You'll like it."

Poe's brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what that meant. Nothing came to mind and Mallory went to pay for her items. After that, they marched to the supermarket. There were several more glances behind them, but Poe did her best not to worry about it.

"Grab a cart," Mallory told the younger woman as they passed the line.

Poe nodded and obediently moved to get the shopping cart. She then followed behind Mallory as the redhead went right to the produce section. She bagged up several pieces of fruit.

"You can have some healthy snacks," Mallory said with a smile.

"I like pears," Poe piped in.

"We'll get some. You need to eat better."

"Says you and my mom. I'm fine, though. It's called being young," Poe remarked.

"Don't get sassy. You want to keep looking nice as you get older, so you need to eat right. I want something nice to look at thirty years from now."

Poe blinked. "Thirty years?"

"Yes, thirty years. I'd say more, but I don't want to overwhelm you," Mallory teased, bumping the younger woman with her hip.

Poe laughed and continued to follow Mallory. She studied the redhead as Mallory traveled the aisles with ease, scanning some items, but did not pick them while others were put in the cart with hardly a glance. She clearly had been to the supermarket before, but she did things that Poe did not understand.

"I don't shop like this," Poe blurted out.

"No? How do you shop?" Mallory asked, looking down at the shopping list.

"I just grab junk I like that I can carry," Poe replied with a shrug, even though Mallory could not see.

"Of course, that explains why the kitchen was stocked the way it was before my extended visit. You never went shopping with your mom?"

"No, it didn't interest me at the time and I didn't see the point. I should've gone, though. Mom would've liked it," Poe realized.

"Don't sound so guilty about it. Your mom wants you to be happy and comfortable, which she knows you wouldn't be doing grocery shopping. You bonded with your mom in other ways," Mallory pointed out.

Poe nodded. "I guess. Did you go shopping with your mom?"

Mallory laughed. "All the damn time and we all hated it, especially my mom. Three little kids bugging her for junk food or shit we couldn't afford. We always left the store mad with my mom promising beatings all around. On really bad days, she'd threaten to abandon us in the store."

The artist gasped. "Did she?"

Mallory paused and stared at her girlfriend. "No, it was just a meaningless threat. Did someone do that to you?" She sounded like she would go beat the people up if Poe answered in the affirmative. That thought made Poe feel good about herself.

"No, not exactly. But, I've had a family move while I was at school."

"The bastards!" the redhead snarled, causing Poe to blink a couple of times. "I'm sorry that happened to you, baby."

Poe shook her head. "Don't be. They weren't good people. You're making me wish I had gone with Mom, though. I'd like funny shopping stories."

"Well, never too late to start."

Poe nodded. "You're right. Maybe I'll do it the next time I go to see them."

The redhead smiled and they continued shopping. Mallory called for a cab as they waited in the checkout line, which was a good idea because there was no way that they would have been able carry everything back home. Home. Is it home now? She glanced at Mallory as the line moved. Maybe it is home.


Mallory was not surprised that she and Poe had some difficulty bringing their groceries upstairs. They had a lot of bags, but they managed it in one go with a lot of effort, and also a lot of putting bags into other bags. Thankfully, the plastic handles made it up to the apartment, even though the handles were completely stretched by then. Poe dropped the keys a couple of times before it occurred to her to put her bags down and then opened the doors.

"We should get you a set of keys," Poe said and Mallory thought her heart stopped at that statement.

"I'd like that," the redhead managed to say. She was surprised that her voice did not tremble because her lips and throat were quivering.

Poe smiled and gathered her bags up again to go inside. She stepped in, but suddenly stopped and dropped the bags once more. Mallory ran into the younger woman.

"Poe, what the hell?" Mallory grumbled as she managed to maintain a grip on her bags.

"What the hell indeed! Who the hell are you?" Poe demanded, facing into the loft. Mallory looked over the short artist and saw what had her attention.

"Baran, what the fuck are you doing here?" Mallory growled, quickly stepping in front of her girlfriend.

The large man stepped away from Poe's canvass and focused on them. "The boss wasn't happy with you hanging up on her twice and being MIA for almost a month hasn't sat well with her either. The fact that you're probably working for someone else, even though she hasn't found out who yet isn't exactly helping to calm her down either."

Mallory glared at the tall driver. "How the fuck did you even find me?" How dare this bastard invade our home?

"You should know better than most that she has eyes all over the city. Now, I don't want this to be tough, so just come with me." Baran stepped closer.

"You were the one following us," Poe accused him.

"Poe, let me handle this," Mallory implored.

"No, I'm not going let you leave with him and I don't like how he's going about things. I don't know what the hell is going on, but I do know that he broke into our home and he's threatening you," Poe stated.

"Poe!" Mallory shouted, wanting to warn her girlfriend. Baran was a dangerous man and she was not sure how he would react to the smaller woman challenging him.

Baran stalked over to them. His footfalls were so heavy that they seemed to drum against the floor. "You're coming with me," he snarled while reaching for Mallory, but Poe grabbed him.

"Don't fucking touch her," the writer said in a hard, cold tone that made Mallory blink.

"Stupid bitch, sticking up for a whore," he barked and turned to backhand her.

Poe ducked the assault and attacked his open mid-section. He fell back, but looked at Poe with hated fire in his eyes. Poe did not look phased, even though Baran was twice her size. He came at her with a speed not expected from someone so enormous, but did not make it as Mallory put her foot in his balls.

"Don't even think about it!" Mallory screamed.

"Fucking whores!" Baran hollered in a high-pitched voice and leaped at Mallory before she could react. Honestly, she was surprised by his ability to move after her well-placed kick.

He hit her on the chin with a pretty decent left cross and made her teeth rattle. Her back slammed against the wall, but Baran did not touch her again. Poe came at him, taking him out at the waist, tackling him in a way that made it seem like she played in the NFL. He crashed onto the floor and Poe fell on top on him. The artist wasted no time punching him in the side while Mallory climbed to her feet.

The redhead could not reach Poe before Baran retaliated against her. He punched Poe in the stomach, lifting her entire body in the air. The short woman grunted as the blow landed and she stumbled away from him as he stood up.

"Poe!" Mallory rushed to her side.

"I'm fine! Look out!" Poe coughed out the warning.

Mallory turned too late and Baran grabbed her, palming her face. She felt pressure on her skull and wondered if he could crush her head with one hand. As breathing became difficult for her, he picked her up with frightening ease and then tossed her over the couch and into the television. She had to fight against blacking out when she landed, pain throbbing in her back. Rolling onto her side, she focused on Baran as he went after Poe again.

"Come here, you little fucking gnat," he growled at the younger woman.

Poe did not back down, dodging all of his slow punches and focused her attack on his knees and groin area. He roared in pain when she tagged him directly in the balls; the section had to still hurt from when Mallory kicked him. Poe was far from finished, kicking his knee in a direction the joint was not meant to bend. He dropped to one knee and Poe let out a mighty war cry as she punched him in the face. The sound of bones crunching echoed through the apartment and blood gushed from his nose.

Poe was breathing hard, but she continued on, putting her all into another punch. Baran grunted as the blow landed, but he did not go down. He reached into his pocket as Mallory climbed to her feet. She was standing just in time to see Baran pull out a stun gun and shove the weapon against Poe's small body.

Poe let out a short holler before the shock was too much for her. Poe dropped like a sack of rocks while Baran attempted to catch his breath. Mallory saw red and moved so quickly that she doubted Baran knew what hit him. She knocked the weapon from his hand first and foremost before taking hold of the same hand and pummeling his shoulder out of the socket.

"Fucking bitch!" Baran screamed before she grabbed the nearest object, oddly enough her work phone, and bashed him in the face with it until it shattered in her hand. He was bleeding, dazed, and kneeling.

"You stupid motherfucker!" Mallory hollered as she began kicking him wherever she could reach.

She knew that would not be enough, so while she had the chance she grabbed the stun gun. She jammed the weapon into his neck, not knowing or caring if shocking him that close to his brain could kill him. He fell like a lead balloon and she moved to get something to bind him with. Good thing we do light bondage.

Baran was quickly tied down with cuffs and other bonds. Once he was chained to the old radiator, Mallory turned her attention to Poe. The artist was sitting up, holding her head. Mallory kneeled at her side.

"How you feeling, sweetheart?" the redhead inquired, looking into Poe's unfocused eyes.

"Uh … he down?" Poe slurred.

"Yeah, baby, he's down. Let me help you up," Mallory offered, putting her hand on Poe's arm. All the writer could do was nod.

Mallory worked her way up, taking Poe with her. Poe stumbled once on her feet and fell into Mallory's body. She walked the younger woman to the sofa and eased her down.

"We'll get some ice for your face," Mallory said and she rushed to the kitchen. When she returned, Poe was a little more coherent and her eyes were not glassy.

"Did I get hit by the fucking moon falling from the sky?" Poe wondered as Mallory pressed ice to her face.

Blue eyes glanced at Baran, who was still unconscious. "Close enough. Do you think you need to go to the hospital?"

"Nah, I'm fine. He just rang my bell pretty good with that stun gun. I'll be fine."

Mallory decided to take her word on that until she saw signs of the contrary. "That's good. That's really good."

"How'd you down him?" Poe inquired as her eyes strayed to the chained man.

"Same way he downed you. Apparently, that stun gun is a bitch."

"Hell, yeah," Poe concurred and she blinked hard a couple of times, needing to focus herself. "So, what do we do with him?"

"I'll take the gorilla back to his owner once he wakes up. He probably will need a hospital, so he'll more than likely be happy to leave and get back to her. I have a few choice words for her, anyway."

Poe took her hand. "We'll go."

"Poe," Mallory sighed. "I don't want to put you in any more danger and Tatijana is dangerous, way more dangerous than this moron."

"I can wait outside. I'm not going to let you transport a guy that attacked us in our home to God knows where to a woman you're telling is worse than him and she's pissed at you!" Poe huffed.

Mallory frowned. "Knowing you as well as I do, I can sense a losing battle involving you following me anyway."

Poe nodded and smiled. "You know me pretty well."

"One of the things I love about you is that hint of crazy that likes to pop out every now and then. You can't go in, though. The crazy Russian lady he works for and I work for, she won't let you in the office. You don't want any part of that anyway."

"I'll stand outside the door. A good compromise, no?" Poe figured.

"Fine," Mallory agreed with a sigh.

Poe smiled and they took some time to take care of their injuries. Things proceeded rather smoothly when Baran regained consciousness once Mallory assured him that she would go to see Tatijana. He did look confused over it, but he accepted that quite quickly. She could tell that he just wanted out of the apartment, especially since he was clearly in pain.

"Oh, and Mighty Mouse is going to come with," Mallory casually remarked, jabbing her thumb in Poe's direction.

"What the hell?" Baran barked, trying to glare, but he only had one good eye now and that one was swelling up, too.

"She goes or you stay chained until we get sick of you or you starve to death. Whichever." Mallory shrugged nonchalantly.

"If he starves, we can eat him and then we would absorb his power," Poe joked.

"You must be in a writing mood to come up with that," Mallory commented. Her lover shrugged.

Baran tugged at his bonds, testing them no doubt. He was secure and, from that deep frown on his rough, he was sure of that. Mallory smirked, especially enjoying how much in winced and grimaced when he moved.

"You think I, of all people, don't know how to strap a man down? Me, the whore?" the redhead mocked him with a chuckle.

Baran roared and went red in the face, but then hissed as agony shot through him from the simple movement. Mallory only laughed more. He went slack and she moved to sit closer to him.

"What's the big deal? She wants to see me and I'm coming in? It works out, you moron," she said before plucking him in the forehead.

"Stupid bitch!" he growled before wincing. He put his head down, trying to cover up what they had already seen. He was in sheer agony and could not do anything to them, even if they let him go. He was totally defeated.

Mallory turned to Poe. "What was that about eating him?"

"We start with the heart," Poe piped in. "He might be a little gamey and tough if the muscles mean anything, but I bet you could make even him taste good."

"It would be a challenge," Mallory agreed with a smile and a nod.

Baran only snorted, but he reluctantly agreed to let Poe tag along. He was not in the best shape, so Mallory undid his bonds and he limped to the door. He could barely walk and almost fell over on the elevator ride down. They followed him to the car and he was left to drive. He pulled up to what appeared to be a regular orange brick office with a nice flowery facade. They marched inside and it was like being in any regular office building with a receptionist and everything. The receptionist did not say anything as they went by her without a word, entering a short hallway with a few rows of doors. They went to the end of the hall.

"You stay here," Mallory told Poe as they came to Tatijana's door.

"I'm staying," Poe grumbled, folding her arms across her chest.

Blue eyes cut to Baran. "You, too."

He snorted, clearly not wanting any part of the shit storm that was about to take place. Mallory half-wished that she could skip the shit storm, too, but it was inevitable. She took a deep breath before venturing into the office.

The average-sized office was decorated in onyx and crimson, dark and bloody almost. There were bookshelves against the walls and a business degree, showcasing that her boss had actually gone to school to manage a company. Of course, no one probably figured that she would be running an escort service. At the head of the office was an ebony desk with some papers on it and a tall, pale Russian woman was sitting at it.

Tatijana looked up, trying to pin Mallory with her glaze. It did not work. While Tatijana was an extremely deadly woman, Mallory had long since lost her fear of the woman. She was not sure if it was a foolish thing or not yet. This meeting might prove which one it is.

"Scarlet," Tatijana said, her accent hanging thick in the air. She was a dark woman in a sense that her hair was jet black and she dressed in the same midnight color all the time. She was wearing a corset, leather pants, and spiked boots, appearing like a dominatrix.

"Boss," Mallory replied as she sat down in front of the table. Dark eyes tracked her every move, looking for a weakness.

Tatijana went into her desk and produced a gun, which she rested on top of her desk, right where Mallory could see it. "Why shouldn't I just kill right now? You hung up on me twice."

"Well, aside from the fact that it would mess up the rug," Mallory remarked as she pulled out a hunting knife from inside her waistband. "I won't go softly and you were hysterical." Her heart sped up a bit, even though she liked to think that she could cut Tatijana before the woman could aim her gun, but she probably would not bet money on that. She needed to try to reason her way out of this before anything else.

"You haven't worked in a month nor have you returned my calls," the Russian pointed out in a tense hiss.

"I've been busy, but I'm ready to come back to work and willing to forgive and forget whenever you are," she explained in a completely business manner.

Tatijana scowled. "You think we can move on like this never happened? You think you can speak to me however you want without punishment?"

"Well, it's either that or we do it the hard way, which could involve making a mess or threats with a lot of unnecessary screaming and all sorts of time consuming nonsense. Do you really want to go through that? I'm back, all is well, and this'll never happen again."

"And I'm supposed to just take your word on that?" Tatijana demanded, her eyes glaring at the redhead just a bit harder now.

Mallory shrugged nonchalantly, even though she felt like she might have to spring out of her chair at any moment. "What else can you do? I know you're calmer now that you've had a few days to think about it. You're not as mad." While she was certain that was true, she was not sure what degree Tatijana had been mad at before, so she was not sure how far the Russian woman had dropped yet.

"Don't think you know me so well," Tatijana snarled.

"I do. Now, let's be civilized and calm. My life's changed somewhat in the last month and that's why you haven't heard from me, but you probably know that."

"You've allowed yourself to be domesticated." She looked down her nose with disdain.

"We both know it was bound to happen sooner or later. I'm a girl from the suburbs. I want what I know. You told me that when we met. In fact, you predicted that's how you'd lose me. So, first to make amends, sorry for disappearing," Mallory said.

Tatijana's mouth dropped open. "You apologized?"

Mallory shrugged. "I was wrong in the sense that if this was a regular job I'd have been fired. I just had shit I needed to sort out, which I've done and it won't get to be a mess again anytime soon. Now, can I just get back to work and we both walk away from this without it having to turn into a war?"

Tatijana narrowed her hard, almost black gaze on Mallory. The redhead did not flinch and steely blue eyes stared right back. The room seemed to fill with stiff air and electricity. It popped and whirled, almost threatening to blow the walls out. And, just as suddenly as it appeared, the gun was placed back in the desk. As soon as the draw closed, the tension vanished like thin smoke.

"From now on, we discuss matters like two adults without the avoiding," Tatijana stated.

"And without the screaming," Mallory added.

"And we start now because I'm sure your domestication comes with terms."

Mallory shook her head. "None at all, except you know what's going to eventually happen."

Tatijana nodded. "Good. Then get to work."

The redhead nodded and, when Tatijana's eyes went back to her work, Mallory knew that she was dismissed. She got out as soon as it was all clear. She breathed a sigh relief. That wasn't nearly as bad as I assumed it would be. She's mellowing as she gets older and I guess the fact that she called this years ago helps.

"Everything okay?" Poe asked as she fell into step with Mallory.

"Yeah, it's cool. I get to go back to work without having my fingers broken," Mallory joked. Poe did not see it as a joke if her wide eyes meant anything. She just wrapped her arms around the younger woman and they started for home.



Poe closed her laptop and set it aside on the comfortable leather couch. She then turned her attention to her snack of Pop-tarts with peanut butter smeared on the top that was resting on the coffee table. She also grabbed the television remote, turning it on and it automatically came onto the twenty-four hour soccer station. She got lost in the match.

"Poe," Mallory grumbled, rubbing her eye as she made her way downstairs.

It had been a year since Mallory had moved in with Poe and things had changed somewhat in that time. The year had been good for them. They had arguments every now and then, but they mostly got along well. Their relationship was stronger than ever and they felt like it got stronger everyday, even during those rare occasions that they did not get along. They had gotten a three-bedroom condo together a couple of months ago. One room was a studio for Poe and the other was a walk-in closet for Mallory.

They had decorated the condo together, even though Poe did not think that she was much help in that area. Mallory pushed her, though, wanting her to make the condo home. She did her best in picking things out, but she had mostly just agreed with things that Mallory wanted because those things did not matter much to her. She felt like the condo would be home no matter what was in it. As long as Mallory was there, it was home, and she said as much.

"Why are you watching soccer? You said you were going to write some and then come back to bed," Mallory reminded her as she curled into Poe's body. Their arms went around each other and she cuddled into the smaller woman.

"I got a snack and wanted to finish it," Poe explained, pointing down at her plate. She had actually finished it and had not realized it until now.

Mallory chuckled. "You'll never change." She leaned in and placed a kiss on Poe's mouth. Mallory drew back, licking her lips. "Peanut butter and strawberry, yet I can tell it wasn't a sandwich. Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not." Mallory did not like hearing about her improvised meals or snacks. She had learned to stop sharing because every now and then, the reveal cost her kisses until she brushed her teeth.

"Your father is right - you are a garbage disposal."

Poe only chuckled. Over the past year, her family had begrudgingly accepted that Mallory was in her life and probably the rest of her life. So, little by little, they engaged Mallory and shared stories about Poe with her, much like Mallory's family did with Poe. They seemed to be slowly growing to like Mallory and Mallory worked to make sure that eventually they would genuinely like her.

Nadi still had a bit of a problem with Mallory. Poe expected that would last for a while. While she wished her best friend got along with her girlfriend, she was flattered by Nadi's righteous indignation on her behalf. Mallory did not seem fazed by Nadi's attitude, just accepting it and working to show that she was going to do right by Poe. Nadi would only accept Mallory when she was certain that Mallory would not break Poe's heart again.

"You say that now, but you're always happy I'm there when you order something gross when we go out," Poe pointed out.

Mallory chuckled. "I do love that you eat anything." She gave Poe another kiss. "In fact, since I'm off for the next few of days …" A lewd smile settled onto her face.

"Love night," Poe stated.

It was always "love night" when Mallory did not have work. She was still a call girl, which was why they used the term "love night" instead of "date night." Mallory did not "date" nearly as often as she did a year ago, but she still had not figured out what she wanted to do with her life. Poe was going to sic Meghan on Mallory soon. Meghan would push Mallory to open a gym more than likely, which Poe was sure Mallory would be very happy with considering how much time Mallory spent at the gym. Poe would be happy with that, too, because she liked working out almost as much as Mallory did.

"We should just stay home for a couple of days," Poe said.

Mallory purred. "I like the way you think." She kissed Poe. "I also love when you call this place home." She kissed the artist again.

Poe smiled. "Home. This is home, you're my home." The statement earned her a full on assault from Mallory's lips.

Poe pulled away only from Mallory for a moment, reaching for the remote. She turned off the television and turned her complete attention to her lover. They stared into each other's eyes.

"I love you," Poe felt the need to say.

"I love you, too," Mallory replied before they melted into each other.


A/N: I have drawn a picture of Mallory and Poe. Here the lineart: http://starvinglunatic.deviantart.com/art/Mallory-and-Poe-lineart-346711096 and here's the colored version: http://starvinglunatic.deviantart.com/art/Mallory-and-Poe-cozy-348709301

Thanks for reading my story. I hoped you enjoyed it. I also hope you show up for my next story. Thanks for the support. Again to let me know what you think contact this Lunatic at: starving.lunatic@gmail.com. Hasta...

Shea K.'s Scrolls
Index Page