They came up near the brewery with Gavin still carrying PJ. He wasn't talking a whole lot the entire trip, one or two word avoidance answers for the most part. He'd be able to come up with better answers once he was out of the cold.

PJ slid off his back (which would likely leave his back feeling colder still now) and headed to unlock the door to the little studio apartment at the Red Orc. She looked over her shoulder as she pushed open the door and stepped over the threshold. ?You comin' in for a bit at least?? Having grown up on the streets of RhyDin, she was used to the cold weather. To her the apartment even seemed too warm, but just the same, she headed over and turned on the heat for him. She saw the same trait in Charlie and was pretty used to it. ?I?m gonna wash the dishes from this morning. Thank you again for breakfast Gav...?

He took a seat that wasn't far from her and the dishes; a hand idly rolling the ring over in his pocket while the other was left at his side. ?Where do you think it's going?? He was finally referencing her question from before, the one he had so carefully avoided on the walk over.

?The remote is on the end table...? She was facing the sink, but the place was small enough that she didn't have to speak up. She washed and rinsed a plate slowly as she contemplated her answer, not rushing the first thing that popped into her mind out her lips.

? I'm pretty comfortable where its at...? In PJ?s mind, they were sort of Friends with Benefits. After all, they did have a son together, wouldn?t that always be a link they couldn?t sever?

He looked toward the end table and then back. Believe it or not, he'd been drifting back to the Talsiny "No Technology" roots gradually. Don't call them roots for nothing, after all. ?What if you're not just sick??

?I'm not sick, Gav... I feel much better today. With all the boozin' and usin'... is it really any wonder my body rebelled a bit? I'm shocked it hasn't happened sooner. Can't even stand the smell of alcohol at the moment though. Hope that goes away soon.? PJ snickered as she dunked her hands back into the hot soapy water. ?I?m gonna lose my party girl reputation at this rate.?

?I said what if.? Gavin gave her a look behind her back. His elbow placed on the table and chin put in hand. ?How was it with Liam?? Gav regretted asking as soon as it came out, but he wanted to know anyway, though it had the potential to blow up a whole situation.

?It was too short, but wonderful.? Peej smiled over her shoulder at him, thinking back on the last visit with her? their son. ?He asked about you, too. He wanted to know if Uncle Gavin liked dogs.? She laughed a little. ?Dogs with wings. I tell you, that kid has a great imagination. ?

?I meant when you were pregnant.? It was a night of misinterpretations. He pushed from his seat and dropped the jacket onto it, then started toward her and that sink full of dishes.

She had a glass in her hand and was washing it, his question caused the soapy dish to fall back into the water and thunk into the stainless steel. She turned as much as she could without letting her hands drip anywhere but back into the sink. ?I... um... I don't really remember... there's been... um... alotta partying since then.? She looked back to the sink a moment, then back to him. Her face a mask of confusion with some newly added hints of concern.

His head tilted as he read her expression. At least now he knew he wasn't just acting crazy since she seemed to considering the possibility. ?You aren't.? His sudden shift might be confusing, but maybe he was just trying to throw that thought out the window for the moment.

She shook her head no and turned back to the dishes, finding that glass again. She went back to ever so carefully washing it. ?I... know.? She had a sudden urge to find a calendar though. ?I mean... there was only that... yeah.? Her mouth clamped shut, her body visibly more rigid and tense as she stood at the sink. Her shoulders seemed to have lifted a good half inch.

He stepped beside her and put a hand into the water to grab another glass for her. ?Though... it wouldn't be as hard as the las...? He trailed off and threw another sigh out. He hated having the first time around lingering over his head. He grabbed another dish rag and wiped at the glass.

She kept washing the dishes, but turned her head to look at him. The sighs were killing her. ?Gavin... what?s done is done, right? Stop looking backward and keep going forward. You're not even the same man as you were.?

He set the cleaned glass aside to dry and moved back to the chair with his jacket. Picking it up, he fished through the pocket. ?It's not that easy.? A step back to her and he turned her to face him, nearly pinning her against the counter, but without the usual force. ?This is before anything's certain. I don't want to feel it was done because of what might be.? He grabbed her hand and pushed his mother's ring onto her finger. ?I promise I will never hurt you as long as you have this. It means that much to me. I just couldn't do it.?

The ring slid on easily, thanks to wet soapy hands if nothing else. PJ's dark eyes looked back and forth between the ring and him multiple times. Her lips parted as though to speak, but she was having trouble doing so at the moment. She slid her tongue over her lips, her eyes darting to a picture of Liam on the television, and then they were back to Gavin. The older Liam got, the more he was looking like his father. Liam certainly had his father's mannerisms. It was no wonder PJ could do nothing but watch her son's expressions all day. She dried off the ringless hand onto her jeans and ran her fingertips lightly across his forehead, down behind his ear; she turned her hand, letting the back of her fingers slide slowly down his cheek as she watched his expressions.

His lips turned a small smile as he looked down to her, his greenish eyes locking onto hers. ?If you really feel that I am changed? then prove it.? His hand nearly mirroring hers, he didn't go for her hair though. It always felt like manipulation later when he did that; he knew her weakness to it. ?You drive me insane and I love you anyway. If I'm changed, it's because of you. ?

It was either a very good... or a very bad thing that he had her pinned as he did. The old urge to run was hitting her so hard. It always did when things turned serious. Max, Gage... Now Gavin. The hamster wheels of her little toy brain were about to jump the track due to excessive use. ?Prove it? I don't have to prove it, Gavin. You're proving it yourself, damn near every day. You gave Charlie something that meant the world to her; you got your ass over here to make sure I ate something this morning. That?s not the old Gavin... ?

Maybe she broke him. It was a different feeling having things like that noticed rather than being questioned about his intentions. He leaned into her more and raised both hands to her cheeks, pressing a loving kiss to her lips. Broken off after not too long, he held her there close to him as he whispered quietly.

?Marry me PJ. In Talsiny, at home.?

She reached up, one hand dry, the other still damp, and closed her fingers around his wrists softly, just holding them. She lifted herself up onto her toes and closed the gap between them again, her lips soft, warm and moist against his. She let the kiss linger on for a long moment before slowly lowering herself back down to her normal height.

?C?mon Gav... Let?s go to bed.? She gave a slight nod of her head in the direction of her bed. They'd have to sleep close, as the bed was only a full size, rather than a queen or king, but there'd still be room for both of them.

His arms shifted and his hands grabbed at her wrists, though not violently. He shook his head slowly while relishing in the closeness. It didn't matter how often they were this close, it always took him over. ?Answer me...? His voice was uncharacteristically soft.

?I... I have to think about it.? She turned her gaze away... then forced herself to turn them back. She knew there was a very fragile side to him, and it wasn't something she wanted to break. Turning her gaze away would make it look like she was avoiding him, or couldn't look at him. That wasn't the case. She really just didn't want to see her own reflection in his eyes. ?I don't wanna f**k things up.? It was a rare moment of truthfulness spoken from PJ?s lips.

He should have known that's how it would end up. She kept telling him to forget about the past, but if it wasn't for the past, she probably wouldn't be so cautious. He only nodded slowly and pressed another kiss to her lips, backing toward her bedroom with her in tow.