The afternoon found Caitlin moping over a steaming cup o' Joe while sitting on a bench in the middle of the market square. It was a little pathetic how dramatic she was being over this whole thing, but losing her job posed a relatively large problem. No job, no money. No money, no apartment. No apartment....and she'd have to move back home. And that just wasn't an option.

Caitlin had gone back and forth about telling Deacon what had happened, but didn't want to call him over such a thing. She also didn't want to bother him while he worked. So when she saw Kyle walking along across the street from her, she jumped up quickly and called his name. The brunette hurried across the cobblestone to catch up with him, careful not to spill her coffee.

He was carrying a can of paint, some plastic sheeting, and a shovel of all things as he strolled along. While not dressed as nicely as his boss, he had started dressing better, and it was enough to stand out in this little crowd. He stopped when he heard his name being called. He squinted in the sun to see who was calling, and appeared as though he recognized her.

"Hey," she said, slowing as he stopped and turned.

"Uh, Karen, right?" He was bad with names. "Kitty?" He was trying to remember her name and looking like he was about to snap his fingers and go through even more K sounds.

Eyebrows shot up, briefly amused. "It's Caitlin."

"I was gettin' there." He grinned. "Deke with you?" He started looking for his boss then, wondering why he was sent for lunch if he was already eating with his girlfriend?or whatever.

"No, I was hoping he was with you." Cait frowned, then, glancing around. "I wanted to talk to him about something.

"Nah, he's back at the office. Sent me out to get a few things." He held up the items in the other arm and buried beneath his arm. "Why didn't ya just call him?"

"Well I--" Kyle cut her off.

"Ain't gonna be the first time he's put a day off for a girl, ya know?" Kyle grinned at her.

And with that last little revelation, Cait didn't know how to respond. The thought got under her skin a little, but that was in the past. Deacon was different now. Or so she was telling herself. "Um. I didn't want to be the needy girl calling him while he's at work."

Kyle waved his hand and went into his pocket for his phone. "I think he likes you, I'm sure he'd want to talk to ya." He was scrolling through numbers for Deke's cell. "You ain't in trouble are you?" It suddenly dawned on the big guy that she looked a little distraught, and that they were out in the open. Eyes started to scan for threats.

"No," she assured him quickly. "I'm not. It's just a small issue with my employer." Previous employer. She was frowning again, poking at the lid on her coffee.

He watched her with pursed lips and a furrowed brow. "You work for Asher don't you?"

Caitlin looked up, brows furrowed. "How do you know that?"

"Deke mentioned it." Deke talked about her a lot, but he wasn't about to spill that yet. "Said you should work for him, but that could be dangerous, some kinda -ism. No pets or something? Maybe you'd get better treatment than the rest of us that work for him."

"Oh." That surprised her a lot, actually. Work for Deacon? That couldn't possibly end well. As Kyle pointed out, favoritism would be problematic. "Well, I just need to talk to him. But if he's working, I can call later this evening. I don't want to be a bother."

"You won't be a bother, but okay." Phone dropped back into his pocket. "So, what's going on?" Kyle wasn't one to be nosy but she did come to him.

"If you're positive I won't be a bother, then could you take me to see him?" Uhg, even saying that out loud made her feel like a needy girlfriend.

His phone was back in his hand after a dip into his jacket pocket, and he called Deke's number. "Hey, is it okay if I bring company back to the office?" He was speaking somewhat quietly. "Nothin' going on around there, is there?" He waited for replies and nodded his head as if Deke could see him. "Nah, it's cool. You'll enjoy it I'm sure." He nodded again. "Yeah, we can wait a bit and come in. See ya."

"He said he needs about 15 minutes." To Cait.

"Ok," was her wary response. She bit her lip, looking hesitant. "If he gets mad, I'm throwing you under the bus." Snickering, Caitlin lifted her coffee for a sip. "So what's the shovel for? Got a body ya need to bury?"

"Uh, nah," He was thinking a bit too hard. "Tomatoes." Deke wanted them on his sandwich, so that's what came to mind as far as gardening went.

"Tomatoes?" Kyle got a sidelong glance. "Didn't take you for having a green thumb."

"Sure, sure. I like gardening." And the extra thick primer and paint wasn't for hiding blood splatter either.

"Well color me surprised." She's not suspicious now at all. Yeah right. It was a little disconcerting, actually. "If you're planting stuff in February, you must have a greenhouse. You'll have to give me a tour sometime! I love gardens." Ok, now she was just being mean.

"Small place, in my house, shovel's for later." Tonight, but that was unsaid.

Maybe he wasn't as dumb as he seemed. "Oh, right. Guess I won't have a chance to see it." Biting her lip, Caitlin glanced at her watch. "Are you positive he isn't going to be upset?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. He's just in a meeting." He wasn't going to mention the woman's voice he heard.

Her nerves were beginning to fray. She'd spent most of the morning trying to make sense of Asher's decision, wondering if she should break up with Deacon, crying over her limited options and then trying to ignore the glaring possibility of having to move home. Caitlin drained the last half of her coffee all at once, trying to keep a calm expression on her face.

He watched her trying to read her face. "So, I think The Boss likes you a lot, but I didn't tell you that. Also between us, you bring out the best in him."

And cue the poker face. "He does? Well that's...that's nice to hear." A small smile nestled into place on her face. "And I would hope he doesn't require another person to be the best man he can be."

"Nah, not like that? he's just really changin', ya know?" He shifted the items in his hand. and started for the car he usually drove Deke around in, assuming that Cait would follow. "He's tryin' hard to shake King's shadow."

Now this sounded interesting. Caitlin trotted along after Kyle, tossing her empty cup into a trashcan along the way. "I'm sure it's a tough image to break free from." What information could she whittle out of him unknowingly?

"King raised him to be ruthless. He just wasn't a nice guy."

"I've heard some things," nodding in agreement, though she really had no clue what Kyle was talking about. "But that's all in the past. He's on the path to becoming better."

"What've you heard?" He was curious, cause usually Deke was pretty thorough.

Now it was her turn to come up with something quickly. "I work for Asher." Worked. "A lot comes past my desk, you know." Came.

"Ain't a lot of love between Deke and Asher. Old bad blood with King, inherited by Deke I think."

"Tell me about it," she muttered, looking a little cross again.

"So, you can't believe most of what you see from that guy." He nodded and pulled open the rear door of the car. "Hop in, I'll drop this stuff in the trunk. You hungry? I'll get more sandwiches."

"I ate already, but thanks." Caitlin slid into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt while waiting for Kyle to get in as well.

Kyle nodded and walked around the car to get into the driver's side. "So you like the boss a little huh?" He glanced over at her and buckled his own seatbelt.

"Anything I say, you're just going to tell him." Caitlin twisted around, bending her left knee and resting her leg on the seat.

He shook his head. "Nah, I told you something that stays with us."

"Fine. I like him more than a little. Which is why I'm having this little issue today." She picked at a loose thread on her light wash jeans.

"I like you more than the chick that killed King."

Deacon was standing at one of the windows, and smiled down as he saw Cait get out of the car. He did start wondering what his friend had told her and knew he'd have to talk to him later. He lifted a hand in a wave, and turned from the window to start downstairs to meet her. Glad that the maid had been in to clean, not that the place was ever a pit, but now it was spotless.

Deacon got a quick wave and when he disappeared from view, Caitlin bent down and knocked on the window. When Kyle rolled it down, she wagged a finger at him. "Remember, I'm blaming you if he gets mad that I'm here!" She winked, thanked him for the ride and hugged her arms around herself, watching the ground as she headed to the front door.

Deke was pulling open the door as Kyle took the car around the side of the house to park in the back garage. He leaned in the door, dressed impeccably and the smile spread on his face. "You put him up to this?"

"I wanted to call, but was afraid I would bother you since you're working. Then we ran into each other in the marketplace and he said I could come over to talk to you; that you weren't busy and wouldn't be upset." She still had her arms around herself, but she'd drawn rather close to where he stood. "If it's bad timing, I told him I'd throw him under the bus." Bit of a laugh, but she was more anxious than anything.

He made a show of checking the gold pocket watch that was in the pocket of his vest. "I think I can fit you in for five minutes or so." He held an arm out to her, and stepped from the door. "Come in." In his best Bela Lugosi impression. She looked good to him, though he had a feeling that something was bothering her. He was attempting to make her smile and hoped it worked.

He succeeded in coaxing a smirk out of her. Cait tucked her hand into the crook of his arm neatly, following a step behind as he ushered her into the house. No snide remarks about how utterly, filthy rich he is, she told herself silently. "Your house is beautiful, Deacon."

"Thank you." He was trying to sound humble, most things were as Kingsley had left them, but he'd started to make his own touches and make the place a bit more modern in feel and living. "Glad that you like it. Can I get you something to drink?" Asked as they passed a bar toward the living room. "I have just about everything there and Kyle got sandwiches, I know you enjoy those."

"I've had about six cups of coffee in the past few hours, so I think I'm good for now. I also already ate. Honestly, I probably won't be staying long. I just wanted to tell you something and I wanted to do it in person. I know you've got to work and all, but..." But what? Now that she was here, Caitlin wasn't sure telling him would be a good idea. What was the point?

His brow creased, thinking that she was already going to call whatever they had off. "Oh? You've got something better to do than hang out here with me?" He was forcing a smile and trying to make it look natural.

"Yeah. Looking for a new job." Do not cry, Caitlin Ross. Act like a big girl. Her brows mirrored his, though there was a bit of wavering there as though she was fighting a deeper emotion that threatened to break through.

"Still looking for that part time gig?" A look of relief washed across his face. "Another interview tonight?"

She shook her head, lips pursed together tightly. Then finally, "Asher fired me."

There was something else that went across his face then. "Can I ask why he fired you?"

The brunette shifted uneasily, glancing away from his face to some random point in the room. "Because I'm whoring myself out to the competition. That's what he said, at least." She looked back up at him, frowning. "Threatened me with legal action if I ever told you anything about his business dealings and then told me to get out."

"Asher told you that, verbatim?" His voice had a much colder tone than intended.

"Yes, but I'm not telling you this because I want you to do anything about it." Caitlin was nervous now, especially with the sound of his voice right now. She reached a hand out, gripping Deacon's wrist. "I just didn't want you to hear it through the grapevine and then wonder why I didn't tell you."

"You don't need to work for that worthless son of a whore any way." He calmed down briefly with her touch. "I'll make a few calls if you want, we can have you back in a different office by Monday." In fact, he was livid. She said she didn't want him doing anything, but he knew that he was going to talk to Asher and set his mind at ease he had nothing Deke wanted, ever.

"No, really. It's ok. I spent the morning freaking out because I didn't want to have to move back home, but ironically, I got offered a job yesterday that I initially turned down. I'm going to go talk to the guy again and see if he still wants me." Caitlin let go of his arm and folded her arms around herself again.

He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Cait. I know you don't want to go home, I wouldn't let that happen."

"It's fine," she spoke into his chest, just sort of standing there for a minute before wrapping her arms around him too. Her head tipped back to look him in the face. "Sorry I bothered you with this right now. I probably should have waited until the work day was over."

"Don't apologize, Cait. I am glad you wanted to talk to me, and see me." He held her and ran his fingertips in a flex motion across her back.

"I feel like the cliche needy g--" Whoa there. Slow your roll, homegirl. "--friend who is a girl." She snickered.

He paused mid rub and looked at her. "Girl who is a friend.' Is that your Native American name?"

"Hao," she replied, cheeks igniting.

He cracked up at that. "Hao." Hand went up briefly. "Want to make a teepee?"

"That greatly appeals to my inner child. Blanket forts are where it's at." Nevermind that stupid little voice inside that insisted on pointing out that he hadn't corrected her at all.

"Come in, relax make yourself at home." He ushered her toward a long, black suede couch. "I have you in my house, you think I'm going to let you get away so easily?"

She went along willingly, but tried to protest. "But you have to work!"

"I'll take the afternoon off." He was sure she was seated and turned toward the bar. Snifter in hand he poured a touch of brandy into it, and then when Kyle appeared he walked to him and spoke in hushed tones to which Kyle nodded and disappeared from view again.

She'd been about to make a snarky comment that involved how much money he had, but Caitlin bit it back and just looked around the room, waiting for Deacon to join her on the couch. "And just what are we going to do with the rest of the day to ourselves?"

"Kyle told me he forgot to ask if you had a sister." He grinned as he returned, and then looked at her. "Lady's choice. Always." He joined her on the couch and smiled.

Her thoughts drifted to the plastic sheeting and the shovel. If she'd had a sister, Caitlin would have lied. Chuckling, then, she shook her head. "Sorry, I'm an only child. And hey, I can't believe you told him about finding me at the Red Dragon last night!" A hand darted out to hit him playfully. "I looked ridiculous."

"I had him pick up some plastic and a little primer for our paint date," almost as if he was reading her mind. "Kyle, at times, thinks he's my mother. He was up here waiting on me last night, demanding to know where I had been. I told him I saw you?and how I thought you looked great, even though you did not share my thoughts."

One of her eyebrows arched. Hm. The stories matched, but somehow she just wasn't too sure. Especially after that bit about King's murderer. "Tell me something. Would you want the girl you like to catch you wearing the scrubbiest clothes you own? Dirty, hair a mess, no shoes?"

"What are you talking about?" He waved a hand over himself. "Look at me! I wasn't expecting you today!" his hair was pulled back into a tail, but other than that, he was still dressed like a million. "The house is a wreck."

Her mouth fell open. It's a good thing Kyle had warned her about keeping sh*t to herself because Deacon would have gotten a mouthful right now. Brown eyes did as he bade, slowly looking him over. She reached a hand out and touched his ponytail. "I like your hair like this." Best not to acknowledge the bit about the house because she's ready to snap.

Deacon just grinned. "Thanks." He looked at her, studying her eyes then the curve of her cheek down toward her neck. "I am glad to see you."

She was looking at him, too. "Likewise," came her soft response, fingers still lightly playing with his hair. "It's really too bad we're not alone."

"This bullsh*t today really took it out of you, I was really expecting some sort of comeback with the remark I made." He reached over and carefully pushed a strand of chocolate brown from her face. "We are. Kyle's gone to see one of his drinking buddies."

"You mean about you looking terrible and your house being a mess?" She smirked, then inhaled sharply when he touched her hair, heart skipping a beat. "Your bestie told me I should knock it off." Well damn, she was just telling him all their car ride secrets.

He blinked at that comment. "So, you and Kyle were talking about me? Is that like passing notes in class?" He thought about it a moment. "What'd he tell you to knock off?"

Uh oh. Hopefully she wouldn't get him in trouble. Caitlin shrugged one shoulder, trying to sound like it wasn't a big deal at all. "I made some remark about not wanting to have you over to my place because your house is a fu*king mansion. And he told me that I shouldn't judge you so much." She smiled hesitantly. "He was just being a good friend," she added helpfully.

Deke nodded, thinking about it for a moment. "It's not my money that brought you here, right?"

"I don't want your money. I have an enormous trust fund, not that I'll ever touch it, but that's besides the point. Maybe I am a little prejudiced against wealth. But I like you and I'm willing to give you a chance. Obviously."

There was another nod. "Then don't worry too much about what Kyle said. I like your wit and sass, it's part of your charm."

"Well good. What I wanted to ask earlier was if you had your maid straighten up before I got here." Eyebrows waggled playfully, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"She always comes in on Wednesdays." He watched her face and grinned.

"Oh my God, you seriously have a fu*king maid?! Are you kidding me? Do you even know how to do your own laundry?"

"I know that front loading machines get my whites whiter and colors brighter. What's wrong with having a maid?" He tugged that bit of brown curl he'd been playing absently with, not hard, but just enough.

"You are one guy. How can you possibly make enough of a mess to need a maid?"

"Look around you. I like this place clean. Maybe I'm a little obsessive about it." He grinned again. "She cleans everything, vacuum, dust, you name it."

There was an extremely smartass comment just waiting to be said, but this one she bit back. It would have gone too far. "My place really will give you hives. I'm sure of it now."

"No, it won't Cait. I promise I'll be fine. You should have seen the shithole my ?whatever she was lived in. At least you care about your place enough to paint, and don't have a shitty cat."

Caitlin made a face. She was terribly curious about whether or not he was talking about the girl who killed Kingsley. "I take it your ex's cat didn't like you?"

"That cat didn't like anyone."

"Cat's are kind of elitist assholes. I'm more of a fish person. But I can't seem to keep them alive for more than a few weeks."

"I have a salt tank upstairs, and yes, cats are dicks."

"A saltwater tank. Wow. I can't even keep my carnival-won goldfish alive let alone something that is supposed to live in the ocean." She'd been playing with his ponytail all this time, and just now let her hand drop to rest her arm along his shoulder, fingertips brushing against the skin of his neck, rubbing lightly.

"Well, I've got a guy that comes out every few days and makes sure that the ph and whatever is fine with them. Japanese fighters and so much stuff in there. I am quite proud of it."

That made her laugh. "Of course someone else takes care of them." She leaned closer. "Tell me something you do yourself. Do you have a hobby?"

"Models."

Eyebrows lifted and she leaned away.

He watched her a moment, "Plastic ones!" Like that'd help. "You know, model kits? Build, paint, all that? Cars, airplanes, ships, you name it. I've got a whole room of them. King got me started when I was a kid."

Brown eyes narrowed. "Mhm. You're lucky."

"Lucky?" He leaned in closer. "Why is that?"

She chuckled, and then he was inches from her face. Cait leaned in, too. "I think you know why."

"Jealousy? Already, Friend that is a girl?" He grinned and before she could say anything, he leaned in and pressed lips to hers.

"Oh no no, nothing like that," she teased, breaking the kiss but not moving away from him. "I just meant, you know, you're lucky. A lot of models are easy and you'd probably get the clap. That's all."

He shook his head and chuckled. "I don't want it, ever."

"Well you'd never get it from me."

He watched her and leaned in to nuzzle her neck just to breathe her in since she broke away from his kiss, but not from the close proximity. "Likewise."

"That's always good to hear. Especially in a place like Rhydin." Caitlin shifted a jean-clad leg over Deacon's lap, her right hand settling on his thigh. She let her head tip away, giving him further access to her neck.

His lips found the tender flesh and he placed kisses all across where the cloth of sweater wasn't. He just let her talk while he tried to break her concentration.

Cait was trying like hell to pretend that this wasn't going to give her a heart attack. In fact, her chest was so tight right now it was hard to breathe. Obviously he'd been receptive to her advances or he wouldn't be kissing her neck like this right now. But now she was at a loss for what to do. "Think you'll, um...ever show me your..." She swallowed, heart thundering in her chest. "The models?"

"Sure, anytime." Answered in a warm breath near her ear with a kiss placed as soon as the words were spoken. He was enjoying himself, not only driving her crazy, but himself as well. He shifted just slightly closer to one hand moving up to brush those chocolate strands and curls away for more area of lip exploration.

Standing in front of the foggy mirror, she reached a hand out to wipe the condensation from the glass. Caitlin stared at her reflection for far too long, dripping water all over the bathroom tile. She grabbed a towel from the rack and quickly ran it over her head, then wrapped it around her body. The heavy, wet air from a too-hot shower was beginning to fade, so Cait hurriedly applied her nightly ritual of body lotion, brushed her teeth, and worked a bit of leave-in conditioner into her hair before pulling open the bathroom door.

On her bed lay the pajamas she?d set out before getting in the shower. It was while she was reaching down to pick them up that a voice broke the silence.

?I thought you were never going to come out of there.?

She whirled around, heart jumping into her throat. Sheer terror gripped her so tightly that it was hard to breathe, let alone scream.

?Shh,? the man crooned, at her side in an instant. Strong hands were feather light along her arms, stroking as if to soothe her fear. ?You really should learn to safeguard your home a little better. Why, just about anyone could get in here, Cait.?

?Max,? Caitlin wheezed when she found the ability to breathe once more. ?What are you doing here?? Brown eyes were wide, body tensing as cold fingertips brushed an icy path along her skin.

Maxim. Tall. Fair skinned. Ice blue eyes and a killer smile. Literally. ?I can?t just drop in on a friend?? And there was that smile. Brilliant, white teeth were only a foot or so away and she couldn?t help but glance at the gleaming fangs he flashed. He watched her eyes dip and laughed. Before she was able to blink, Max had Caitlin pinned to the bed, sinewy fingers wrapped firmly around her soft throat. He let the weight of his body settle on top of hers. Even when she thrashed about, there was no chance he?d be moved.

?Get off of me,? it was a whisper, but panic laced each word. Caitlin?s hands pushed and shoved, but she only succeeded in straining herself. The brunette struggled to remain calm, but her past was threatening to make another appearance.

?Or what?? Maxim laughed, lowering his face so that he was mere inches away.

?I?ll scream.?

?I?m not hurting you yet??

It was clear to see the pleasure Max was getting out of the situation. Caitlin sucked in a lungful of air, but before she could call for help, the fingers around her throat tightened painfully. Her shriek came out, instead, as a painful gasp. She clawed at his hand, trying in vain to free his grip.

?Now you listen to me, you little bitch.? Max?s voice had dropped rather low, almost a whisper. His lips brushed against her ear when he leaned closer. ?Sending Wrath was the wrong thing to do. Did you really think his pathetic request for a cease-fire would work? That Asher would give you your job back?? He let his lips move lower, over her ear lobe and then to the tender, untainted throat. ?What did you see in him, I wonder.? The hand at her throat released, but only momentarily. Seconds later, he?d wound his fingers in her wet hair and yanked her head to the side.

Caitlin, realizing what was about to happen, bucked against the vampire wildly in an attempt to throw him off. The move had little effect, other than to make him laugh. His other hand slid along her bare leg, slowly, from knee to thigh. ?Max stop it! Please! You?re scaring me. I don?t want this!?

Maxim ignored Caitlin entirely, pushing the towel up her leg another inch. Lips closed above the spot where her jugular pulsed enticingly just below the skin. ?Or maybe he?s already had you and felt the need to champion you.? He placed another kiss to her throat and positioned his teeth purposefully against her skin. When Caitlin started to cry, Max pushed himself away to stand over her at the edge of the bed. ?I?ll turn you if you ever meddle again, Caitlin.?

Even as relief washed over her, she could feel the panic beginning to rise. She sat up and clutched the towel tightly around her shivering frame. ?We won?t. I? I told him not to do anything. I swear, Max. But I?ll tell him again...he won?t go to Asher anymore. I promise.?

Max strode to the door wearing a satisfied smirk, then glanced at his watch. ?Of course he won?t.? Blue eyes lifted to meet hers. ?He can?t.?

?Why not?? she queried cautiously.

The vampire grinned maliciously. ?Because Deacon Wrath died three hours ago.?

The house was dark when Cait went in. There were soft lights that shone beneath each step on the stairs, but everything else was extinguished. It was eerily quiet. As the brunette climbed, she called Deacon?s name softly only to be greeted with silence. Then, further down the hallway, she came upon a closed door on the left. She knocked.

?Deacon??

He heard her voice and sighed. One hand moved up to pull the mesh collar off his neck, an invention supposed to keep the bite away and dropped it into the floor, next to his coat, vest, and most of his other clothing, except for the dark BDU?s he still wore. "In here." He answered and the only movement he made was to lift the glass to his lips again. He seethed with anger, and was filthy as well as beaten. Luckily the only light inside the room was the soft glow of the in-set, wall length salt tank, and it was eaten by the darkness around his chair, just at the edge. Fish swam lazily back and forth among the rocks and coral. "I hope you are alone."

Carefully and gently, the door creaked open and Caitlin slipped silently inside. Once the door was closed again, she turned towards the tank-lit outline of his body in the chair. "I'm alone," she mumbled quietly, worried about what she'd find. Kyle had said be prepared. But for what? She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her zippered hoodie and took a few small steps in his direction.

He watched her approach. Something was wrong in the way she moved, at least that's what he thought. "You okay?" His voice was quiet, and a rattle of pills in a bottle was the next sound from him before a bit of crunching. "What happened?" He was hurting too much to get up and go to her, it'd been a while since he'd gotten his ass kicked like this.

Caitlin shuffled the rest of the way into the room, rounding the chair so she could look at his face. Though she could still only see him in the light of the tank, it was enough for her to get a decent picture of what had happened. Her mouth fell open, a hand lifting to press her fingers to her lips. "You need a doctor." She sounded scared.

"No doctors, what I need is to know you are okay." He set drink and pills aside and pat his lap. "Sit down." He thought about that a moment then added, "Please." Knowing she couldn't see him too well in the dark but to make that assessment meant he looked worse than he felt.

"I'm fine," repeating what she'd told Kyle a little earlier. Caitlin's encounter with Maxim seemed laughable compared to what had obviously happened to Deacon. She didn't move any closer, brows furrowing as she stared down at him. "What the hell happened? Maxim told me they killed you. I told you not to do anything, that I was fine with losing my job. And you...you knew I didn't want you to do anything." She frowned, head shaking minutely.

"I went to try to bury old hatred between my father and your ex boss." It was a partial truth.

For some reason, she was angry at him. But unable to give reason for her emotions, Caitlin simply stood there before him looking more confused than anything else. "That went well, I see."

He sighed. "Caitlin, I'm sorry. If you really knew me, you'd know how hard that is for me to say." He lifted the glass back to his lips. "I don't like anyone even mentioning that you are a whore, or whoring out? it upsets me. " He watched her, trying to read her and in the dark, that wasn't easy. With a swollen eye, it was even harder. "In an effort to get myself further from King's influences, enemies and bullshit, I went there as a gesture of goodwill." Guns and stakes not withstanding. "I was trying to bury old hatred, and I'm sorry that I made you mad at me."

What he said should have warranted a softer, more understanding reaction, but Caitlin was too wound up from earlier to just let things go. "You didn't just make me mad, Deacon, you got my house broken into." A pause, letting that sink in for a moment. "Maxim was in my room."

That got his attention. "Maxim? He sent him to your house?" The tone went from soft to a razor's edge as anger welled and bubbled forth. "Did he hurt you? What the fuck did he say?" He was starting to push up from the chair but that action caused him to suck in a ragged breath and press his hand to his bare side. "That son of a bitch is going to get his." The threat was hissed as the fire shot through his abdomen and chest.

Caitlin took a step back as Deacon moved to get up from the chair, brows furrowing once more when he was unable to. That could have been the end of it. She could have left out the details. She knew he was sorry, probably even more-so now but something in her just couldn't help but share what had happened. "After I got out of the shower, he was waiting for me in my room. Pinned me to the bed and threatened to bite me if I didn't watch my step in the future. Aside from a few bruises, physically I'm fine." Brown eyes looked him over from head to toe. "You're obviously not."

"I've got a stake for him, I'll even put his name on it." He muttered then waved a hand. "I got my ass kicked, but in my defense, there were two of them."

"You stubborn jackass." Caitlin huffed in irritation, stalking back over to the door to find the light switch. She flicked it on and crossed the room back to where Deacon sat to get a better look at his injuries. In turn, he'd get a better look at hers. It would be quite apparent that she'd spent a great deal of time crying judging from the dried tear streaks along her cheeks, red puffy and nose. There were a few bruised lines along her throat and probably more beneath the jacket she wore. Wet, messy hair had been whipped up into a bun.

He winced with the light, and held up a hand to shield his eyes, especially the swollen one. He studied her face, and then the bruises on her neck. "I'm not a stubborn jackass, I just don't want anyone hurting you, Friend who is a girl." He was trying to make light of the situation, calming himself and her, but those marks on her were enough to keep his blood boiling. He looked like he'd been hit by a bus, then the volkswagen behind it got a piece of him too.

The sight of him made Caitlin gasp. "You are stubborn. You were almost killed and you're sitting here telling me that you're going to go after one of them again." She shook her head, gaze shifting from his wounds to the mess around him. Finally, sneakers carried her close enough to bend over his frame, reaching for the glass of booze in his hand. "You shouldn't be drinking."

Deacon gave up the booze reluctantly and watched her. He was dirty, grimy and beat to hell, but still watching. "I'm sorry, Cait. I truly am."

She ignored him, lifting the glass to sniff it in order to figure out the contents. Smelled like old Scotch. Cait made a face and set the glass on the floor when she crouched next to the chair. "What hurts?"

"How about we go with what doesn't hurt?"

Her hands rested on the arm of the chair, fingertips brushing against his arm. "Did they have weapons? If they had weapons, I really think you should go see a doctor. There could be internal bleeding or broken bones." Brown eyes swept over his face, searching for some sign that he would listen to her. "You're a mess."

"They were low life vamps, Cait. They really didn't need weapons." He did look like a wreck. "I think I've got bruised or cracked ribs," That was an understatement as they had worked him over with fist and boot alike. He was listening, but he watched her and studied the marks on her neck.

8:00am. She'd been up for over an hour already and unable to wait patiently for Deacon's resurrection, Caitlin had gone down the kitchen to scrounge for food. She was pleased to discover that Deke's kitchen had every appliance known to mankind and scrounged up the ingredients to make waffles. A large stack sat atop a plate on the island counter, coupled with a plate of crispy bacon and a glass of orange juice. She now stood over a frying pan of scrambled eggs, a hand on her hip, spatula in the other.

The last thing that Deke remembered was getting beat on, bad. There were bits and pieces of the night with Cait. Her neck, she was mad, then not, and finally he went to sleep after a shower and asking for water. She was in the shower with him, wasn't she? She went to bed with him? No?she teased about it. Something, about not sleeping. He was trying to piece things together before opening his eyes and there was the smell of someone cooking? That was curious, but for the moment there was no pain, and he knew moving would bring that back to call in a hurry.

When the eggs were done, she scooped them out onto a plate and set it with the others on the counter. Cait glanced at the clock on the stove, then to the stairs, wondering if she should check on Deacon again. Perhaps she'd be able to coax him out of bed with food. She thought about that for a second, then started looking for a serving tray of some kind. He really shouldn't be moving around if he didn't have to. A few minutes later, Cait was carefully balancing a wooden serving tray loaded with food and drink up the stairs and down the hall to the master bedroom. The door was still cracked, as she'd left it when she came down earlier. Quietly, she toed the door open and slipped into the room.

He had moved too much and was sitting on the edge of the bed, preparing to come downstairs. He had on light blue pajama pants that were a pain to get on with the bending and standing, and as the door crept open, he glanced that way wondering if it was Cait, and hoping that it was. There was a small smile as he watched her with the tray. "I'd say something smart-assed, but I'm starving."

"If I had known you were going to get up, I'd have left this heavy thing downstairs." She set the tray at the foot of the bed, smiling at him. "I thought I'd have to bribe you out of bed, though." She was dressed in the clothes she'd worn over yesterday: a tank top and jeans. Her brown hair hung in jagged waves, a little frazzled-looking since she hadn't had time to style it after her shower at home. "I brought you some drugs, too."

He held up a hand, "Uh, no more of those please." He was watching her, studying the way she held herself and the way she looked. "Where did you sleep?"

There was a nod to the chair in the corner. A blanket was draped over the arm. "Over there. I checked on you a lot during the night. Since you refused to see a doctor, I wasn't sure if you had a concussion or not and I was worried you might not wake up. It was like trying to wake the dead last night."

He glanced toward the chair. It was one his mother used and now was his and he read there when he took the time to read. "I can only imagine how it was, Regal and oxy don't mix well. Did you sleep at all?" He felt like an ass, he did like her and it was obvious that she liked him as well, and making her worry all night didn't set right.

"I do believe, once I managed to make you open your eyes, that you said 'Goddamn it, woman, let me go back to sleep'." She chuckled, leaning against one of the bedposts. "I slept enough, don't worry. We should eat, though, while the food's still hot. Did you want to stay up here or take it back downstairs and eat at the table?"

He looked horrified. "I did not say that!" He just looked at the food. "By the time I walked downstairs it would be cold. Lets eat in here." He wondered if he did say that, or she was messing with him.

"You did!" She laughed again, seemingly not offended by it. "In your defense, you were very confused and didn't understand why I was making you talk to me at two in the morning." Caitlin hopped onto the bed and pulled the tray between them.

"See that guy, last night? He was an evil Deke. He took over while I was sleeping, but he's gone now. Replaced with a kinder, gentler Deke." He chuckled and the coughed with a wince of pain. "At least I didn't like grab your perfect ass or anything." So much for another Deke.

A snort, deeply amused by the mental image of that. "You probably could have gotten away with that last night."


"Only last night?" He gave her his best lecherous smile, that faded when he started seeing more bruises on her.

She speared a waffle and plopped it onto her plate, buttering it quickly. A purple bruise encircled her thin wrist. The bruise along her throat had blossomed into a near perfect hand print. "How are you feeling?" The bruises look worse. His were practically black in some spots. "Can you inhale all the way?"

"I'm not worried about me, how are you?" He was avoiding her questions, because he felt that he may need to see a doctor, but he was being stubborn and trying to get a hot breakfast.

"I'm fine." There was that lie again. Cait couldn't look at him, however, and busied herself with cutting her food.

"Funny thing about being an investor, you start to learn when people are telling you either what you want to hear, or partials." He watched her as he slathered butter onto his waffle.

Her jaw tensed and then relaxed. "What do you want to hear? That I'm traumatized? That I was scared for my life? That it dredged up things from my past that I'd much rather forget?" The brunette shook her head, eyes closing. She went back to cutting her food, but it was more like she was stabbing it now. "It's done. It's over. I'm fine."

One hand went up, when she admitted something from the past. "Wait? something from your past? Care to talk about it?" He felt like an ass for pushing, but that made him wonder.

The bite of fluffy, sweet waffle in her mouth turned sour, but she swallowed it anyway. Another piece was stabbed and the fork lifted, but Caitlin couldn't bring herself to eat it. The cutlery clattered loudly against the porcelain plate as she set it back down. Flustered and a little nervous, her hands fluttered to the back of her neck, then rubbed her upper lip and finally lifted to rake through the dark waves of her hair. "My, uh...when I was seventeen, my parents hosted a dinner party. Dad's boss was there and..." She shrugged, unable to say it out loud. "Well, I'm sure you can guess the rest."

Now he really felt like an ass, and he set his plate aside to scoot down her way. His nurse being treated that way didn't go over well. He reached for her, slowly and painfully. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed. I feel like a shithead now." As he moved there was a feeling like fire through his left side again and it showed but he was still trying to comfort her.

As he advanced, she leaned away, shaking her head. "It's fine. I'm fine," she repeated. Perhaps if she said it enough, one day it would be true. A deep frown creased her face, observing that he was in obvious pain. "You should let Kyle take you to the hospital, Deacon. You let accepted my help last night. Accept my advice, now."

"Get over here and accept my hug, don't make me crawl over there, this shit hurts."

"Agree to see a doctor first," she challenged.

"You take me."

A sigh. "Why?"

"Kyle will be saying how he told me so, all the way there, all the way back and have that stupid little smug look on that big head."

"Alright, I'll take you. But then you won't be able to hide the severity of your injuries from me. There's no way I'm sitting alone in the waiting room for hours." She slid off the bed to put some distance between them, under the guise of grabbing her jacket out of bathroom where she'd left it last night. "Put on a shirt," she called to him.

"I still want my hug, damn it!" Called as she left. He wasn't going out in Pj Pants so he pushed from the bed with another bite of waffle. "Stubborn ass woman, the hell was I thinking?" muttering as he went to the closet and started looking for something to wear. Armani jeans, button down, with a pullover cardigan. He wasn't sure how cold it was outside. "Can you drive my car?" Called out as he found some slip on Italian loafers that just happened to match. His closet looked very OCD. Everything was arranged by color and style, including his shoes.

She'd returned to the room, now wearing her jacket and red converse. Fingers quickly brushed through her tangled hair and whipped it into a quick braid. "You're insane. You'd rather hurt yourself more by changing into something presentable than just wearing your pj's?" He was mind-blowingly materialistic. Or shallow. One of the two. "And I don't know. What kind of car is it? I can't drive a stick."

"My car, that you were in?" It was some sort of long, low slung, but sleek ride. Fast but he didn't show her that. "It is automatic, or you can shift it." He was ignoring her about the clothing choices.

"I figured you had more than one," she snapped. "A certain car you'd want driven to the hospital so no one knew it was yours." She rolled her eyes at him, arms folding across her chest while she waited. There was no chance of her helping him, especially since his changing was completely unnecessary.

"Well I do have more than one," He wondered what that had to do with anything and watched her a moment. "Why in Zeus's butthole are you mad at me?"

She didn't have an answer for him. Too many things going on in her pretty little head. Deke was getting it all taken out on him. "You should have seen a doctor last night, Deacon. I don't like seeing you in pain."

"For Christ's sake, Cait. I made a mistake, I was hurting, worried about you and I just wanted to stay home, in my own damned bed."

That was enough to knock her down a peg or two. Caitlin bit her lip. "You're too stubborn for your own good." After a moment, she looked at the floor. "If you don't want to go, then don't go. I'm sorry for being a b*tch. I'm just-- sorry, ok?"

"I know that he upset you," he made his way toward her, other than his face he was dressed to the nines again. "I know I'm maddening, and I'm far too pretty to be beat up like this." Trying to at least make her smile. "But, in all seriousness? please, don't argue. While we are out, stop by your place for a few things, clothes or whatever, and stay here? You don't have to share my room, I have another if you'd like." He wanted her to stay for the company and to be sure that Maxim didn't come back to finish the job.

The little joke elicited a small smile from the girl, but it vanished when he went on to tell her that she should stay with him. Eyes widened. "No! Deacon, I'm not going to be that girl. The girl who meets a guy and starts staying with him a couple weeks later. It's tacky, despite the circumstances." At least she didn't move away from him as he approached this time.

"Cait, You aren't that girl. I just want you here, safe, please." He stepped in and wrapped his arms around her. "At least a couple days, I'll send Kyle to your place to put in some new locks and maybe a couple wards."

His complete disregard for what she'd said triggered a memory from the first time they had met. 'You're used to getting what you want, aren't you?' Caitlin held still as Deacon put his arms around her. "I'm sure my landlord can handle new locks." F*ck. It was going to be easier to just give in to him. The fight wasn't worth it. "Fine. If it's going to make you more comfortable, then I'll stay here. But only for a couple days."

"Locks are fine, but how is he with wards to keep suckheads out?" He was used to getting his way, and if she pushed it he would have insisted she stay in one of his apartments downtown. More like crash pad, but still. "Thank you for humoring a spoiled, rich kid." He wrapped his arms around her and pressed lips to her forehead. "I'm just getting you in my life, not ready to let you go yet."

"You're welcome." There was a brief smile at his confession, but she didn't comment on it. "Are you ready now?"

"I'm ready." He knew that the maid would be along to clean up breakfast and he swiped his wallet and things from the dresser, before he held his keys out to her. "I mean it you know?"

"Mean what?" She asked absently, taking the keys and heading out of the room.

"That I like you being around."

"Except for when I'm being a b*tch." She jogged down the stairs, forgetting he couldn't move that fast. At the bottom, Cait turned around and looked up at him. "Sorry, do you want my help? Or maybe there's an elevator somewhere in this house I don't know about." Snicker.

"The elevator's for the help during parties." He looked serious enough as he took a step at a time. "I want you to help me, just cause I like you here by me, but I am managing?slowly."

It was the least she could do, especially after snapping at him earlier for no acceptable reason. She hurried back up the steps to his side, taking his arm and putting it around her shoulders. "Better?"

"Immensely." He grinned and leaned into her, thankful for the help and the closeness. "Tell me something I don't know about you?" He was trying to take his mind off of the pain with every step. "Something good."

"Let's see," she thought for a moment. "I love to sing, but I've got a terrible voice. I stick to humming in public. But my violin playing skills are off the charts. I'm saving up for an electric one. Your turn. Something good that I don't know already."

"I play guitar, not well, but I just started about a year ago." He was now thinking of a gift for her. "When is your birthday?" Half way down, thank God.

Oh, like that wasn't obvious. She snickered. "It's not until April. I wish time would go faster. I'm ready to leave my teen years behind me. Bring on Twenty."

"Twenty. Wow." He smiled. "I remember twenty." He finally reached the bottom of the stairs and was breathing hard. "Ugh." His hand came around to hold his side.

Cait frowned, upset that he was in so much pain. She got up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "I'll go pull your car up. Wait here at the door, okay?" The brunette ducked out from under his arm and bounded out the door before he could do something stupid like insist he walk with her.

Deacon leaned against the door frame and waited for her to get the car. "Just press the big, red button. Key stays in your pocket."

His car was a little intimidating. She was also a bit shorter than him, so she'd needed to mess around with the seat so she could reach the pedals. Cait pulled up a couple minutes later and rolled down the window. "Hey hottie. Need a ride?" She laughed.

He looked at her and laughed in spite of the pain it caused. "With a sexy girl like you? You bet." He walked over and pulled open the passenger door and slid in slowly. The door closed he looked around then at her. "You need your sunglasses or something, that'd seal the cool deal." Another look around, "I don't think I've ever been in this seat.."

Caitlin waited until Deacon put his seatbelt on and then put the car in motion. "So how old are you? You said you remembered twenty...but you don't look all that much older than me."

"Only Forty-three." Teasing as he shifted around, trying to get comfortable. "Twenty-seven."

Caitlin's mouth fell open. She hadn't been expecting him to be nearly 8 years her senior.

"Is that dirty old man enough for you?" He was trying to smile though the car ride, while smooth was about to do him in.

The brunette laughed, but it faded when she glanced over to see the pain he was in. "No more talking. Just close your eyes and try to relax. I'll try to get you there fast, but carefully, old man."