Fic: The Right Kind of Wrong (11 / ? )
Title: The Right Kind Of Wrong (11 / ? )
Characters: Owen Harper/OFC
Rating: NC-17
Warning(s): smut ahoy!
Spoiler(s): We've finally reached the end of the storyline of TKKS.
Summary: Being an med intern is never easy. Especially if you find yourself suddenly working for Torchwood. Throw in an unexpected romance and long lost family, and you have even more problems.
Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Torchwood and its associated characters and places and things. I wish I did, but I don't.
Author note: Yeah, I know, it took awhile for this chapter, but I hope you find it worth it. Thank you to to mrs_cj_harkness, bellasianna, and secbeth for being my beta's and sounding board for my wacked out ideas. Welcome to my new beta, my best friend pinktribechick who is slowly finding herself dragged into TW fandom by me. PLEASE read and review.....comments are love. And I promise to try and not make y'all wait so long for chapter 12!
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
CHAPTER 11
Kayla fought to keep her eyes open as she grew weaker. Panic raced through her veins as the minutes slipped by and the sky grew brighter with the rising sun. She knew it was only a matter of moments before it would be too late, and she struggled against the darkness pressing in on her.
“Owen….Jack….help me…..” echoed through her mind.
The car slid to a halt, the sea air hitting her her faintly as Suzie threw open the car door and stepped out hurriedly. She raced around the car and pulled Kayla’s door open, leaning in to haul her almost gently out and to her feet. “It's beautiful, Kayla. Can you see?” She pulled Kayla’s arm around her neck and wrapped her own arm around her waist and half dragging her, Suzie hurried down the pier as the SUV came barreling down the road. “We'll take the ferry; go out as far as we can. Keep on running ‘cause he won't hurt us. We'll keep on going, you and me...”
Suzie stumbled as Kayla’s body suddenly went slack, both of them falling to the ground. Car doors slamming and sound of running feet sent a flutter of panic through Suzie. She leaned over Kayla’s body and looked at her closely; unmoving and cold to the touch as she brushed hair back from Kayla’s cheek, she was almost sure the younger girl was gone.
“Can you hear me? Kayla?” she whispered to her almost sadly. “Poor Kayla Michaels.” She looked back to see Jack and Owen approaching at a dead run. Leaning down, she gave Kayla a farewell kiss. “Safe journey.” Rising quickly to her feet, she ran for the end of the pier.
Jack and Owen reached Kayla, Owen falling to his knees at her side and gathering her up into his arms, calling her name desperately. Torn between stopping to check her for himself and stopping Suzie, Jack ran past and drew his gun. Suzie stopped at the end of the pier and turned to face him.
“Let her go,” he ordered angrily.
Suzie’s smile was almost taunting. “I can't.”
“Let Kayla go!”
“I can't!”
“Owen, how is she?” Jack called back over his shoulder. Owen held Kayla’s body tightly, his hands shaking as he desperately checked for signs of life. “Owen! Report!”
Owen’s voice broke as he responded. “I think we're too late.”
“If I kill you, does she live?” Jack growled as he turned back to Suzie, aiming the gun (at her).
“But you can't, Jack! ‘cause look at me; I'm the last thing left of her - can't you see it, just the smallest bit of her?
Jack’s face was a mask of calm fury. “Not one bit.” The shot spun Suzie around as Jack fired, throwing her face first to the ground. A small kernel of hope blossomed in Jack’s chest. “Owen? Anything?”
“Nothing.” Owen pushed back Kayla’s hair, his stomach lurching at the feel of blood clotted in it. Unshed tears burned his eyes as he clutched her close, fighting back the panic as she remained cold and unmoving.
“But I broke the connection!” Soft, demented laughter pulled Jack’s attention back to Suzie and he stepped closer. “I killed you…..”
“Can't die…..” she whispered. Jack fired two more shots into her back, her body jerking at each impact, but still alive. “Never gonna die…..”
“How much more of this do you want?” Two more shots rang out.
“It's all your fault, Jack. You recruited me.” Suzie just rolled over on to her back, laughter spilling from her lips.
Understanding crossed Jack’s face, suddenly realizing what needed to be done and activating his comm. “The glove, Tosh! Destroy the glove! It's keeping them connected!”
----------------------------------------------------
Back at the hub, Tosh leapt up from her workstation, yelling for Ianto. Racing through the hub towards the armory, Ianto reached it first. Punching in the security code, he slipped through the doors as they opened and pulled one of the guns from its mount. Spinning round, he sent it flying through the air into Tosh’s waiting hands. She cocked it and took off towards the autopsy bay where the glove was laying.
----------------------------------------------------
“Captain, my Captain,” Suzie mocked as Jack took careful aim to put one last bullet through her heart and fired. “Do you want to know a secret?” Suzie continued to taunt Jack as crimson flowers of blood spread across her jacket. “There's something moving in the dark and it's coming, Jack Harkness. It's coming for you.”
----------------------------------------------------
Skidding to a halt at the entrance to the bay, Tosh took careful aim at the gleaming glove. Slowing her breathing, she gently pulled the trigger, the hub echoing with the crack of gunfire as the glove shattered into pieces.
----------------------------------------------------
It happened almost instantly. A barely noticed crackle in the air, and Suzie’s body jerked with a dying gasp. Kayla’s eyes flew open and she cried out, pulling in a ragged breath as she struggled against the arms holding her tightly as panic rose in her throat.
“It’s alright, I’ve got you,” Owen whispered, fighting to keep hold of her as she lashed out in fear.
Her voice was small and frightened. “Owen?”
“Yeah, kitten, it’s me. You’re safe now, everything’s going to be ok,” he told her soothingly. Her fingers twisted into the fabric of his jacket, clutching at him desperately as she broke down and sobbed. He rocked her gently, pressing his lips to her forehead and whispering comfortingly to her. Relief washed through him and he tightened his grip on her, curling his body around her protectively.
The sound of sirens filled the air as Jack stared down at the body of Suzie Costello one last time. He sighed; slipping his gun back into its holster before turning and walking slowly back towards where Owen was still on his knees with Kayla in his arms. Her sobs tore at his heart as he sank down to one knee at their side and laid a hand on her shoulder. Feeling her shivering from not only cold, but fear, he slipped his coat off. Owen noticed his movements and loosened his grip on her, leaning back so Jack could drape his coat over her. Shifting her in his arms, Owen pulled the coat around her before wrapping her in his arms again.
Kayla looked up as she felt the heavy fabric cover her. “Jack, I’m so sorry….I didn’t mean….we thought…,” she tried to explain; scared he would be angry with her, but her voice was weak with exhaustion and she fought to her keep her eyes open. Jack’s looked up to see the quickly approaching officers, and then turned to meet Owen’s questioning gaze.
“Get her out of here,” he ordered. “She doesn’t need to be badgered by the cops, I’ll handle them. Take the SUV; I’ll follow shortly in Gwen’s car.” Jack paused, perplexed for a moment, a moment of additional worry washing over him. “Where is Gwen?”
Kayla’s voice was soft as she slipped closer to exhausted slumber. “The hospital….Suzie left her there….Gwen tried to stop her and she hit her…knocked her unconscious…”
“I’ll get her on the way back.” Jack’s face was grim, nodding towards the SUV. “Go on. I’ll meet you back at the hub.” Pushing himself to his feet, he bent and lifted Kayla from Owen’s arms, hugging her tightly as the other man got quickly to his own feet. He reluctantly shifted her back to Owen’s waiting arms, and moved off to intercept the officers.
Owen brushed off the officers who tried to stop him as he hurried towards the SUV with a brisk comment about needing to get her medical attention and that it couldn’t wait. He murmured soothing words into her ear as he fumbled the passenger side door open and eased her gently onto the seat. Adjusting Jack’s coat around her, he buckled her in and leaned in to brush his lips over hers, noticing she had fallen into an uneasy slumber. Owen closed the door quietly and quickly ran around to the driver’s side, sliding into the seat and starting the vehicle. Throwing it into gear, he pulled out quickly onto the road and headed back towards the hub.
Kayla whimpered softly in her sleep, her face taking on a look of terror. Owen reached out and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “Nothing will harm you, kitten, you’re safe. I’m here.” Her body relaxed and the fear eased from her features as his voice reached her through the nightmare in her head.
----------------------------------------------------
Tosh and Ianto were waiting in the garage when the SUV pulled in. The strain was obvious on their faces as they hurried towards the vehicle with Ianto pushing a wheelchair. Hopping out as soon as he threw it in park, Owen met Ianto at the passenger side door, pulling it open.
Kayla opened her eyes and looked at all of them, smiling sleepily. “Hi,” she whispered.
“Hey kitten, you feel up to walking?” Owen was relieved to see that some of the color was returning to her cheeks. She had been so pale….so cold….he shook his head to chase the thoughts away. “Or do you want the wheelchair?”
She glanced at the wheelchair by the door, and shook her head frantically. “Walk, please - I can’t sit in that chair.” It was the same one they’d used for Suzie and the sight of it made terror creep its way up her body. Ianto noticed the way Kayla paled when she looked at the chair, and realizing the chair was disturbing her, quickly wheeled it out of her line of sight.
“Alright, kitten, just take it slowly.” Reaching in to undo her seatbelt, Owen lifted Jack’s coat from her. Ianto took it from his hands assessing the blood stains, mentally making a note to have it taken to the dry cleaners as soon as possible, as he stepped back to allow Owen to guide her out of the vehicle.
Kayla’s legs were shaky as she stepped out and Owen kept his hands on her hips to steady her. She pushed away from him and took a few steps. She looked around at the three of them; all tensed to grab her if she started to fall, and made an exasperated sound. “I’m not going to break into a million pieces, guys. I’m ok now.” Taking a deep breath to steady herself and hide her fear, she moved towards the door into the hub with Tosh following close behind her.
Ianto exchanged concerned looks with Owen. “She’s not ok.”
“I know. But she’s doing her damnedest to hide it.” Owen raked a shaky hand through his hair. “Have to give her credit; she’s stronger than a lot of people probably would be after something like this.”
“She’s going to have to face it eventually, Owen. And when she does….” Ianto’s voice trailed off.
“I know. We’re just going to have to watch her. When it finally all hits her, contrary to her belief, she is going to break. Maybe not into a million pieces, but she will break.”
“Are you ok?”
“At the moment, I don’t know. When we got there, I really thought we were too late.” Owen’s voice broke as he fought back tears. “I thought I’d lost her. And even now, she may be back, but I know she’s come back different - something changed her, something that is terrifying her even now.” Ianto silently laid a comforting hand on Owen’s shoulder. “We should go in. I want to check her over, make sure she’s physically ok. We’ll deal with the emotional and mental when the time comes.”
Owen headed for the door and hurried into the hub, Ianto trailing behind with a troubled look.
----------------------------------------------------
Kayla moved mechanically about the autopsy bay, straightening things for the 100th time that didn’t need straightening. She needed to keep moving and working, anything to keep from stopping and thinking. Her hands shook as she fought back the tears that were threatening. She knew the others were waiting for her to crack like a fragile piece of china after what had happened with Suzie. She could see it in the way they spoke to her and acted around her, watching her with worried eyes. Owen wouldn’t leave her alone, even following her when she went to wash the blood away after he examined her, insisting on being close by “in case she needed him”, Tosh talking to her almost non-stop, trying to distract her and Ianto fussing around her, trying to get her to eat or drink something.
The last straw was when Jack returned to the hub with Gwen. Gwen was looking like she had endured a very long session of being told off by Jack, and she turned away from everyone and headed straight for the locker room. Jack’s face made Kayla’s stomach feel like it was full of rocks. She could see the disappointment in her for what they had done mingled with the relief she was ok.
It was that look that made her surge out of the chair by Owen’s desk, shaking everyone off, snapping at them to leave her alone for awhile. Hell, she knew she was on the edge of losing it and breaking down, but she’d fight it off as long as she could and not show weakness.
She closed the instrument drawer and turned away from the table, freezing in place as it all hit her at once…..
Suzie’s words as she felt the last of her strength go and everything go dark.
“We'll take the ferry. Go out. As far as we can. Keep on running cos he won't hurt us. We'll keep on going, you and me ...”
The icy coldness as she passed into the darkened void, stark terror at what she could feel moving in that darkness and despair as she tried to fight her way back, clawing to remain living.
The sudden pain as she drew a burning breath into her lungs as her astral self slammed back into her earthly body, the momentary panic as she fought against the hands that were holding her until she realized it was only Owen, that he was holding her to keep her safe, the sickening feeling of the blood in her hair and coating down her neck where Suzie’s wounds had transferred to her as the glove drained her for the other woman’s desperate desire to live.
It all crashed into her in that moment and a sob half escaped her lips as she began to shake and the tears streaked down her cheeks. She distantly registered the sound of someone racing down the steps into the autopsy bay seconds before she felt a pair of warm hands grab her shoulders and turn her. She was enclosed in a pair of strong arms as she leaned into the person and let the tears flow freely, emptying her heart of the pain and fear.
“It’s alright, sweetheart, you’re ok,” a gentle voice whispered in her ear. “Let it out, kitten, I’ve got you.”
She raised her head to meet Owens eyes as he softly stroked her hair and he smiled at her, a genuine warm smile and not his usual sarcastic smirk, before tucking her head back down on to his shoulder. She heard the others come into the autopsy bay and felt Owen wave them and their questions away for now as he held her. He maneuvered her over to the steps and sat, pulling her down on to his lap. Running a hand slowly up and down her back as he held her, he leaned his head against hers and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Talk to me,” he said quietly.
“I can’t.” Her voice was muffled against his shoulder. A shiver rippled through her and he held her tighter. “I don’t want to even think about it.”
He tipped her chin up so that she was looking at him. “Listen to me; you have nothing to be afraid of. I won’t let anything hurt you!”
“There are some things you can’t protect me from,” she said cryptically, her eyes distant and sad. She pulled away from him and stood up. “I want to go home, I’m tired.”
He rose to his feet and moved to put an arm around her, frowning as she sidestepped him and went up the stairs. “Wait, I’ll take you. We’ll stop and get something eat, and then go home. Do you want to go to your flat?” He followed her up the stairs.
“No.”
“Then we’ll go to my place. What are you hungry for? Do you want...?” He paused as she turned back on the steps to face him, putting a hand on his chest to stop him.
“That’s not what I meant. I’m going home alone - I need time to think and sort out my head.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued, cutting him off. “Please, understand.” Turning quickly, she hurried the rest of the way up the stairs with him following along in her wake.
“You’re not going alone,” he told her angrily, grabbing her arm as she picked up her jacket.
“Let go of me, Owen!”
Jack came out of his office, drawn by the commotion. “What’s going on?”
“She thinks she’s leaving by herself.” Owen turned his head towards Jack, looking for help.
Looking at Kayla questioningly, Jack saw something hidden in her eyes that spoke volumes. “Are you feeling up to going by yourself?”
“Yes, I am.” She sighed wearily. “I just need time to come to terms with some things, on my own, Jack. And I can’t do that here with everyone hovering over me.”
“Owen, let her go.” He nodded at the grateful look she sent him as she pulled out of Owen’s grasp, and headed for the door. Jack and Owen glared angrily at each other as the sound of the heavy cog door rolling closed echoed through the room. “When she’s ready to talk, she’ll talk.”
“So you just let her go?” Owen spat at him.
“What was I supposed to do? Refuse to let her go?”
“Yes!”
“She wants to be alone, Owen. Is there any medical reason she shouldn’t be? Did you find something when you examined her when you got back?”
“No, she’s fine, other than exhaustion. But damn it, she shouldn’t be alone, Jack, she needs….”
Jack cut him off sternly. “What she needs is time. Give her space, Owen, and respect what she wants.” He watched as Owen stormed angrily back into the bay, and released a strained breath. He had a pretty good idea just exactly what it was Kayla needed to deal with at the moment. How many times had he been there before himself? But until she was ready to talk, he wouldn’t force her. And when she was ready to talk, he was pretty sure he would be the one she sought out.
----------------------------------------------------
Curled up in a chair by the window in her apartment, she lost track of time as the sky filled with clouds and twilight came on. Kayla had been sitting there, lost in thought, for hours, a long forgotten cup of tea sitting on the windowsill. Her phone had rung once, Owen's name on the caller ID, but she ignored it. Brushing away the tears staining her cheeks, she stood and began pacing back and forth in the dimly lit room.
How could she explain to the others what had happened to her in those few minutes that she had been dead? Everything she had believed about death and what came ‘after’ had been shattered. She still felt so cold, even hours later, and she had to fight the rising hysteria at the pressing darkness as night fell. Moving through the apartment, she turned on every light in an attempt to calm herself, forcing herself to stop and breathe, just standing in the center of the living room shaking and feeling utterly alone.
Making a decision, she grabbed her keys and quickly fled the apartment, letting her steps guide her in the direction of Owen’s place a few blocks away. Cold tears of rain started to fall before she had gone very far, drenching her through to the skin and she shivered violently as she started to run.
----------------------------------------------------
A frantic knocking at the door startled Owen out of his dark thoughts. He’d spent the evening slowly making his way through a bottle of whiskey after Jack had sent them all home, and he was fuming over Kayla’s leaving and Jack’s order to leave her alone. An earlier call to her cell phone had gone unanswered and it further fueled his bitter mood. He tried to ignore the knocking, not in the mood to speak to anyone, sure it was Gwen who had made it clear she had been willing to come home with him and “cheer him up”.
“Owen?”
His head snapped up, hearing Kayla from the other side of the door, her voice sounding desperate. He jumped up from his chair and hurried to the door, tearing it open. Her appearance shocked him as she stood in the hallway looking at him; soaked from the rain that had started falling steadily a short time ago, her hair tangled and wild, and her eyes red from crying.
Kayla felt like she was on the verge of hysteria, and she shivered violently from the cold. “Owen. I….I don’t know….I can’t…” she stammered and fell silent, looking at him desperately.
Next thing Owen knew he was shoved up against the wall of the entryway, grunting slightly as his back and head collided hard. Kayla pressed herself against him and pulled his head down to her, kissing him roughly and her fingers running through and tangling themselves into his hair. His mind took a second to catch up with the moment and wrapping an arm tight around her, his other hand fumbled to find the door and swing it shut. Breaking the kiss, Kayla breathed raggedly as she buried her face in the crook of his neck and sobbed.
Owen tightened his hold on her, his eyes closed and leaning his head against hers, whispering soft comforts to her. He could feel the dampness and cold seeping through his clothes from her and knew he had to get her out of her wet clothes and warmed up before she got sick. Her body trembled with the chill and she protested, clutching at his shirt, as he eased her away slightly.
“Easy, love,” he murmured in her ear and peeled the wet material of her jacket off her shoulders, pushing it down her arms. He disentangled her hands from the material of his shirt so he could push it the rest of the way off. His fingers ghosted over her hips, trailing along to find the hem of her shirt, pulling it up as his hands traveled along her sides. “Raise your arms,” he instructed her, and tugged it over her head and off when she lifted them. Dropping it to the floor, he pulled her back into his arms, rubbing his hands briskly over her back, trying to warm her - his stomach twisting into a sickening knot at the icy feel of her skin, so reminiscent of how she had felt as she lay dead in his arms.
He pulled away abruptly with tears stinging his eyes, seeking to hide the distress showing on his face. Voice rough with emotion, he told her to get her wet jeans and shoes off as he moved into the living room to grab the throw on the back of the couch. His hands were shaking as he picked up the blanket, and he paused to take a deep breath to steady himself.
Kayla’s numb fingers fumbled with the fastenings of her jeans as she toed off her shoes. Finally getting them undone, she slipped them down over her hips and off, leaving her bare except for her underwear and her teeth chattering with cold. The air on her bare skin was no better than the wet material of her clothes, but at least she hadn’t felt so exposed in her clothes. Wrapping her arms about herself, she moved hesitantly into the room and stopped a few feet behind Owen. Her hair dripped down her back, leaving trails like icicles along her skin.
Owen jumped slightly as she reached out and touched his shoulder, and he spun around to face her. Quickly wrapping the blanket around her shaking form, he pulled her close and wrapped himself around her seeking to warm her with his own body heat. An idea came to him and he turned their bodies so that the couch was behind her and guided her to sit down, reluctantly letting go of her.
“Where are you going?” she asked, clutching at his hand as he stepped away.
His heart constricted at the continued fear in her eyes. “I’ll be right back, kitten, I promise. Nobody and nothing can hurt you here.” Leaning down, he brushed a brief kiss across her lips and tucked the blanket more securely around her, giving her a reassuring smile.
She watched him stride across the room to the bathroom door before closing her eyes, focusing on her breathing and trying to calm down. A part of her felt foolish for the irrational panic that had come over her but she couldn’t shake the feeling, it had permeated her right down to her core. Hearing water running in the bathroom, she opened her eyes and looked towards it, wondering what Owen was doing. Climbing to her feet, she padded quietly over to the doorway and peeked in. “Owen?”
He was standing by the side of the large whirlpool tub, watching it fill with steaming water and apparently lost in thought. He looked up at the sound of her voice and held out a hand to her. “Come here, kitten.” Grasping her hand as she placed it in his, he pulled her into his arms gently, breathing a sigh of relief as he felt her relax slightly against him.
“What’s with the bath?”
“It’s for you; need to warm you up before you get sick from being out in the rain.”
“So, the cure for me being out in the rain and getting wet….is to put me in the bath and get me wet?” She smiled as he shook his head with a small laugh and squeezed her.
"Get in the bath," he ordered her gently, tipping her face up to kiss her before letting her go and heading for the bathroom door.
"Where are you going?"
"Just going to take care of your wet clothes. Be a good girl and take your bath." Hearing his cell phone ringing, Owen slipped out the door and closed it behind him. He crossed the living room to where it was lying by the chair he had been sitting in and picked it up, glancing at the caller ID before answering.
“Really, Jack, if the world isn’t ending, you can sod off. Really not a good time."
Jack’s voice was frantic on the other line. "Owen! She’s missing…she didn’t answer her phone, so Ianto and I went by her flat to check on her. We’re there now..."
"Jack...," Owen tried to cut in, moving to pick up Kayla’s clothes and carry them into the laundry room.
"The door was unlocked, all the lights were on…her purse and phone are still here…."
"Jack!"
"What?"
"If you’ll shut up for a bloody minute, I can tell you she’s here at my place."
Jack’s anger was palpable even over the phone. "What is she doing there? I thought I told you to leave her alone until she was ready to talk!"
"Then she’s obviously ready to talk, because she showed up here about a half hour ago." Throwing the clothes in the dryer, Owen started it up. "She looked like she had walked the entire way in the rain. She was soaked and freezing."
"Is she ok?"
"I’m taking care of her, Jack. You know, you aren’t the only one who cares about her."
Jack was silent on the other end for a moment. "Listen, I know I’ve been a bit of an ass about you and Kayla….."
Owen rolled his eyes. "That’s an understatement, but at the moment, we’ll have to take a rain check on the apologies. I have more important things to attend to. Was there anything else?”
“No, that was it. If she needs anything….,” Jack started to say.
“Then I’ll take care of it. She’ll be alright, Jack…I’m hanging up now.” Flipping the phone off, he made his way back through the apartment and tossed it on the couch as he headed for the bathroom. He tapped a couple of times on the door before poking his head in. “Everything ok in here?”
Kayla was sitting in the tub, hugging her knees to her chest, eyes closed and her head resting on them. He thought she was asleep as he sat on the edge of the tub and reached out a hand to lightly stroke his fingertips across her cheek. Opening her eyes, she looked up at him with a haunted expression. “Everything’s fine.” She turned her head away from him to look at the wall.
“You don’t look like you’re fine.” He cupped her cheek to turn her head to look back at him and she closed her eyes again, leaning into his touch. “What’s got you so scared?”
“It was……nothing….”
“Bollocks! It was something to rattle you so much!”
She sighed wearily and opened her eyes again. “That’s not what I meant, Owen. I can’t explain it…there was just nothing there but darkness. But there were…..things….in the darkness.” Tears slipped down her cheeks as her voice broke, and she brushed them away. “I don’t want to talk about it, not right now.”
“Kayla…”
“No, Owen, I just want to forget it.” Tugging on the front of his shirt, she pulled him closer to kiss him.
Bracing a hand on the opposite side of the tub, he kissed her slowly before pulling back and giving her a mischievous look. “Careful, kitten, you’ll pull me into the water.”
“Then maybe you should take your clothes off, just in case. Would be a shame to get them soaked - think of the mess.”
“Care to share your bath with me?” he asked, laughing as she tugged on his shirt again.
“Wondering when you’d think of that.” She gave him another kiss and then pushed him away, looking at him expectantly. “So what are you waiting for?”
Grinning at her, Owen stood up and stripped out of his clothes quickly, leaving them in a heap on the floor. She moved forward in the tub, looking at him almost shyly over her shoulder, to give him room as he stepped in and sank down into the water. Settled comfortably, his hands found her waist under the water and pulled her towards him so that she lay back against him.
“Better?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around her.
Running her hands along his arms to where his hands rested against her skin, she threaded her fingers through his. “Much better.” She was quiet for moment, a thoughtful look on her face. “Are you ok, Owen? I never asked that, but I saw your face when I…..woke up….on the pier….” Her voice trailed off as she turned her head to meet his eyes and saw the pain there.
“I was scared we lost you, kitten, that I’d lost you.” He took a shaky breath and tightened his hold on her. “I’m still scared. It’s what made me so angry when you walked away today, I didn’t want to let you go, afraid that if I let you go something would happen.”
“But nothing did happen, did it? I’m alive.” Guiding his hands, she pressed them flat against her abdomen. “You can feel me breathing.” She moved one his hands higher, bringing it to rest between her breasts. “You can feel my heart beating.” Tilting her head back, she met his lips as he leaned in to kiss her deeply.
Her wet skin felt like satin under his hands as he caressed her. “I don’t want to lose you, kitten,” his voice thick with emotion. “I won’t let anyone take you away from me.”
Pulling away from him, Kayla shifted her position in the bath so that she was kneeling, straddling his thighs. She took his face in her hands and looked at him seriously. “I’m not going anywhere, Owen.”
The possessive look in his eyes sent a small thrill down her spine as he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her tighter against him. Sliding his other hand around the back of her neck, he pulled her head down roughly, crushing his lips against hers in a kiss that left them both breathless. His fingers tangled in her hair and he pulled her head back sharply, her gasp of surprise turning into a low moan as he nibbled his way down the exposed column on her throat. “Mine,” came his low growl against her pulse point, and she cried out softly as he sank his teeth into her sensitive skin of her neck, marking her.
Her hands held on to his shoulders, nails digging in, as she arched against him while his tongue soothed her skin where he had bit her. A hand at the base of her spine encouraged her in rocking her hips against him, and she could feel him hard and demanding against her.
Owen lifted his head to look at her, his eyes blazing with need, and saw the same look mirrored in her eyes. It wasn’t a need for love or romance or gentleness. It was about a need to touch, raw physical closeness, to feel alive. He needed her now, as bad as she needed him. “Out of the tub,” he ordered her, his grin feral as he felt the shiver that raced through her at his command. He watched as she gracefully rose to her feet and stepped out of the tub, before quickly following her. Grabbing the towel she had picked up and tossing it aside, he backed her up against the door. His lips found hers, his tongue plunging into her mouth as his fingers dug into her hips hard enough to bruise. “Wrap your legs around me,” he demanded roughly against her lips as he lifted her.
Hooking her legs around his waist, she gripped his shoulders as she shivered with anticipation, responding to the raw passion she saw in his face. He angled her hips with his hands and thrust hard into her, making her cry out his name.
“Did I hurt you?” He fought to keep control, wanting to just lose himself in her, but needing to make sure she was ok.
“No,” she said raggedly. Her voice was pleading with him. “Don’t stop, please don’t stop.”
“Trust me, kitten, stopping is the last thing on my mind.” He drove into her again as he captured her lips in a searing kiss. The friction and heat drove them both wild as they moved frantically, all rational thought disappearing and the minutes melting into one another as they lost themselves in each other. The scream that tore from her lips as she came ripped through him and he exploded inside her, calling her name over and over as he tumbled over the edge.
His trembling legs about to give out, he turned so that his back was against the door and slid to sit on the floor her legs still wrapped around him and cradled in his arms. She clung to him as the aftershocks of their passion still ran through her, here eyes closed and head on his shoulder. She didn’t hear as he whispered ‘I love you’ into her hair, her mind sliding into unconsciousness.
----------------------------------------------------
She awoke some time later, her mind fuzzy with sleep. Owen’s breath was warm on the back of her neck, his breaths slow as he slept spooned against her back, and arm draped lazily across her stomach. Kayla realized they were in bed, although she didn’t remember how she had got there.
Staring into the darkness, she fought against tears as her mind wandered. She still hadn’t dealt with everything and knew she needed to. She turned in Owen’s embrace, rolling on to her back and turning her head to look at him. Her heart swelled with love for him, knowing he wanted to help her. She slipped out of his embrace and climbed out of bed, careful not to disturb him. Grabbing one of his shirts out of his dresser, she pulled it on and quietly went into the bathroom to retrieve her underwear.
She made her way through the living room and into the kitchen. Grabbing a glass from the counter, she got a drink of water and returned to the living room. Standing at the window, she watched the lights of the city in the early morning darkness, her mind whirling with thoughts. She needed to talk, and she needed to talk to someone who would understand what she had gone through. Spotting Owen’s phone on the couch, she picked it up and flipped through his dial list. Highlighting Jack’s name, she pressed send and put the phone to her ear. It rang a few times before she heard Jack answer, his voice tense.
“Owen, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“It’s not Owen, Jack, it’s me.”
“Are you ok, Kayla? Where are you?” His voice was heavy with concern.
“I am still at Owen’s place. Jack?” Her voice was hesitant.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I….I need someone to talk to.”
“Do you want me to come get you?”
“Please. I’d take a cab, but….”
“But you left everything behind when you ran out of your place today?” Jack’s sounded amused.
She gave a wry laugh. “Yeah, that I did. How’d you know?”
“Ianto and I went by to check on you, and you were gone but your door was unlocked and you hadn’t taken anything with you. Gave us quite a scare, Kayla.” Jack chuckled darkly. “Meet me outside? I’ll be there in the SUV in 15 minutes, heading out now.”
“See you in 15,” she agreed, and hung up the phone. Checking the laundry room quickly, she found her clothes in the dryer and quickly dressed. She returned his shirt to the bedroom, and stopped to watch him sleep for a moment before leaning down to brush a soft kiss across his temple, not wanting to wake him.
Hurrying quietly back into the living room, she found her shoes by the front door and slipped them on, wincing as they were still wet and cold. Borrowing a jacket from the hook by the door, she let herself out quietly and headed outside to wait for Jack in front of the building.
Characters: Owen Harper/OFC
Rating: NC-17
Warning(s): smut ahoy!
Spoiler(s): We've finally reached the end of the storyline of TKKS.
Summary: Being an med intern is never easy. Especially if you find yourself suddenly working for Torchwood. Throw in an unexpected romance and long lost family, and you have even more problems.
Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Torchwood and its associated characters and places and things. I wish I did, but I don't.
Author note: Yeah, I know, it took awhile for this chapter, but I hope you find it worth it. Thank you to to mrs_cj_harkness, bellasianna, and secbeth for being my beta's and sounding board for my wacked out ideas. Welcome to my new beta, my best friend pinktribechick who is slowly finding herself dragged into TW fandom by me. PLEASE read and review.....comments are love. And I promise to try and not make y'all wait so long for chapter 12!
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
CHAPTER 11
Kayla fought to keep her eyes open as she grew weaker. Panic raced through her veins as the minutes slipped by and the sky grew brighter with the rising sun. She knew it was only a matter of moments before it would be too late, and she struggled against the darkness pressing in on her.
“Owen….Jack….help me…..” echoed through her mind.
The car slid to a halt, the sea air hitting her her faintly as Suzie threw open the car door and stepped out hurriedly. She raced around the car and pulled Kayla’s door open, leaning in to haul her almost gently out and to her feet. “It's beautiful, Kayla. Can you see?” She pulled Kayla’s arm around her neck and wrapped her own arm around her waist and half dragging her, Suzie hurried down the pier as the SUV came barreling down the road. “We'll take the ferry; go out as far as we can. Keep on running ‘cause he won't hurt us. We'll keep on going, you and me...”
Suzie stumbled as Kayla’s body suddenly went slack, both of them falling to the ground. Car doors slamming and sound of running feet sent a flutter of panic through Suzie. She leaned over Kayla’s body and looked at her closely; unmoving and cold to the touch as she brushed hair back from Kayla’s cheek, she was almost sure the younger girl was gone.
“Can you hear me? Kayla?” she whispered to her almost sadly. “Poor Kayla Michaels.” She looked back to see Jack and Owen approaching at a dead run. Leaning down, she gave Kayla a farewell kiss. “Safe journey.” Rising quickly to her feet, she ran for the end of the pier.
Jack and Owen reached Kayla, Owen falling to his knees at her side and gathering her up into his arms, calling her name desperately. Torn between stopping to check her for himself and stopping Suzie, Jack ran past and drew his gun. Suzie stopped at the end of the pier and turned to face him.
“Let her go,” he ordered angrily.
Suzie’s smile was almost taunting. “I can't.”
“Let Kayla go!”
“I can't!”
“Owen, how is she?” Jack called back over his shoulder. Owen held Kayla’s body tightly, his hands shaking as he desperately checked for signs of life. “Owen! Report!”
Owen’s voice broke as he responded. “I think we're too late.”
“If I kill you, does she live?” Jack growled as he turned back to Suzie, aiming the gun (at her).
“But you can't, Jack! ‘cause look at me; I'm the last thing left of her - can't you see it, just the smallest bit of her?
Jack’s face was a mask of calm fury. “Not one bit.” The shot spun Suzie around as Jack fired, throwing her face first to the ground. A small kernel of hope blossomed in Jack’s chest. “Owen? Anything?”
“Nothing.” Owen pushed back Kayla’s hair, his stomach lurching at the feel of blood clotted in it. Unshed tears burned his eyes as he clutched her close, fighting back the panic as she remained cold and unmoving.
“But I broke the connection!” Soft, demented laughter pulled Jack’s attention back to Suzie and he stepped closer. “I killed you…..”
“Can't die…..” she whispered. Jack fired two more shots into her back, her body jerking at each impact, but still alive. “Never gonna die…..”
“How much more of this do you want?” Two more shots rang out.
“It's all your fault, Jack. You recruited me.” Suzie just rolled over on to her back, laughter spilling from her lips.
Understanding crossed Jack’s face, suddenly realizing what needed to be done and activating his comm. “The glove, Tosh! Destroy the glove! It's keeping them connected!”
----------------------------------------------------
Back at the hub, Tosh leapt up from her workstation, yelling for Ianto. Racing through the hub towards the armory, Ianto reached it first. Punching in the security code, he slipped through the doors as they opened and pulled one of the guns from its mount. Spinning round, he sent it flying through the air into Tosh’s waiting hands. She cocked it and took off towards the autopsy bay where the glove was laying.
----------------------------------------------------
“Captain, my Captain,” Suzie mocked as Jack took careful aim to put one last bullet through her heart and fired. “Do you want to know a secret?” Suzie continued to taunt Jack as crimson flowers of blood spread across her jacket. “There's something moving in the dark and it's coming, Jack Harkness. It's coming for you.”
----------------------------------------------------
Skidding to a halt at the entrance to the bay, Tosh took careful aim at the gleaming glove. Slowing her breathing, she gently pulled the trigger, the hub echoing with the crack of gunfire as the glove shattered into pieces.
----------------------------------------------------
It happened almost instantly. A barely noticed crackle in the air, and Suzie’s body jerked with a dying gasp. Kayla’s eyes flew open and she cried out, pulling in a ragged breath as she struggled against the arms holding her tightly as panic rose in her throat.
“It’s alright, I’ve got you,” Owen whispered, fighting to keep hold of her as she lashed out in fear.
Her voice was small and frightened. “Owen?”
“Yeah, kitten, it’s me. You’re safe now, everything’s going to be ok,” he told her soothingly. Her fingers twisted into the fabric of his jacket, clutching at him desperately as she broke down and sobbed. He rocked her gently, pressing his lips to her forehead and whispering comfortingly to her. Relief washed through him and he tightened his grip on her, curling his body around her protectively.
The sound of sirens filled the air as Jack stared down at the body of Suzie Costello one last time. He sighed; slipping his gun back into its holster before turning and walking slowly back towards where Owen was still on his knees with Kayla in his arms. Her sobs tore at his heart as he sank down to one knee at their side and laid a hand on her shoulder. Feeling her shivering from not only cold, but fear, he slipped his coat off. Owen noticed his movements and loosened his grip on her, leaning back so Jack could drape his coat over her. Shifting her in his arms, Owen pulled the coat around her before wrapping her in his arms again.
Kayla looked up as she felt the heavy fabric cover her. “Jack, I’m so sorry….I didn’t mean….we thought…,” she tried to explain; scared he would be angry with her, but her voice was weak with exhaustion and she fought to her keep her eyes open. Jack’s looked up to see the quickly approaching officers, and then turned to meet Owen’s questioning gaze.
“Get her out of here,” he ordered. “She doesn’t need to be badgered by the cops, I’ll handle them. Take the SUV; I’ll follow shortly in Gwen’s car.” Jack paused, perplexed for a moment, a moment of additional worry washing over him. “Where is Gwen?”
Kayla’s voice was soft as she slipped closer to exhausted slumber. “The hospital….Suzie left her there….Gwen tried to stop her and she hit her…knocked her unconscious…”
“I’ll get her on the way back.” Jack’s face was grim, nodding towards the SUV. “Go on. I’ll meet you back at the hub.” Pushing himself to his feet, he bent and lifted Kayla from Owen’s arms, hugging her tightly as the other man got quickly to his own feet. He reluctantly shifted her back to Owen’s waiting arms, and moved off to intercept the officers.
Owen brushed off the officers who tried to stop him as he hurried towards the SUV with a brisk comment about needing to get her medical attention and that it couldn’t wait. He murmured soothing words into her ear as he fumbled the passenger side door open and eased her gently onto the seat. Adjusting Jack’s coat around her, he buckled her in and leaned in to brush his lips over hers, noticing she had fallen into an uneasy slumber. Owen closed the door quietly and quickly ran around to the driver’s side, sliding into the seat and starting the vehicle. Throwing it into gear, he pulled out quickly onto the road and headed back towards the hub.
Kayla whimpered softly in her sleep, her face taking on a look of terror. Owen reached out and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “Nothing will harm you, kitten, you’re safe. I’m here.” Her body relaxed and the fear eased from her features as his voice reached her through the nightmare in her head.
----------------------------------------------------
Tosh and Ianto were waiting in the garage when the SUV pulled in. The strain was obvious on their faces as they hurried towards the vehicle with Ianto pushing a wheelchair. Hopping out as soon as he threw it in park, Owen met Ianto at the passenger side door, pulling it open.
Kayla opened her eyes and looked at all of them, smiling sleepily. “Hi,” she whispered.
“Hey kitten, you feel up to walking?” Owen was relieved to see that some of the color was returning to her cheeks. She had been so pale….so cold….he shook his head to chase the thoughts away. “Or do you want the wheelchair?”
She glanced at the wheelchair by the door, and shook her head frantically. “Walk, please - I can’t sit in that chair.” It was the same one they’d used for Suzie and the sight of it made terror creep its way up her body. Ianto noticed the way Kayla paled when she looked at the chair, and realizing the chair was disturbing her, quickly wheeled it out of her line of sight.
“Alright, kitten, just take it slowly.” Reaching in to undo her seatbelt, Owen lifted Jack’s coat from her. Ianto took it from his hands assessing the blood stains, mentally making a note to have it taken to the dry cleaners as soon as possible, as he stepped back to allow Owen to guide her out of the vehicle.
Kayla’s legs were shaky as she stepped out and Owen kept his hands on her hips to steady her. She pushed away from him and took a few steps. She looked around at the three of them; all tensed to grab her if she started to fall, and made an exasperated sound. “I’m not going to break into a million pieces, guys. I’m ok now.” Taking a deep breath to steady herself and hide her fear, she moved towards the door into the hub with Tosh following close behind her.
Ianto exchanged concerned looks with Owen. “She’s not ok.”
“I know. But she’s doing her damnedest to hide it.” Owen raked a shaky hand through his hair. “Have to give her credit; she’s stronger than a lot of people probably would be after something like this.”
“She’s going to have to face it eventually, Owen. And when she does….” Ianto’s voice trailed off.
“I know. We’re just going to have to watch her. When it finally all hits her, contrary to her belief, she is going to break. Maybe not into a million pieces, but she will break.”
“Are you ok?”
“At the moment, I don’t know. When we got there, I really thought we were too late.” Owen’s voice broke as he fought back tears. “I thought I’d lost her. And even now, she may be back, but I know she’s come back different - something changed her, something that is terrifying her even now.” Ianto silently laid a comforting hand on Owen’s shoulder. “We should go in. I want to check her over, make sure she’s physically ok. We’ll deal with the emotional and mental when the time comes.”
Owen headed for the door and hurried into the hub, Ianto trailing behind with a troubled look.
----------------------------------------------------
Kayla moved mechanically about the autopsy bay, straightening things for the 100th time that didn’t need straightening. She needed to keep moving and working, anything to keep from stopping and thinking. Her hands shook as she fought back the tears that were threatening. She knew the others were waiting for her to crack like a fragile piece of china after what had happened with Suzie. She could see it in the way they spoke to her and acted around her, watching her with worried eyes. Owen wouldn’t leave her alone, even following her when she went to wash the blood away after he examined her, insisting on being close by “in case she needed him”, Tosh talking to her almost non-stop, trying to distract her and Ianto fussing around her, trying to get her to eat or drink something.
The last straw was when Jack returned to the hub with Gwen. Gwen was looking like she had endured a very long session of being told off by Jack, and she turned away from everyone and headed straight for the locker room. Jack’s face made Kayla’s stomach feel like it was full of rocks. She could see the disappointment in her for what they had done mingled with the relief she was ok.
It was that look that made her surge out of the chair by Owen’s desk, shaking everyone off, snapping at them to leave her alone for awhile. Hell, she knew she was on the edge of losing it and breaking down, but she’d fight it off as long as she could and not show weakness.
She closed the instrument drawer and turned away from the table, freezing in place as it all hit her at once…..
Suzie’s words as she felt the last of her strength go and everything go dark.
“We'll take the ferry. Go out. As far as we can. Keep on running cos he won't hurt us. We'll keep on going, you and me ...”
The icy coldness as she passed into the darkened void, stark terror at what she could feel moving in that darkness and despair as she tried to fight her way back, clawing to remain living.
The sudden pain as she drew a burning breath into her lungs as her astral self slammed back into her earthly body, the momentary panic as she fought against the hands that were holding her until she realized it was only Owen, that he was holding her to keep her safe, the sickening feeling of the blood in her hair and coating down her neck where Suzie’s wounds had transferred to her as the glove drained her for the other woman’s desperate desire to live.
It all crashed into her in that moment and a sob half escaped her lips as she began to shake and the tears streaked down her cheeks. She distantly registered the sound of someone racing down the steps into the autopsy bay seconds before she felt a pair of warm hands grab her shoulders and turn her. She was enclosed in a pair of strong arms as she leaned into the person and let the tears flow freely, emptying her heart of the pain and fear.
“It’s alright, sweetheart, you’re ok,” a gentle voice whispered in her ear. “Let it out, kitten, I’ve got you.”
She raised her head to meet Owens eyes as he softly stroked her hair and he smiled at her, a genuine warm smile and not his usual sarcastic smirk, before tucking her head back down on to his shoulder. She heard the others come into the autopsy bay and felt Owen wave them and their questions away for now as he held her. He maneuvered her over to the steps and sat, pulling her down on to his lap. Running a hand slowly up and down her back as he held her, he leaned his head against hers and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Talk to me,” he said quietly.
“I can’t.” Her voice was muffled against his shoulder. A shiver rippled through her and he held her tighter. “I don’t want to even think about it.”
He tipped her chin up so that she was looking at him. “Listen to me; you have nothing to be afraid of. I won’t let anything hurt you!”
“There are some things you can’t protect me from,” she said cryptically, her eyes distant and sad. She pulled away from him and stood up. “I want to go home, I’m tired.”
He rose to his feet and moved to put an arm around her, frowning as she sidestepped him and went up the stairs. “Wait, I’ll take you. We’ll stop and get something eat, and then go home. Do you want to go to your flat?” He followed her up the stairs.
“No.”
“Then we’ll go to my place. What are you hungry for? Do you want...?” He paused as she turned back on the steps to face him, putting a hand on his chest to stop him.
“That’s not what I meant. I’m going home alone - I need time to think and sort out my head.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued, cutting him off. “Please, understand.” Turning quickly, she hurried the rest of the way up the stairs with him following along in her wake.
“You’re not going alone,” he told her angrily, grabbing her arm as she picked up her jacket.
“Let go of me, Owen!”
Jack came out of his office, drawn by the commotion. “What’s going on?”
“She thinks she’s leaving by herself.” Owen turned his head towards Jack, looking for help.
Looking at Kayla questioningly, Jack saw something hidden in her eyes that spoke volumes. “Are you feeling up to going by yourself?”
“Yes, I am.” She sighed wearily. “I just need time to come to terms with some things, on my own, Jack. And I can’t do that here with everyone hovering over me.”
“Owen, let her go.” He nodded at the grateful look she sent him as she pulled out of Owen’s grasp, and headed for the door. Jack and Owen glared angrily at each other as the sound of the heavy cog door rolling closed echoed through the room. “When she’s ready to talk, she’ll talk.”
“So you just let her go?” Owen spat at him.
“What was I supposed to do? Refuse to let her go?”
“Yes!”
“She wants to be alone, Owen. Is there any medical reason she shouldn’t be? Did you find something when you examined her when you got back?”
“No, she’s fine, other than exhaustion. But damn it, she shouldn’t be alone, Jack, she needs….”
Jack cut him off sternly. “What she needs is time. Give her space, Owen, and respect what she wants.” He watched as Owen stormed angrily back into the bay, and released a strained breath. He had a pretty good idea just exactly what it was Kayla needed to deal with at the moment. How many times had he been there before himself? But until she was ready to talk, he wouldn’t force her. And when she was ready to talk, he was pretty sure he would be the one she sought out.
----------------------------------------------------
Curled up in a chair by the window in her apartment, she lost track of time as the sky filled with clouds and twilight came on. Kayla had been sitting there, lost in thought, for hours, a long forgotten cup of tea sitting on the windowsill. Her phone had rung once, Owen's name on the caller ID, but she ignored it. Brushing away the tears staining her cheeks, she stood and began pacing back and forth in the dimly lit room.
How could she explain to the others what had happened to her in those few minutes that she had been dead? Everything she had believed about death and what came ‘after’ had been shattered. She still felt so cold, even hours later, and she had to fight the rising hysteria at the pressing darkness as night fell. Moving through the apartment, she turned on every light in an attempt to calm herself, forcing herself to stop and breathe, just standing in the center of the living room shaking and feeling utterly alone.
Making a decision, she grabbed her keys and quickly fled the apartment, letting her steps guide her in the direction of Owen’s place a few blocks away. Cold tears of rain started to fall before she had gone very far, drenching her through to the skin and she shivered violently as she started to run.
----------------------------------------------------
A frantic knocking at the door startled Owen out of his dark thoughts. He’d spent the evening slowly making his way through a bottle of whiskey after Jack had sent them all home, and he was fuming over Kayla’s leaving and Jack’s order to leave her alone. An earlier call to her cell phone had gone unanswered and it further fueled his bitter mood. He tried to ignore the knocking, not in the mood to speak to anyone, sure it was Gwen who had made it clear she had been willing to come home with him and “cheer him up”.
“Owen?”
His head snapped up, hearing Kayla from the other side of the door, her voice sounding desperate. He jumped up from his chair and hurried to the door, tearing it open. Her appearance shocked him as she stood in the hallway looking at him; soaked from the rain that had started falling steadily a short time ago, her hair tangled and wild, and her eyes red from crying.
Kayla felt like she was on the verge of hysteria, and she shivered violently from the cold. “Owen. I….I don’t know….I can’t…” she stammered and fell silent, looking at him desperately.
Next thing Owen knew he was shoved up against the wall of the entryway, grunting slightly as his back and head collided hard. Kayla pressed herself against him and pulled his head down to her, kissing him roughly and her fingers running through and tangling themselves into his hair. His mind took a second to catch up with the moment and wrapping an arm tight around her, his other hand fumbled to find the door and swing it shut. Breaking the kiss, Kayla breathed raggedly as she buried her face in the crook of his neck and sobbed.
Owen tightened his hold on her, his eyes closed and leaning his head against hers, whispering soft comforts to her. He could feel the dampness and cold seeping through his clothes from her and knew he had to get her out of her wet clothes and warmed up before she got sick. Her body trembled with the chill and she protested, clutching at his shirt, as he eased her away slightly.
“Easy, love,” he murmured in her ear and peeled the wet material of her jacket off her shoulders, pushing it down her arms. He disentangled her hands from the material of his shirt so he could push it the rest of the way off. His fingers ghosted over her hips, trailing along to find the hem of her shirt, pulling it up as his hands traveled along her sides. “Raise your arms,” he instructed her, and tugged it over her head and off when she lifted them. Dropping it to the floor, he pulled her back into his arms, rubbing his hands briskly over her back, trying to warm her - his stomach twisting into a sickening knot at the icy feel of her skin, so reminiscent of how she had felt as she lay dead in his arms.
He pulled away abruptly with tears stinging his eyes, seeking to hide the distress showing on his face. Voice rough with emotion, he told her to get her wet jeans and shoes off as he moved into the living room to grab the throw on the back of the couch. His hands were shaking as he picked up the blanket, and he paused to take a deep breath to steady himself.
Kayla’s numb fingers fumbled with the fastenings of her jeans as she toed off her shoes. Finally getting them undone, she slipped them down over her hips and off, leaving her bare except for her underwear and her teeth chattering with cold. The air on her bare skin was no better than the wet material of her clothes, but at least she hadn’t felt so exposed in her clothes. Wrapping her arms about herself, she moved hesitantly into the room and stopped a few feet behind Owen. Her hair dripped down her back, leaving trails like icicles along her skin.
Owen jumped slightly as she reached out and touched his shoulder, and he spun around to face her. Quickly wrapping the blanket around her shaking form, he pulled her close and wrapped himself around her seeking to warm her with his own body heat. An idea came to him and he turned their bodies so that the couch was behind her and guided her to sit down, reluctantly letting go of her.
“Where are you going?” she asked, clutching at his hand as he stepped away.
His heart constricted at the continued fear in her eyes. “I’ll be right back, kitten, I promise. Nobody and nothing can hurt you here.” Leaning down, he brushed a brief kiss across her lips and tucked the blanket more securely around her, giving her a reassuring smile.
She watched him stride across the room to the bathroom door before closing her eyes, focusing on her breathing and trying to calm down. A part of her felt foolish for the irrational panic that had come over her but she couldn’t shake the feeling, it had permeated her right down to her core. Hearing water running in the bathroom, she opened her eyes and looked towards it, wondering what Owen was doing. Climbing to her feet, she padded quietly over to the doorway and peeked in. “Owen?”
He was standing by the side of the large whirlpool tub, watching it fill with steaming water and apparently lost in thought. He looked up at the sound of her voice and held out a hand to her. “Come here, kitten.” Grasping her hand as she placed it in his, he pulled her into his arms gently, breathing a sigh of relief as he felt her relax slightly against him.
“What’s with the bath?”
“It’s for you; need to warm you up before you get sick from being out in the rain.”
“So, the cure for me being out in the rain and getting wet….is to put me in the bath and get me wet?” She smiled as he shook his head with a small laugh and squeezed her.
"Get in the bath," he ordered her gently, tipping her face up to kiss her before letting her go and heading for the bathroom door.
"Where are you going?"
"Just going to take care of your wet clothes. Be a good girl and take your bath." Hearing his cell phone ringing, Owen slipped out the door and closed it behind him. He crossed the living room to where it was lying by the chair he had been sitting in and picked it up, glancing at the caller ID before answering.
“Really, Jack, if the world isn’t ending, you can sod off. Really not a good time."
Jack’s voice was frantic on the other line. "Owen! She’s missing…she didn’t answer her phone, so Ianto and I went by her flat to check on her. We’re there now..."
"Jack...," Owen tried to cut in, moving to pick up Kayla’s clothes and carry them into the laundry room.
"The door was unlocked, all the lights were on…her purse and phone are still here…."
"Jack!"
"What?"
"If you’ll shut up for a bloody minute, I can tell you she’s here at my place."
Jack’s anger was palpable even over the phone. "What is she doing there? I thought I told you to leave her alone until she was ready to talk!"
"Then she’s obviously ready to talk, because she showed up here about a half hour ago." Throwing the clothes in the dryer, Owen started it up. "She looked like she had walked the entire way in the rain. She was soaked and freezing."
"Is she ok?"
"I’m taking care of her, Jack. You know, you aren’t the only one who cares about her."
Jack was silent on the other end for a moment. "Listen, I know I’ve been a bit of an ass about you and Kayla….."
Owen rolled his eyes. "That’s an understatement, but at the moment, we’ll have to take a rain check on the apologies. I have more important things to attend to. Was there anything else?”
“No, that was it. If she needs anything….,” Jack started to say.
“Then I’ll take care of it. She’ll be alright, Jack…I’m hanging up now.” Flipping the phone off, he made his way back through the apartment and tossed it on the couch as he headed for the bathroom. He tapped a couple of times on the door before poking his head in. “Everything ok in here?”
Kayla was sitting in the tub, hugging her knees to her chest, eyes closed and her head resting on them. He thought she was asleep as he sat on the edge of the tub and reached out a hand to lightly stroke his fingertips across her cheek. Opening her eyes, she looked up at him with a haunted expression. “Everything’s fine.” She turned her head away from him to look at the wall.
“You don’t look like you’re fine.” He cupped her cheek to turn her head to look back at him and she closed her eyes again, leaning into his touch. “What’s got you so scared?”
“It was……nothing….”
“Bollocks! It was something to rattle you so much!”
She sighed wearily and opened her eyes again. “That’s not what I meant, Owen. I can’t explain it…there was just nothing there but darkness. But there were…..things….in the darkness.” Tears slipped down her cheeks as her voice broke, and she brushed them away. “I don’t want to talk about it, not right now.”
“Kayla…”
“No, Owen, I just want to forget it.” Tugging on the front of his shirt, she pulled him closer to kiss him.
Bracing a hand on the opposite side of the tub, he kissed her slowly before pulling back and giving her a mischievous look. “Careful, kitten, you’ll pull me into the water.”
“Then maybe you should take your clothes off, just in case. Would be a shame to get them soaked - think of the mess.”
“Care to share your bath with me?” he asked, laughing as she tugged on his shirt again.
“Wondering when you’d think of that.” She gave him another kiss and then pushed him away, looking at him expectantly. “So what are you waiting for?”
Grinning at her, Owen stood up and stripped out of his clothes quickly, leaving them in a heap on the floor. She moved forward in the tub, looking at him almost shyly over her shoulder, to give him room as he stepped in and sank down into the water. Settled comfortably, his hands found her waist under the water and pulled her towards him so that she lay back against him.
“Better?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around her.
Running her hands along his arms to where his hands rested against her skin, she threaded her fingers through his. “Much better.” She was quiet for moment, a thoughtful look on her face. “Are you ok, Owen? I never asked that, but I saw your face when I…..woke up….on the pier….” Her voice trailed off as she turned her head to meet his eyes and saw the pain there.
“I was scared we lost you, kitten, that I’d lost you.” He took a shaky breath and tightened his hold on her. “I’m still scared. It’s what made me so angry when you walked away today, I didn’t want to let you go, afraid that if I let you go something would happen.”
“But nothing did happen, did it? I’m alive.” Guiding his hands, she pressed them flat against her abdomen. “You can feel me breathing.” She moved one his hands higher, bringing it to rest between her breasts. “You can feel my heart beating.” Tilting her head back, she met his lips as he leaned in to kiss her deeply.
Her wet skin felt like satin under his hands as he caressed her. “I don’t want to lose you, kitten,” his voice thick with emotion. “I won’t let anyone take you away from me.”
Pulling away from him, Kayla shifted her position in the bath so that she was kneeling, straddling his thighs. She took his face in her hands and looked at him seriously. “I’m not going anywhere, Owen.”
The possessive look in his eyes sent a small thrill down her spine as he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her tighter against him. Sliding his other hand around the back of her neck, he pulled her head down roughly, crushing his lips against hers in a kiss that left them both breathless. His fingers tangled in her hair and he pulled her head back sharply, her gasp of surprise turning into a low moan as he nibbled his way down the exposed column on her throat. “Mine,” came his low growl against her pulse point, and she cried out softly as he sank his teeth into her sensitive skin of her neck, marking her.
Her hands held on to his shoulders, nails digging in, as she arched against him while his tongue soothed her skin where he had bit her. A hand at the base of her spine encouraged her in rocking her hips against him, and she could feel him hard and demanding against her.
Owen lifted his head to look at her, his eyes blazing with need, and saw the same look mirrored in her eyes. It wasn’t a need for love or romance or gentleness. It was about a need to touch, raw physical closeness, to feel alive. He needed her now, as bad as she needed him. “Out of the tub,” he ordered her, his grin feral as he felt the shiver that raced through her at his command. He watched as she gracefully rose to her feet and stepped out of the tub, before quickly following her. Grabbing the towel she had picked up and tossing it aside, he backed her up against the door. His lips found hers, his tongue plunging into her mouth as his fingers dug into her hips hard enough to bruise. “Wrap your legs around me,” he demanded roughly against her lips as he lifted her.
Hooking her legs around his waist, she gripped his shoulders as she shivered with anticipation, responding to the raw passion she saw in his face. He angled her hips with his hands and thrust hard into her, making her cry out his name.
“Did I hurt you?” He fought to keep control, wanting to just lose himself in her, but needing to make sure she was ok.
“No,” she said raggedly. Her voice was pleading with him. “Don’t stop, please don’t stop.”
“Trust me, kitten, stopping is the last thing on my mind.” He drove into her again as he captured her lips in a searing kiss. The friction and heat drove them both wild as they moved frantically, all rational thought disappearing and the minutes melting into one another as they lost themselves in each other. The scream that tore from her lips as she came ripped through him and he exploded inside her, calling her name over and over as he tumbled over the edge.
His trembling legs about to give out, he turned so that his back was against the door and slid to sit on the floor her legs still wrapped around him and cradled in his arms. She clung to him as the aftershocks of their passion still ran through her, here eyes closed and head on his shoulder. She didn’t hear as he whispered ‘I love you’ into her hair, her mind sliding into unconsciousness.
----------------------------------------------------
She awoke some time later, her mind fuzzy with sleep. Owen’s breath was warm on the back of her neck, his breaths slow as he slept spooned against her back, and arm draped lazily across her stomach. Kayla realized they were in bed, although she didn’t remember how she had got there.
Staring into the darkness, she fought against tears as her mind wandered. She still hadn’t dealt with everything and knew she needed to. She turned in Owen’s embrace, rolling on to her back and turning her head to look at him. Her heart swelled with love for him, knowing he wanted to help her. She slipped out of his embrace and climbed out of bed, careful not to disturb him. Grabbing one of his shirts out of his dresser, she pulled it on and quietly went into the bathroom to retrieve her underwear.
She made her way through the living room and into the kitchen. Grabbing a glass from the counter, she got a drink of water and returned to the living room. Standing at the window, she watched the lights of the city in the early morning darkness, her mind whirling with thoughts. She needed to talk, and she needed to talk to someone who would understand what she had gone through. Spotting Owen’s phone on the couch, she picked it up and flipped through his dial list. Highlighting Jack’s name, she pressed send and put the phone to her ear. It rang a few times before she heard Jack answer, his voice tense.
“Owen, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“It’s not Owen, Jack, it’s me.”
“Are you ok, Kayla? Where are you?” His voice was heavy with concern.
“I am still at Owen’s place. Jack?” Her voice was hesitant.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I….I need someone to talk to.”
“Do you want me to come get you?”
“Please. I’d take a cab, but….”
“But you left everything behind when you ran out of your place today?” Jack’s sounded amused.
She gave a wry laugh. “Yeah, that I did. How’d you know?”
“Ianto and I went by to check on you, and you were gone but your door was unlocked and you hadn’t taken anything with you. Gave us quite a scare, Kayla.” Jack chuckled darkly. “Meet me outside? I’ll be there in the SUV in 15 minutes, heading out now.”
“See you in 15,” she agreed, and hung up the phone. Checking the laundry room quickly, she found her clothes in the dryer and quickly dressed. She returned his shirt to the bedroom, and stopped to watch him sleep for a moment before leaning down to brush a soft kiss across his temple, not wanting to wake him.
Hurrying quietly back into the living room, she found her shoes by the front door and slipped them on, wincing as they were still wet and cold. Borrowing a jacket from the hook by the door, she let herself out quietly and headed outside to wait for Jack in front of the building.