GAME ON - GoM 2

10

Claire yawned her way into the kitchen next morning and found Thames cooking breakfast. His skin looked only like a bad sunburn, and he had a shadow of eyelids and eyebrows. By the smell, she could tell he'd been using her ointment. She was about to ask him what was he doing up by eight-thirty after all he'd done the night before. But then she recalled what Alex had explained to her. He didn't sleep anymore: he didn't need to. He didn't need to eat, either, but Alex had said that he'd gotten used to do it anyway, to keep from unsettling people around him.

"Good morning, child," he greeted her, turning a hotcake in the pan as if he'd worked his whole life at a diner's kitchen.

"Morning." She sat at the breakfast bar and watched him, smiling. So incongruent, that holy man, two-hundred years old, half-angel, with such amazing powers. And there he was, wearing an old white tee and jeans, barefoot in her kitchen, making hotcakes jump in the pan.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked.

"Great, thanks. What about you? How's your skin?"

"Good, on the mend. This is almost ready. You should call Tom."

"And you think he's gonna leave Al's side to have breakfast with us."

"Well, the three of us need to talk. So if he won't come join us, we can go have breakfast all over Alex."

"That should work." Thames winked at her and she giggled, to snort right away. "Jeez! Am I ever getting over these silly giggles!"

Tom was still sitting by Alex, holding her tight even though he was asleep too. But the soft click of the door woke him up.

Claire didn't need to say a word.

"I'll be there in a minute," he whispered.

And a minute later he joined them in the kitchen, wide awake. He sat down by Claire, asking, "What do we tell'er?"

"The truth."

Tom scowled at Thames. "You gotta be kidding."

Thames sat opposite them and attacked the hotcakes as if he were starving. "All we actually know is that Askaroth held her for a whole day," he said. "We also know he did something to control her, and then what happened in the clearing."

Tom growled under his breath, sipping his coffee.

"You mean she won't remember?" asked Claire.

Thames shook his head, his mouth full, and swallowed. "I removed the memories. It's not healthy for her, recalling what she's been through."

"So you know what Blake did to her," the girl said.

Tom turned to Thames, waiting for his answer.

"She's not the first of his captives I come across. So yes, I have a good idea." Thames met Claire's eyes. "That's why I'm telling you, child: keeping those memories would only drive her insane."

"She will try to remember."

"It would be like her, I know."

"So?"

"So what? Can you really tell her anything else?"

"I heard what Blake told you the other night, when he came to see you."

"And you're gonna believe a single word he said."

Claire sighed. She'd felt how much some of those words had gotten to Thames, but she wasn't sure why. However, she was sure Thames wouldn't answer any question about it.

Thames turned to Tom, who set his jaw and looked away.

"Good. Then that's it. Now I don't mean to brag, but try the hotcakes. I really excelled myself."

Claire was about to say something when they heard a soft shuffle in the living room. Tom was the first to run out of the kitchen. And he let the other two gawking at the doorway to hurry to Alex, who rubbed her eyes and yawned in the middle of the room.

"Alex! What're you doing? You gotta go back to bed!"

"What? I just got up," she muttered.

"At least go get dressed," said Claire.

Alex looked up with her trademark morning frown. "It's you, and Tom... You mean Gregory? Jeez, kiddo! Told you he's an angel. What would he care?"

Thames chuckled and patted Claire's shoulder. "C'mon, breakfast's waiting."

They went back to the kitchen and Tom tried to help Alex to walk. That made her frown again. "What is it, Tom? I wasn't supposed to be up yet?"

"No."

She smiled at him and Tom felt like a ton of rocks falling off his chest. Alex got a glimpse of the wet spark in his eyes, and that he watched her like trying to believe she was really standing there.

"I don't recall a damn thing about the last two days. But your face tells me there's quite a story to tell, right?"

Tom nodded, setting his jaw to fight back his tears. Just seeing Alex standing, awake, so fine and so... her.

She rested a hand on his chest and stood on her tiptoes. "But you ain't telling me a word about it until you kiss me," she whispered.

Tom's arm locked around her and she grabbed his face, to keep him from breaking a long, deep kiss.

"Let me have a bite and then I'm so gonna make you sweat, Mr. Sutton," she whispered by his lips.

Tom was too relieved to feel taken aback or embarrassed. Alex took his hand and tugged.

"Breakfast?"

Tom let a smile purse his lips and followed her to the kitchen. There, they found Thames and Claire had moved everything to the table and were trying all the syrups and jams they'd found on the hotcakes they're devouring.

"I thought you didn't need to eat," said Alex, sitting between Tom and her niece.

"He doesn't," Claire managed to reply, chewing.

Tom raised his eyebrows when he saw Alex try a hotcake. Her eyes widened and a heartbeat later she was wolfing them like the other two.

"Jesus Christ, Gregory! How the hell can you be such a cook?" she cried.

"Child, your mouth."

"Never better!"

After breakfast, Tom convinced Alex to go back to rest. She'd noticed that the other three tried to beat about the bush to ask her if she was really feeling fine. So she played nice and let Tom escort to her room. But she refused to get in bed all by herself.

"Look at you, Tom. You look like crap. So come sleep with me. Else, I'm getting dress and going to open the store."

Tom was forced to admit he was still exhausted. Especially because seeing her like that released him of the worst part of his worries, allowing his body to complain at will.

However, they didn't get to the sleep part right away, because Alex honored her promise to make Tom sweat. She soon noticed how careful Tom was and let him take the lead, giving in to his gentle touch and even gentler kisses. She felt like diving deep into what they were feeling, and let him wrap her up in his loving warmth. And once more she felt that he'd become such an important part of her life in any way she could think of, that only the thought of being away from him would be like dying inside.

As they lay together, entangled in one of those tight embraces she loved and needed so much, she realized she wasn't nearly done with him. It was Saturday. They had nothing to do, no place they needed to be. Claire and Thames had left long ago. So she rolled on top of him, her mouth against his skin, and enjoyed the sharp breath he drew when she slid down.