Pacifier

// Isabelle\\

I struggled to sleep that night, though i was exhausted. Id spent the best part of the evening wrapped up in johnnys jacket, bundled up on his lap, watching the scenery with my head on his shoulder. So still him and the rest of the room had presumed I was asleep.

"god look at her shes ever so sweet," skinny Marie who worked behind the bar had said when she came to sit down with the lads after close.

"aye shes a cutie," chuckled Larry, "int she mate," he'd nodded to Van who had simply blinked back at them as if waking from a dream and shot me a smirk no one else saw.

Perhaps it was another one of our little secrets now. Only he had noticed me still awake, only he knew that I was listening in.

"Yeah," he said with a smile, "shes a little darlin,"

I felt my cheeks tingling, dared to open my eyes once more, daring to hold his gaze when I saw his eyes lingering on mine with the fond beginnings of a smile on his lips.

"reet then," Johnnys sigh was so deep that I felt it in his chest and his ribs and it moved me. "On that note," he chuckled, "am gonna take her up," he yawned, standing slowly. I wrapped my legs around his waist, head lolling against him as he abandoned the bar in exchange for the stairs and then the stairs for my bedroom. "Tink wake up darlin," he yawned, "yous fell asleep downstairs," he carried on setting me down on the bed when I pretended to stir and return to life.

"Oh," i yawned rubbing my eyes, legs crossed as I watched him wander around my room looking for my pyjamas. "Bathroom," i said softly, offering him a small smile when he left to fetch them. "Johnny," i started when he returned. I had that slow tone, that dragged out sweetness entiwined within my words, he knew I was about to ask something he didn't want to answer.

"Yeah tink?" he asked, turning away as I began to get changed. I tugged my top off over my head as I spoke, my plaits getting caught in the neck hole making me giggle, a sleepy sort of giggle.

"What happened to Benji?" i asked, "is he gonna be alright?" when he turned back around i was sitting with my knees hugged to my chest, not will to settle down yet and Johnny could tell from the look in my eyes that I wouldn't lie down and sleep until he talked.

He let out a sigh, sat down on my bed and lay back against the headboard, offering me his chest and a warm embrace.

I crawled over, leant into him, watching the rain on the window outside, the flashing lights of sirens on their way to the West End.

"Blakes had to go out on some business..." he started, but that was too vague.

"You always say that," i stuck my bottom lip out, a pout which would probably have worked better on Van. "The strategy... Thats what you alwaysss say," i rolled my eyes, smirked when I saw him smirking.

"It was part of the strategy," he said, "Blakes went to pick the girls up, they've been working over with the Reids for awhile now, helping them revive their business..."

"Why would we want to help the Reids?" i frowned not realising that my question only drew his attention ti my lack of understanding, my immaturity.

"Its complicated Tink," he sighed playing with my hair, unplaiting it and platting it again. "and after the other night we decided to draw the girls out of there, cut off any ties we had to the Reids... So Blakes had to go pick them up, kick up a bit of a scene whilst Billy Reid was round here, show him we're still the ones in control you know..."

"Are we?" i asked chewing my cheek, a little nervous he'd say no. A little nervous I was about to find out something I'd rather not have known, but he just shook his head and threw me a smile.