The dimly lit hallway seemed to stretch on infinitely as Fallon struggled to find the way from which they came. It was a mistake not to pay attention to the path Jesse had taken from the living room. Just as it had been a mistake to fall into bed together after knowing why she had come tonight. Mistake after mistake had been made tonight until there were no mistakes left, just a miserable, silent goodbye.

Rushed footsteps echoed throughout the silent hall before his pleading words did, stopping her dead in her tracks. The crumbling walls guarding the remnants of her resolve and heart shattered and her eyes squeezed shut to forcibly deny the flood of tears threatening to spill over. This constant back and forth had to stop, a solid decision had to be made, and she had to stop being so bloody fickle. Both Lachlan and Jesse deserved more than this battle for her affections, they both deserved more than the feeling of not being enough.

Fallon finally turned to face him, her eyes wide and full of her every emotion. "Just stay." That statement had been uttered too many times throughout the past week, by her, by Lachlan, and now by Jesse. Only, she had pleaded with Jesse to stay when he had mentioned leaving. Not because of any rising passion, but because she couldn't bear to think of life without him. Jesse understood her in a way most would never be capable of. He took her frustrations and held them until she was able to process a quieter conversation. He supported and comforted her despite his own struggles. Jesse was, and would always be, the right choice.

"You have the worst bloody timing," Fallon admonished through her now freely flowing tears. It was all she could think to say, the only unspoken truth she hadn't yet offered tonight. Jesse had to know by now how deeply her feelings went for him, he had to realize what went unsaid throughout their evening. She crossed the distance between them in three quick strides, her arms wrapping tight around his middle without another second's hesitation. Fallon kept her nose burrowed into his chest, her tears staining the fabric of his shirt as they had a week ago. "Please, don't ever let me go again," she then mumbled into his chest.

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   Jesse Hatchitt

Jess honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried in earnest. Maybe when they’d lost Mercy and even then it had been in private. Now he was standing in the hallway of his brand new flat praying his roommate hadn’t come home while he was otherwise occupied, tears streaming silently down his cheeks when she finally stopped.

He fully expected her to yell at him, to keep going and never look back, to rage at him and tell him he was too late, that it was too little, he’d missed his shot. Each possibility far worse than what actually happened. She came charging back at him and he braced himself for the punch, the slap, whatever it was she had coming for him, he deserved, but the relief that flooded his body so thoroughly when she wrapped her arms around him was indescribable.

”I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight against him. He would spend every day of the rest of their lives making up for this, following through on his promise to make her happy. He released her only to lean back, hands sliding to frame her face and tip it up toward his. ”I will never make that mistake again, I promise.” He said, watery blue eyes imploring her to believe him.

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Jesse was crying. Never, not once in their relationship, had Fallon ever anticipated seeing him cry. Perhaps at a death of a family member or maybe even a brutal argument, but even those weren't the sort of tears she saw on his face now. She wanted to wipe them from his cheeks, banish them into the abyss like she thought their relationship was to be. Heartbroken streaks had no place on his beautiful face. Keeping one hand around him, Fallon reached up with the other and swiped the droplets away with the pad of her thumb. Her face was equally messy, she knew, but that was expected of her she felt. Especially as the realization of having to break with Lachlan sunk into her bones once more.

"I'm sorry, too," Fallon returned truthfully. Sorry for the heartbreak and the confusion, sorry for the pain she had caused. She was sorry for it all, really. Her hand remained pressing on his cheek and, for the first time that evening, a small smile graced her features. "And, I want it all, too. Every bit of it." Marriage, happiness, peace. It was all she dreamt of before Lachlan's confession. "Don't ask me tonight, but, when it's time, I promise I won't run for the hills again." The disastrous events of the night wasn't how she wished to remember a marriage proposal from him. Some memories had to be based in happiness, after all.

  

Blowing out a steadying breath, Jess managed to match her smile, sighing softly, ready for this to be well and truly over. He needed this back and forth to be over and done for good, but he couldn't articulate that to her now; she knew already.

They were a mess but it least they were a mess together. He would take it, every disagreement, every goodnight kiss, the good with the bad and everything in between, as long as they did it together from here on out. He had her ring in the drawer of his nightstand, right next to the matching necklace her found for her birthday; he would return the ring whenever she was ready for it. He'd contemplated destroying it but isn't been able to bring himself to do it and now he was thankful he hadn't.

Blue eyes sought her brown ones in the shadows of the hall, taking another moment to drink her in before leaning in to kiss her softly. "I love you." He whispered against her lips.

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In truth, Fallon was exhausted by the last week. Purely and utterly exhausted, compounded, once again, by a tumultuous evening and sex. It was as though she had endured constant sleepless nights in the Arctic once again. Her bones and head ached, her heart hurt. But, much like when she had finally seen Malou after the ordeal, Fallon could push past it all for a few more minutes of his company.

Her eyes fluttered shut as they kissed. Unlike their heavy, emotional ones of minutes prior, this kiss spoke freely of love and relief. It was brief, over before it truly began, but she was grateful to know that there were many more to come. "I love you, too." She whispered in return. "Could I stay with you tonight?" Merlin knew she wouldn't sleep better anywhere else.

  

The relief that flooded his body was something he couldn't articulate, nor would he even try, everything had been said, promises made and hopefully from here they could start to mend the heartache and cracks between them and he could do his best to help her heal from losing MacFusty. He hoped the other man might one day be able to resume their friendship, but knew it would be a long, long time. Jess would love her through it either way.

A genuine smile crept onto his tired features. He too was exhausted, though likely nowhere nearly as much as she was. "You read my mind." They would both sleep better curled up together, of that he was certain. Jess knew it would be a long time before they could spend every night together, but now that he had his own place, between them, they could swing it as often as they dared. He'd probably have to clue Kirke in at some point, but doubted his roommate would mind. Jess would do the same for him as it was none of his business.

Gently he brushed her hair from her face before he scooped her up in both arms easily, though not like before. With one arm tucked under her legs the other cradled her against him; Jess had been serious when he said he'd never make the mistake is letting her go again. Of course he would, in the morning, have to let go for a little while, but that was hours from now.

This trip to his room had an entirely different cadence to it, even as he kicked the door closed behind him, Jess headed for the bed. Gently he set her on the bed again, but this time left her there for a moment to look her over once more. "Want PJs? He chuckled quietly.

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   Fallon Gillespie

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Although she doubted he would refuse her request, Fallon was still visibly relieved when he accepted. Escaping without being caught by Kirke might prove to be a challenge (especially when she considered that she still didn't quite have the layout of his flat memorized just yet) but it was a challenge she was ready to accept. And if they got caught, well Fallon wouldn't care regardless. Kirke never seemed the type to share private gossip while in school, and she doubted Jesse would be friendly with someone who did.

She wrapped her arms around his neck once lifted into his arms, as she had no other way to help support her weight on him. At least when he had carried her to bed the first time she'd been able to somewhat hold onto him to better distribute her weight. Merlin, were his ribs fully healed yet? Surely, Jesse wouldn't torture himself with carrying her about if he was still suffering.

He couldn't be that much of masochist.

Before she had the opportunity to ask, Jesse had placed her on the edge of the bed. They had fought enough for the night already, Fallon wasn't about ti bring up a potentially tense topic when they were both so tired. "If you don't mind," she said with a slight flush. Fallon wasn't yet in the habit of sleeping in anything less than her worn out button down pajamas, eventually maybe, but not yet.

Glancing over towards his nightstand, Fallon stretched over and retrieved the first random item on top to transfigure into a brush. Her hair was likely an unruly mess and she couldn't go through another brushing as horrible as the one after her night with Lachlan.

  

Typically Jess didn't wear much of anything to bed, but he rather thought they were not there yet. Good thing he had a couple sets lying around that his mother insisted on. Moving across the room as she transfigured something, probably the quill he kept there, off his nightstand into a hairbrush, Jess made a mental to pick one up for her to keep at his place. Maybe some pajamas of her own too. He'd make a list... Later.

Retrieving the PJs from his wardrobe, ones she was likely to down in, Jess wasn't sure how modest she was about this, considering he'd already seen all of her, but he could easily excuse himself to the washroom or let her do the same if desired. Or he could... Enjoy the process a little. It could backfire in his face, but he was willing to take the risk.

Tossing his PJs to the bed, he threw the set for her over his shoulder to hang within easy reach. Gently he pulled her to her feet, hands sliding along her arms until he reached the buttons at the top of her shirt again. Slowly he undid them, chuckling now at the ones she'd missed and the fact they were off by one somehow. He kept his eyes on hers for a moment, a slight smirk on his lips as he reached the bottom, gently sliding the fabric from her shoulders. He had no intentions of pushing his luck like that right now, but he enjoyed these quiet, intimate moments too much to ever pass one by again.

They were only inches apart and he knew they be much closer once they crawled into bed again, but he couldn't help himself. Gently he pressed a kiss to her shoulder, marveling at the freckles he'd somehow missed last time. With one hand he pulled the pajama shirt from his shoulder, and swung it around behind her to pull it up and over her skin once more. The pants would probably fall right off her without some hasty fix, but the shirt itself already hit near her knees as he started to button it up.

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   Fallon Gillespie

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Making quick work of her hair, Fallon left it to hang loose down her back rather than her custom bun. The ribbon had been pulled from her hair and discarded sometime throughout their lovemaking, and while she certainly could summon it, she simply felt prettier with it down. How odd an idea to consider herself pretty after feeling so ... ordinary throughout her life. It was a welcome change.

She fully expected Jesse to toss her her set of pajamas and turn his back, or at the very least allow her the space to dress herself. Anything but the deeply intimate act of removing her clothes himself for the second time that evening. Despite wanting to kiss the smirk from his lips, Fallon just quietly rolled her eyes and aided him where she could, her arms moving naturally with his to allow for an easy transition. Were she not so bone weary she might've closed the distance between them before granting him the ability to button her shirt. They could've spent the night nude instead, waking to move together once more before drifting back into blissful sleep.

However, the exhaustion was too worthy an opponent tonight.

The shirt was longer on her than some of the chemises she used to have to wear were during her school days and the sleeves completely covered her hands. Fallon chuckled as she folded the cuffs back up so that she had free access to touch him. "Think I can forego the pants," Fallon added with a smirk of her own. Let him be tortured by her exposed skin for once, rather than the other way around.

Leaning in to kiss him softly, Fallon began undoing the buttons on his shirt, determined to return the favor. If her fingers touched more of his skin than they ought to have as they worked their way down, well he could hardly blame her for it.

  

She didn't deck him, but he didn't miss the roll of her eyes either. He rather enjoyed himself and he had the sneaking suspicion she did too. He knew she would much rather do for herself in most cases, but that had been too good to pass up.

He grinned into the kiss, moving to run his fingers through her freshly brushed hair as she worked at the buttons of his shirt. He hadn't gotten many of them done before chasing her out of the room. Now he easily shrugged out of it and let it fall to the floor without a second thought. He didn't need one.

"Good I'll wear them then." He laughed, after breaking the kiss. Brushing her hair off her shoulder once more, Jess made his way down her neck again with his fingertips, brushing her collarbone and down her torso to tug her pants down for the second time that night. This time it was to get ready for bed. This time. What he wouldn't give to her his hands on those legs again. Another night, when they weren't so emotionally and physically taxed.

Those fell to the floor to join the rest of the discarded clothes, but not before he took a moment to leisurely skim his fingers down her legs in the process. He quirked an eyebrow at her, curious to see what she'd do next. It all felt a little out of place in the context of the rest of the evening, this lighthearted teasing, but if they were really going to do this and do it right, he was starting right now.

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All the light, skimming touches were beginning to wind her up again, but the time for that had already concluded for the night. Tomorrow, maybe, or perhaps just a few hours from now so long as she got some sleep. Fallon would still have to go home before work, too. And write to Lachlan. Fuck, Lachlan.

The playfulness that came so naturally to them was put to a subtle end as she pulled Jesse's hand from her leg. She wasn't annoyed or frustrated by him taking advantage of the moment, though the smile dropping from her face might've said otherwise. Fallon couldn't fully enjoy these moments when somewhere in the Hebrides Lachlan was quietly waiting for her return, and that made her feel all the worse. "We should sleep," Fallon quietly murmured.

She sat back onto the bed opposite the side his nightstand occupied. It was a safe assumption in her mind that that would be his preferred side of the bed, though Fallon did raise a brow to confirm that she had chosen correctly.

  

Ah shit, he'd gone too far.

He immediately felt guilty about it and let her move away to change into his pajamas, following her to the bed shortly after. He was not picky about sides of the bed, having never really shared one consistently before, he didn't have a preference.

His answer to her choice was to simply climb into bed next to her. Another pillow went on his list of things to get. He settled in and waited for her to get comfortable. "I'm sorry," He whispered earnestly as he pulled her in close. He was exhausted but he knew sleep wouldn't come easy. Perhaps he'd been trying to distract himself from the inevitable thoughts that would plague them both tonight.

Hopefully he'd get a little sleep before work tomorrow, he only needed a couple hours and some coffee to function, but he hoped she would get some much needed rest.

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She settled in easily against him, having done this part enough times now for it to feel more like a routine than anything else. Granted, most of the times they cuddled together were while they were in hospital beds chatting away, but at least it had allowed them to get more comfortable with one another.

Her arm was draped over his side and her bare legs pressed into his. Despite not being comfortable with a round two, Fallon still refused most of the distance between them. Jesse's apology caught her off guard, though, and Fallon pulled back just enough to look up at him. "No more apologies tonight, okay?" Eventually, she would explain what happened with Lachlan to Jesse, and then she would need every bit of forgiveness. Tonight, though, she fully interned on sleeping in the safety of his arms.

Leaning up one last time, Fallon kissed him good night before burrowing back into his chest. Her exhaustion overcame her thoughts in the matter of minutes, her breaths leveling out into calm inhales and exhales.