Home?

[freshoffthefarm]

Annie had resisted the overwhelming urge to spend the next week at Clay's apartment just in case he came home. As six days, then seven passed, she honestly thought she was going to come out of her skin if he didn't call her. Every night, she lay awake in her own bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if, during that last week, something had gone horrendously wrong.

The night of the eighth day, Annie got ready for bed, throwing herself onto it in frustration, knowing that her dreams would be restless, if she even managed to fall asleep.

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[freshoffthefarm]

He was alive, he was talking, he was smiling, he was standing on her front porch, he was there and- He had on a brace?

Annie's smile slipped and she reached out to yank his bag from his good hand as she motioned to the ugly thing holding his wrist in place. "What's that? What'd you do? You only had a week left and you couldn't even keep yourself in one piece for a week?"

At least it wasn't a bullet hole.

[fakes-death.livejournal.com]

"It happened about five hours ago. I got my suitcase from baggage claim at the airport and sprained it."

And he felt like a giant idiot, as evidenced by the look on his face.

"Getting old sucks."

[freshoffthefarm]

The relief on her face was almost comical, but she couldn't help it. Dropping his bag, she used his good wrist to pull him close, then threw her arms around his neck. She was done with stupid banter.

"I love you."

[fakes-death.livejournal.com]

He hugged her close and tight with one arm and not so tight with the other, "Love you too."

[freshoffthefarm]

"It's bedtime," she said, nudging his bag with her foot. Giving him a smile, she said, "Four in the morning isn't an ideal return time."

Considering she'd done it to him, she had no room to talk.

[fakes-death.livejournal.com]

"Sounds good."

Bedtime sounded great actually. It would probably be the first night he didn't wake up with a nightmare in a month. He couldn't wait to get through the whole night.

[freshoffthefarm]

His whole night would be her three hours, but they would be the best three hours she'd have had in a month.

Fluffing her blankets while he got ready, she tried to steady her nerves and she kept peeking around the corner to make sure that the light was still on in the bathroom. It meant that he was really home and she could put her arms around him and feel him and hold him and touch him and he wasn't really hurt.

[fakes-death.livejournal.com]

Webb slid into bed after his usual before bed routine. There was an old bruise on his leg, almost healed.

"It's so nice to be home."

[freshoffthefarm]

"It's so nice to have you home," she said, automatically attaching herself to him before noticing the bruise. Running her fingertips over it lightly, she took a deep breath to steady herself. Without commenting on it directly, she lowered her head to his chest. "I don't know how you do it when I'm gone."

[fakes-death.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes, I don't know how I do it either."

Clay missed having her near him like this. Over the course of the last month he realized he missed this more than sex.

[freshoffthefarm]

"I missed listening to your heart," she whispered, once she'd been able to hear it for almost a minute. Her hand was on his stomach, idly tracing invisible lines and she felt herself tear up. "God, Clay. When you called, I almost didn't make it to the bathroom before I cried. It was so good to hear your voice."

[fakes-death.livejournal.com]

"I was very happy that you remembered my not all that secret, secret identity. It's a little like people not knowing Clark Kent is Superman because he wears a glasses."

The whole thing was an attempt to lighten the mood a little.

"Though if this ever happens again, which I hope to God it doesn't, I feel better about going out there again."

[freshoffthefarm]

"I'll admit, it took me a second to figure it out, but I got it." The anagram was clever, but she had a feeling that after a while, everyone would know. "And between you and me, I hope you don't go anymore, either."

[fakes-death.livejournal.com]

"I figured you would."

On both counts.

[freshoffthefarm]

"Please stay home from now on. If something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do. Probably hunt down people all over the planet for revenge."

Kidding? Eh, maybe only a little. A very little.

[fakes-death.livejournal.com]

"I plan to. I'm getting too old for fieldwork."

He had no doubt she would if it came down to it.

[freshoffthefarm]

"Remember that."

It seemed that her entire month had been running on some kind of reserve of adrenaline because now that he was there, she suddenly felt exhausted. Even though she felt that tired, she couldn't stop her hands from wandering.

[fakes-death.livejournal.com]

"I will."

He was, in all honesty, too tired to go much beyond Annie's wandering hands and kept his own hands to the clothed areas of her body.

[freshoffthefarm]

Annie was too tired to go beyond her wandering hands and, as the clock ticked past 4:15, she finally fell asleep to the sound she was most familiar with in the middle of the night - his heartbeat.

[fakes-death.livejournal.com]

Webb kept his arms around her, and watched her sleep for quite a while before falling asleep himself. Until tonight, he didn't realize how much about Annie he took for granted, even if it was just the way she fell asleep on him like this. He was completely wrapped up in her, more so he suspected, than she was in him.

He pushed the way that unnerved him out of his mind before dozing off himself.