Home Sweet Home

[Marisol]

Marisol was stuck at the police precinct, and decided to send out some messages making sure everyone was okay. She sent a message to Cade.

Heya neighbor! I'm stuck at the precinct and safe - hoping you are okay. Stay in! It's insane out there. Be safe!

[Cade]

"That could be useful." Though he hoped that they didn't need it.

His wallet dinged with a few responses, and he was glad to see that Marisol was safe. "Marisol is safe, she's stuck at the precinct."

They continued to look and unpack. There wasn't a lot. He hadn't brought everything from home. At least not yet. His brother was still fickle. But he was here and this was family now. It felt right. But he still had family back home.

[Anna]

Anna helped him unpack. There wasn’t much so it didn’t take long. She took another look out the window. The snow was still piling up. She closed the curtain and plopped down on the couch. ”Alright! Work is done! Time for fun!” she smiled.

Truthfully, Anna wondered what he did when he wasn’t working or making her chili. God! That chili had been delicious! ”Tell me - what does doctor Reese do for fun?

Anna avoided asking him if he wanted to play doctor. It would make him uncomfortable. But she wouldn’t mind some snuggles, cuddles, or kisses. But she wanted to be respectful. She had promised to be respectful.

[Cade]

Cade sat down next to Anna and handed her the TV remote. "I don't have a lot of free time. It was studying, shifts, then hospitals and medication and then loss. There isn't a whole a lot of fun being had by Dr. Reese for a while. So you pick something to watch."

Cade put his arm on the back of the couch, a thing he'd done a thousand times before with his wife, his son. And he didn't think about what it meant that it didn't feel awkward. At least he tried not to think about it.

"What's your favorite show?"

[Anna]

Anna felt a little bad at that. She hadn’t meant to make him think of his wife and son. Not that she wanted him to not think about them. They were his family and were important to him. He should. She just hoped he wasn’t too upset.

”Sorry,” she said her voice compassionate, but she moved on quickly. ”Sounds like you could use some fun then.

Anna sat back, bringing her feet up onto the couch. Cade’s arm was behind her. She was beginning to think that he was growing more comfortable around her. That felt nice at least. She took the remote and began to scroll through things.

”I usually enjoy comedy. I like to laugh,” she said giving him a smile as she started to scroll through what he had.

She hummed to herself for a bit as she perused. Then smiled as she found one. ”This is an older show - about 30 years, but it’s a sitcom about some New York cops. It’s called Brooklyn 99. One of them is the spitting image of Marisol too! We can watch an episode and see if you like it. If not we can try something else.” she said, starting the episode. She put the remote on the table and wrapped her arms around her knees in comfort, not distress.

[Cade]

Cade grabbed a blanket and covered them both and nodded to hit play. "Sure. Let's go."

They started the show. It looked 30 years old -- nothing like today's showed. He didn't mind -- some of his favorite shows were old -- ones his dad watched.

Twenty minutes in, the lights flickered. Cade pulled out his wallet. "The infrastructure may not be able to hold up with this weather."

[Anna]

Anna moved closer to Cade only to make sure the blanket could cover them both. Yeah - that was the reason. They watched the show. No matter how many times she watched it, it could always make Anna laugh. It was one of her comfort shows for a reason.

Before the episode actually finished, the lights flickered. She took a gaze at Cade’s wallet as he looked at the weather. It was getting bad. Anna was a little bit scared, but tried not to show it. She stood up, moving to the sink and turning the faucets on to drip and opening the cabinets. Would be best to not let the pipes freeze.

She sat back down, covering herself with the blanket again, still feeling a bit scared. ”Not much we can do about it. Not really anymore than we have,” she grinned, an attempt to put on a brave face. ”We have candles, blankets, and magic. We’ll be okay.”

[Cade]

Cade nodded. "Nothing we can do." The lights were flickering, he hoped that the heat stayed on longer than than the lights might. None of it sounded like a whole lot of fun. He was pretty sure that heat was going out. Or it was nerves or something. But he pulled the blanket around him and huddled a little closer to Anna as the watched tv.

Maybe he should turn the oven on? No that would be bad. "I think the heat went out."

[Anna]

Cade was beginning to worry about the heat going out. Was it? She wasn’t so sure it was, but the lights were flickering. It wouldn’t be hard to assume that it might go out. Cade moved closer to her and drew the blankets around them more. She would be ready to channel more if need be.

Her wallet went off she pulled it out and checked the message from Hayden. She responded she was safe and they could use her room. There wasn’t much in there. It was temporary for Elyse. It sounded like the Kallisti gang had gathered there. She put her wallet on the table before wrapping herself back in their blanket.

They were touching. She could feel him next to her, and she could feel her desire building. Anna wanted to turn to him and press her lips against his - just a taste - and then a drink. She wanted to feel his arm wrap around her and pull her close. She wanted to feel his hands exploring her as she explored him.

But Anna had made a promise to respect his boundaries, and it was a promise more important than her desires. It was a promise of consent. She didn’t have permission and she wasn’t sure if asking would cross a boundary or not. So she held her desire in as she watched the show, ready to channel should the cold begin to settle.

”The Kallisti folks are settled in at Nox’s place. I’m ready to channel if it gets cold. Just want to save my energy. It can be draining to use the power.” she could tie the weaves off, but she wanted to be prepared for the long haul if needed.

[Cade]

Cade snuggled closer under the blankets without a second thought. He pulled the blanket close up around him. He didn't like the cold. The lights flickered again. The weight of the snow and ice on the lines must be making things bad.

The show was still on and he liked hearing Anna laugh. It made the apartment feel alive. He hoped they didn't lose power so they could continue watching the show but he could feel her warmth next to him and her body as she laughed. It was distracting and he still wasn't sure how he felt about the feelings. And as much as he liked Anna and was sure the sex could be good -- he could do with some good sex, but he didn't want it to be just that -- feeling good. It still felt too soon.

They were about to flip to the next episode when the power flickered once, then twice and then the third time it went out completely. "Well shit."