One year, but the pain is the same (Morry)

[Morrison Whelan]

If her eyes hadn’t shown so much, he didn’t think he would still be here. People that showed him only hardness and indifference earned little of his attention or sympathy; it meant that they didn’t want to change and he wouldn’t force them to. Lexy, on the other hand, was an open book to him, he could see everything she was thinking, at least the emotions that her thoughts brought up. So far, none of them had been positive and that worried him. She had to be miserable if she never found a source of joy in her life, he didn’t think he had seen her smile even once. Did she ever?

That look in her eyes was what pulled him to take a hold her cheek as he did, and wipe off those tears. Her skin had felt strangely hot beneath his hands, but he made no comment. He wanted to remain gentle and kind, even if that surprised her a little. He could tell by the way she stared at him, a hint of “What?” in her eyes. She could gaze at him as long as wanted like that he wouldn’t change how he was acting. On the surface, he was quite the arrogant ass, but not too far under that was someone who cared deeply about anyone and didn’t want to see them hurt. You just had to do the right thing to bring it out. Mercy’s sorrow had done that.

He expected his words to help her, to bring out some of the hope that she still had left. Apparently, it did the complete opposite. Her expression went from grief stricken to plain angry, almost hateful, though he didn’t feel it was all directed towards him. "It’s too late for that," Despite the quite tone of her voice, he heard the conviction in her voice. He now got the feeling that she had much, much more to tell before he could begin to understand why she was feeling as she was, but he wasn’t going to press for it now.

Unfortunately, her anger had stirred up a bit of his own; it wasn’t enough to move him to action, but it forced him to look down for a moment, holding his breath. When he looked back up at the girl, he let out his breath in a sigh and looked back into the girl’s eyes, clear concern showing in his eyes. Right then, he made up his mind that he would not become violent around her, no matter what. If he wanted to help her (which he was now only doing to help distract himself from his own problems) then it was essential that he kept a cool head; she reacted well to that.

Sliding his hands from their place still on the girl’s cheeks, he rested them on her shoulders, squeezing her skin softly. “I don’t think it’s too late,” Morrison stared at her a moment longer then glanced down at his lap, dropping his hands down, not much noticing that they had landed on Lexine’s knees, since she sat so close to him. “Anything else you want to talk about?” he asked quietly, his eyes shifting back up to look her in the face. For all he cared, she could keep talking as long as she wanted; it was a Saturday so he had no where to be. That might be problematic however, if he had thought of the priest still being around, but he had forgotten about him.

And what would it matter if Father Timothy anyway? The two weren’t doing anything ‘bad’, and Mercy had chose to walk around without clothes anyway, which Morrison honestly didn’t care much about. If the Father did show up again, then perhaps she could be convinced to go somewhere else with him. To her own house maybe so she could get new clothes? No, she wouldn’t be comfortable enough to let him know where she lived or be left completely alone with him. A shame really, he felt like he was actually starting to help.

[Lexine Sullivan]

The way he looked at her in concern was enough to make her move her head to the side so she didn't have to keep up the eye contact with him. She wasn't sure she liked people trying to get close to her since it was out of her comfort zone- not even Bert got that close to her, he had given up trying years ago and she was content with the working relationship the two of them had. It was simple. This wolf on the other hand was really not simple at all and she didn't like it. Ever since that day at the hospital she had been blurting out things she had never told another person before without really thinking about what she was doing and one day soon she was sure she would regret it.

It wasn't like these conversations seemed to be doing anything. Even mentioning what her brother had done hadn't relieved any of the pain or the burden she carried...it was still there and just as painful as ever. Lexi couldn't see why some people believed that talking and crying helped the soul- hers was damned for eternity anyway and this was not helping her. All she seemed to be doing was giving the male ammunition to use against her at a later date. Emotional blackmail. She couldn't allow that.

As his hands moved from her cheeks to her shoulders she tipped her head forwards, making sure she didn't make any eye contact with him again. Then as his hands dropped to her knees she stared at the offending appendages. Now this was certainly out of her comfort zone! She had had people touch her face and her shoulders but never her legs in such an...intimate way. The rough hands were pushing down on her at all and were rather quite gentle, and made her skin break into goosebumps. She was used to being handled roughly but not like this! A tinge of pink forced its way onto her cheeks, unbidden and very unwanted.

“I don’t think it’s too late,”

What would he know? All he knew was that her brother had hated her enough to destroy her life. Morrison didn't know that every day for the past year she had wished that she had been home that day so that she to could have lost her life. To have died with her parents and sister would have been better than what she was doing now. Doing drugs and fighting? Her father would have been so disappointed in her...even with his son being a monster. How could she ever tell anyone that all she wanted was to curl up and fall asleep and then not wake up again? And even if she did she couldn't explain how her will to live was nearly just as strong as her want to die, not letting her take the cowards way out. Instead she just kept fighting and causing trouble and it really didn't help...it made her feel worse than ever.

No. It was far too late. Her brother had ruined everything about her. She didn't even want to teach anymore. Teaching was something that was good and useful and was acceptable for a girl her age but he had made sure she was too bitter and twisted. He had ruined her reputation and made her the criminal- no parent would allow her to step foot near their kids! And once upon a time she had dreamed about finding a special someone and falling in love, having two point five children, a white fence and a pet but that dream had long since been shattered. Her faith in human kind was long diminished ished and she had never held anything but contempt for the supernaturals anyway so what hope was there? No. She was right in thinking that her life was beyond damned.

She just needed to make sure this man realised the truth as she saw it. How could he even attempt to tell her that things were not too late when she knew that they were? Even her most darkest of places in her heart and mind told her that she didn't have a cold but she would never admit it. /nor would she see a doctor. Lexi was more than willing to allow whatever it was to take over her. She would embrace it because it had to be better than the hell she was subjected to every day of her life.

She completely ignored his other question, keeping her head down so she could avoid his eyes. She needed to get away from here...needed to find somewhere where he wouldn't find her again.

She didn't want to be saved. Being forgiven was something she had needed and she had gained that but saved? No. She wanted to drown in her misery and choke on death.

[Morrison Whelan]

Why had Morrison thought that Lexine would be easier to break than anyone else had been? He had known she was stubborn and at least not too fond of him. For some reason, he like to think that they would all be like Meadhbh, those he helped, which was why he kept on doing it. The other wolf had been so quick to come along with him, but she had been in such a desperate state and lived in a time when people could still trust each other to a degree. And she had not been as hotheaded as most.

Mercy though, she was quite different. It was her pain that set her apart the most, that it was so fresh and that she could bottle it up so well and release it so easily but with little effect. People he usually helped were numb to the suffering and weren't at all willing to share, even if they were willing to take his advice. On top of all that, she was a human and he had no idea how that felt. He could guess, though it was never terribly helpful, as he seemed to find that humans, especially the younger ones, were so irrational. Part of his view could just be his age, but he couldn't change it.

Apparently, Lexine didn't want to speak anymore, didn't even want to look at him. With a soft sigh, out of pity and frustration, Morrison curled his fingers softly around the sides of his lower thighs, squeezing her skin softly. She was still so cold and he knew the lack of clothing and the tile floor she sat on weren't doing her any good. Hopefully her dress would be dry by now or very soon, he didn't think walking around in her underwear was doing much for her image of her dignity. She may not be ashamed to be without clothes, which was wonderful, though he had to guess that it made her feel more vulnerable than usual. He would try not to exploit that.

Thinking of what he could say, though not sure if he would actually come out with anything, the man lifted his hands from Mercy's legs. He then scooted a bit closer to her and pulled her again into his arms, hoping to warm her up and not caring if she wanted to be held; he wanted her to held. It was pretty much all he could do at the moment, thinking that the words he wished to say would do mostly harm and little good since it was all pretty negative. Morrison found himself past the point of using comfort to get into Lexine's head and he felt the urge to taunt her, to tell her how pathetic he thought her and what a waste she was, so on and so forth.

No, he wouldn't say any of that; Lexine had suffered enough grief, she didn't need him pissing her off. Ruffling her feathers, maybe, but not causing her any serious anger and distress.

After a minute or so, Morrison pulled away from the girl so that he could get to his feet. He thought it would be best if Lexine was all dressed by the time Father Timothy got back, so that would feel like the wolf got some sort of progress with Mercy, since he was sure the old human was thinking he would be good for the girl in some way. Oh, he sure hoped that old man was right.

Curling his toes to help stretch out his legs, he bent over to take a hold of the girl's wrist and pull her gently to her feet. "If you ever want to talk," he said, kindly, holding her in place. "I'll listen." With that, he let go of her and relaxed his shoulders, letting out a sigh and glancing away for a moment. "Well, I think it's about time you get your clothes back on." He tried to smile a little. "You can't exactly go out in public like this." The joke fell flat and so did his expression, fading until his lips curved downward. This was just not a good day to force yourself to look happy.

[Lexine Sullivan]

Had Lexi known that this was how she was going to be spend most of her night she would never have come. Of course,the simple fact she had even come to the graveyard was effort enough but to sit through all of this trying to act like she wasn't repulsed by her behavior was something she could have lived without. Lexi had always known one way or another she would end up back at this church but she had never envisioned herself being 'forgiven her sins'...or sitting in the middle of a kitchen floor for that matter.

It had taken every ounce of courage she actually had to come to the church in the first place. Bert had told her early on that he would be coming to pay his respects but she had ignored him, planning on staying at home. It was only when she was alone in her flat that she had felt the sudden urge to go. Why had she come here? It was only dredging up all of the pain and guilt of the past and making things worse- she was better off as she was, trying to forget it had ever happened. She was better off that way.

Unfortunately, fate seemed to have taken things into its own hands by throwing the wolf into her life again. She had told him that if he came near her again she would kill him and yet here she was sitting almost on his lap! Craving the touches he provided her yet hating them with her entire being at the same time. She should never have come out!

It was only a moment or so later that she was being helped to her feet by him and a small shiver ran through her as she moved. It was a lot colder than she had thought it. And she had forgotten that she had boiled the kettle...she would need to do it again.

"You can't exactly go out in public like this."

Why not? There was no law about walking about in your underwear...at least, she didn't think there was. Although it was probably for the best if she did put the dress back on, especially since she would be walking home and she would prefer to avoid the inevitable fights if she could help it. Not like it was her fault they thought they could get what they want. She just finished what they started that was all...but she really didn't need any more trouble at the moment, the cops were always keeping an eye out and she didn't want to get caught doing anything tonight of all nights. In a round about way she agreed with him. It wasn't a good idea to go outside like this.

Lexi pulled away and moved towards the kettle, flicking the switch so it would boil again before moving towards the doorway and disappeared through to the sitting room where the fire was starting to dwindle a little.

Reaching for her dress she pulled it on, wiggling a little as she did so before eying the fire critically. It needed a bit more wood...now where was it kept again? Looking around it didn't take much effort to find the small bin where she located a few more logs and these soon joined what was left in the fireplace. Stoking it she allowed the heat to rush up over her face and she closed her eyes with a soft sigh. It felt good to be warm again...or at least warmed by something natural- she would never get used to being touched and held by anyone and especially not a creature like him!

It was only when she was taking the tray with the tea things back to the kitchen that she realised that Father Timothy had been gone for some time. Surely it only took a few minutes to check that everything was locked and secure for the night?

Gnawing her lip she moved into the kitchen and placed the tray down, her eyes moving from the kettle, to Morrison, to the door and then back again in an agitated manner. Surely he should have been back by now? Thoughts ran through her mind and not good ones. What if something had happened to him in the graveyard? The wind was starting to pick up and she could hear it howling around the chimney causing the fire below it to stutter and quiver in reply. What if someone had attacked him? Come up behind him and coshed him over the head. What if?

What if she had suddenly lost another part of her past? One of the two people she had left that was a link to the family she had lost? No. She couldn't bear the thought.

She was halfway to the door before she realised it. Giving herself away entirely. Lexine Mercia Sullivan had a heart and it was crying out to be healed. She couldn't bear the thought of the two men in her life being hurt...and Morrison didn't count. Yet.

[Morrison Whelan]

Well, this was good. Lexine being all calm as she was, and quiet. He liked her like this, glad that wasn’t staring at him in the way that she had seemed to come accustomed to, with that look that suggested he had done her a great wrong. Now, she just looked a little warn, and in need of a hug, not that he hadn’t held her enough already. Though it was really nice to be able to have someone just rest in his arms, even if that someone carried some resentment toward him. As long as they didn’t act on those feelings, then everything as fine.

Morrison stepped back after the girl pulled away and leaned against the sink as he watched her move over to stove to turn it on and heat up the kettle again. He didn’t see why she was making more tea, there was plenty left on the table by the fire, though it was getting cold. It wasn’t as if he wanted any more, seeing as he hadn’t even finished half of his original cup, which was probably stone cold by now. Perhaps Father Timothy would enjoy some hot tea when he got back, whenever that would be. He should have been concerned that the priest wasn’t back by now, but he was just figuring that the man was letting them have their privacy for a while and would be back within the next few minutes at least.

Waiting for Mercy to finish getting dressed and doing whatever it was, probably cleaning up, the wolf let his eyes wander around the kitchen. It was nice enough, very cozy in the least, but it was cold. He couldn’t understand how the girl had been able to stand it in here without any clothes on, since he was chilly in his own outfit. His gaze shifted to the stove again and he stared at it a moment, longing for its warmth. He moved away from the sink then stepped over to the oven, holding out his hand and carefully placing it on the kettle. The metal underneath his hands was comfortably warm, not having enough time to get fully heated by the flame under it, and when he pressed his hands inside of his pants pockets to keep them heated, his fingers tingled slightly, glad to be out of the cold.

When Lexine was finally walking back into the kitchen, Morrison looked up at her, smiling softly until he noticed the worried expression on her face. She set the tray that she held down, glancing about her as if searching for something. It confused him at first but then she started toward the door and he understood that she was looking for the priest. “I’m sure Father Timothy’s alright,” he reassured her, moving over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. “He’s probably around here somewhere.” The wolf gently squeezed her shoulder then walked past her to go back to the front door, just to make sure that the old man wasn’t stuck outside in this weather; the rain was getting even worse.

Upon opening the door, he was greeted with a powerful gust of wind, making his breath catch for a second, before he was able to yell for the priest. There wasn’t any response, so he moved on out into the rain, letting himself get drenched. That’s when he noticed the form of the priest curled up on the ground. With a short burst of cursing, Morrison rushed over to the man and wasted no time in grabbing him up under the arms to pull him to his feet. Timothy reacted only a little to his touch, a questioning little groan leaving him, though his eyes were shut. As fast as he could with all of the man’s weight in his arms, he shuffled on back into the entrance way, kicking the door shut behind him with the aid of the wind, before hurrying into the front room again.

Morrison gently lowered the old man into a chair, careful to keep his head straight in case he’d injured it in some way. “Lexine,” he called, “get me some water.” After this, he turned back to Timothy, kneeling down beside him and placing his hands on either side of his neck. His pulse was there, very strong and regular; a good sign. He then ran his hand over the back on the priest’s head, checking for a wound and finding none. The old man was starting to come back now, his eyes opening slightly, Morrison noting that his pupils seemed to responding to the light normally. The cold must have gotten in, put him in a bit of shock, and he might be just a bit dehydrated. He couldn’t be sure just now though, he’d have to wait until the morning to see how well he slept. For Lexine’s sake, he hoped Father Timothy would be alright; she seemed to be so attached to him.

[Lexine Sullivan]

“I’m sure Father Timothy’s alright,”

Somehow his words did not seem to help her, although his touch was enough to stop her from running out of the house and into the night. She had a horrible feeling that something was wrong but then again, she always thought something was wrong...she was a pessimist afterall.

However, Morrison opening the door was enough to shock any thoughts out of her mind. The wind howled through the house and she shivered. It was getting worse. She could hear the faintest sounds of thunder although it was still some time away from hitting where they were but she didn't doubt that she was probably going to be stuck here for the night...there was no way she was going out in that if she could avoid it, besides she had to make sure Father was alright- she was not going to just leave him here alone!

Lexi didn't follow Morrison out, instead opting to make the fresh pot of tea but when the door slammed closed and Morrison shouted for water she just had to see what was going on. The sight that greeted her caused a small noise of horror to escape her. Her eyes widened slightly and her mouth opened slightly before she vanished back into the kitchen to get what had been asked of her, reappearing not long after with the water which she promptly handed to Morrison before crouching down next to the chair, taking one of the priest's hands with her own.

He was so cold! She dropped his hand and stood up once again, not content with simply sitting by and doing nothing.

"We need to get his things off..." She eyed the two men before she moved out of the room. She may not have any modesty but this was a priest! It would be a cold day in hell when she removed the clothes of a man of God! Instead she moved back to the stairs and her feet made only a soft thumping noise as she nimbly dashed up them to the room she only really guessed was his.

Opening the door she flicked the light on and looked about her with a frown. Where would he keep pajamas? Did priests even wear pajamas? Ignoring her shaking hands she stepped into the room and began to open drawers until she came across the correct one. "Forgive me." She muttered softly, not really knowing who she was talking to but since this also happened to be a certain underwear drawer she felt the need to proclaim her innocence in the matter. She quickly selected the warmest flannel set she could find and made a beeline to the stairs, pausing only to go back and grab the duvet from the bed. He would need to be kept warm.

By the time she was back down Morrison had completed his task and she silently handed him the articles of clothing, holding the duvet up slightly so she didn't have to see anything she really didn't need to....there was no way she was looking if she could help it...not matter how badly she wanted to help!

Just as she was ready to put the duvet over the male the lights cut out, a loud thundering roll of thunder splitting the silence between the three of them. Lexi couldn't help herself, her body automatically jumped of its own accord, but only because it had been so sudden and unexpected.

Fumbling slightly, she reached out for the arm of the chair before kneeling down and grasping the still cold hands of the priest. He was still out of it but at least he was getting a little warmer- she hoped there was nothing really wrong with him but who knew how long he had been out of it for? It was times like this she wished she knew how to help him better but apart from dressing wounds she was pretty useless at any form of first aid. She made a mental note to get one of those day courses done once she was back in her 'normal' life.

Sighing, she moved back onto her heels before shifting and crawling over to the fire. Although she had put wood on it not even ten minutes ago the rain coming down the chimney had been enough to out it almost out...meaning only embers were left and although they lit the room up only a little (enough for you not to trip over the furniture) the heat was rapidly disappearing and her body shuddered as the cold began to seep in. Opening the wood bin she confirmed what she had noticed earlier, there was nothing left in there meaning soon the heat and light would be extinguished completely.

Lexi turned to the wolf with a frown on her face.

"The weather is too bad for any of us to go out there..." Although she wouldn't shed a tear if he wanted to leave (good riddance if you asked her). She sneezed. "And I have no idea where he keeps the candles..." And yet, you would think he would have them everywhere! No matter. They were probably in a cupboard somewhere but since she couldn't see in the dark she wasn't about to go crashing about trying to find them- she could find herself up the stairs and back again all right but nowhere else.

[Morrison Whelan]

Morrison barely noticed Lexine until she was handing his a glass of water, which he took abruptly, but steadily to keep it from sloshing out all over the rug. Carefully tilting Timothy's head to the side, he lifted the cup to his lips, trying to coax him to open his mouth and swallow some of it. However, he had become unresponsive and his mouth was pressed shut in a pursed line. The wolf didn't like the thought of forcing his mouth open to make him drink, so he set the glass down at left it. He had wanted to get him some liquids, just as a precaution, but he was confident that the man would be fine until he came to enough to drink on his own.

"We need to get his things off..."

"Yah," he muttered shortly, quickly checking the man's pulse again before getting to his feet. Mercy made her way quickly out of the room, surely not caring for the man's nakedness. Morrison definitely understood this, especially with him being a man of faith, but he himself cared little about anyone's modesty. Honestly, he was actually intrigued by elderly bodies, not in any perverse way of course, the thought would even send shivers up his spine, but in the way that he couldn't understand how they could be so soft and fragile and still hold together. He would never understand it either.

Removing the man's damp clothing turned out to be quite a trying task. The cloth clung to him like cellophane, making it even more difficult to pull off when he had to fight against the human's weight and gravity at the same time. Eventually, he was able to get everything off the priest so he could start to dry off and he tossed the sopping wet clothes over by the dying fire.

Lexine came back just then, holding a large and comfortable looking blanket and a new set of clothes. Morrison took the clothes from her with a small mumbled thanks then knelt down in front of Timothy to start pulling on his pants. It was surprisingly much easier to get the pajamas on than it had been to get his robes off, but that was probably because he was finally drying off and well, there was less to put on him than had been taken off.

Sighing slightly with relief, the wolf stood back a bit so that Mercy could place her duvet down to keep the man warm. Then the lights went out. "Damn," he muttered, startled into cursing by the way the girl beside him had jumped, not by the actual disappearance of light. At least the fire was still on, though it was beginning to die down and they needed the warmth. In case they were out of fire wood, he started to think of things around them that they could burn, not that he wanted to burn any of the priest's things, it would just be in case of an emergency.

Now as Lexi went to check the fire herself, Morrison moved back to the priest, checking his forehead and making sure that was he wasn't developing a fever and tucking the duvet tighter around him, keeping in the heat.

"The weather is too bad for any of us to go out there..."

The wolf pondered this for a moment, regarding the girl's frown with a slightly worried look of his own. The wind was getting rather fierce, he could hear it rattling every inch of the house, and the rain beat down so hard it was like drums in his ears. A person would have to be crazy to go out in this weather. Morry thought of himself as that crazy, but he wasn't going to leave either way; he needed to look after two people now.

"And I have no idea where he keeps the candles..."

"I could go look for some," Morrison volunteered, straightening his back so he stood at his full height, "And make sure he doesn't get too hot." He looked at the old man for a moment. "If he does, just loosen the blanket a little bit." With that, he turned to leave the room and head back to the kitchen, thinking that this was the mostly likely place to keep candles and matches. It was good he was here, he supposed, at least at this moment, because he could see considerably better in the dark than Lexi could and she could be left to stumble around the house until she found light or the power came back on. He was also glad that he was there to help the priest, since it didn't seem that Mercy really knew what she could do for him. He was really just happy to help, especially when a situation couldn't possibly be his fault and all he could do was make it better.

For a few minutes, he fumbled about in the kitchen, opening then closing door in rows along the perimeter of the room. Finally, he got to the end of the cupboards and pulled open the door of the very bottom one to find a whole stash of candles, some old, new, scented or not. This man sure liked to keep candles. He lifted out as many of the new, unscented ones as he could hold in one arm and then looked into the drawer above that cupboard to find a book of matches. With all this in his arms, he went back to the front room where he placed all of the candles neatly on the coffee table before lighting three up, making it a bit easier to see, even if the light was inconsistent and wavering.

After checking Father Timothy's forehead again and finding it cool to the touch, he sat down on the chair across from him that he'd been resting in earlier that day, moving his wilted flowers out of the way so he wouldn't crush them. For a moment, he continued staring at the old human, rubbing his hands slowly together. He looked better now. "I'm sure he'll recover fast," Morrison said quietly, turning his eyes to Mercy and smiling, "it looks like he's got some mild hypothermia, but as long as he's kept warm and dry, he'll be fine."

[Lexine Sullivan]

Lexi watched Morrison leave the room and head towards the kitchen and she moved to her feet so she could move toward the priest, a frown on her face. It was getting too much to bear. All these people she was close to were getting ill or in trouble and she found herself to be the cause for it- afterall, if he hadn't invited them in he wouldn't have had to go outside again and they could have avoided all of this. She sighed and moved back away from him so she could perch into the chair across from him.

Rubbing her arms she eyed the fire with a deeper frown. It was starting to get cold and with no dry wood she wasn't sure what they were going to do. It was with a start that she realised that Morrison had gone outside in the rain and had gotten soaked through and yet had done nothing but help the priest instead of worrying about his own health- although she wasn't really sure if wolves could get colds. She made a mental note to find out about that, maybe she could introduce the flu virus or something and wipe them out...it was a thought.

She was distracted when he came back into the room and she turned to watch as he placed the candles onto the top of the coffee table before lighting a few of them. As the flickers of the candles lit the room she looked at the man for a moment or two, not really thinking anything but simply staring at him as he sat down in the other chair.

"it looks like he's got some mild hypothermia, but as long as he's kept warm and dry, he'll be fine."

Hypothermia? She might not know much about medical stuff but even she knew that it could get worse! What would have happened if they hadn't found him in time? They would have just left him to die out there alone...another shudder ran through her but this time it wasn't because of the cold. She couldn't bear the thought. She was glad that she wasn't alone in this, all she had known was to get him dry and warm but what would she had done if he had gotten worse?

She shook herself of the thoughts and stood up. Morrison had helped the priest with no thought for himself and for that she could let her prejudice slide, at least for tonight anyway. Bending slightly at the knees she picked up one of the spare unlit candles and held the wick towards one of the others before moving to the doorway. Pausing she turned to look at him. "You need to get out of your wet things...I'll see if there is anything you can use for tonight." She was moving before he could even object, bounding up the stairs quickly and quietly.

Biting her lip she looked around herself before deciding that Father Timothy would probably not mind if she borrowed his things for the other male and so moved to his room and fished around until she found a pair of pajama bottoms that looked like they would fit him (since he was bloody bigger than the priest was).

Peering into the spare room she managed to dig out another duvet and blanket and managed to juggle everything down stairs without dropping the candle or the bundle of things she was carrying.

Averting her eyes she moved into the living room once again and placed the candle back down onto the table before holding out the bottoms towards him, not daring to look at him. "Here, they might be a little small but its better than freezing." She didn't move until she felt him take the item off her and she turned her back to him and moved over to the sofa that they had all seemed to ignore up until now.

Settling down she spread the duvet about herself, tucking her legs up onto the sofa and making sure she was covered up before she finally dared to speak up again.

"It'll be warmer..." She gulped and started again. "It'll be warmer if we sit together." There. She had said it! It hadn't killed her but she was glad the candles didn't allow too much light since she could feel her face tinge pink. She pointedly turned her face away from him, trying hard to keep him from seeing the blush that just wouldn't leave her alone.

[Morrison Whelan]

Morrison was glad he could be there. Lexine may not have wanted his help earlier, but she should glad for it now; if he wasn't there Timothy might be in worse condition than he was now. Actually, he might not have even gotten caught out in the rain and all of this would have been avoided. At least he would recover from this; he wasn't too old so his body should be able to hold itself together. Yet, he was still concerned for Mercy, she looked tired and worried, and he sort of wished that she could be home, comfortable in drier clothes. He supposed there was no helping it tonight though, so they would have to deal.

Pulling his drenched shirt away from his chest so that it would dry a little bit, he watched Lexi get up to light up another candle. Where was she going off to again? She started to leave the room and then turned to look at him. "You need to get out of your wet things...I'll see if there is anything you can use for tonight." Morrison nodded in agreement and waited until she was out of the room to wrestle his wet shirt off. That felt so much better, his chest finally able to breath, but he was slightly uncomfortable. It just seemed wrong to be in priest's home without his clothes on, and sitting on his furniture like that too! He hoped that Lexi could find him something descent to wear or this was going to be very awkward.

Abandoning his bashfulness for the time, he stood to undo his jeans then kick them off before picking up his shirt and laying out both pieces of clothing next to the fireplace, though that wouldn't do much now since the fire was pretty much nonexistent. He stood for a moment, staring at one of the candles on the table, trying not to let his body succumb to cold, though his arms and legs had already broken out in goose-pimples. "Damn," he muttered, glancing down and rubbing one of his arms. He'd been hoping that he wouldn't have to take off his briefs, but they felt just as wet as his pants. "Sorry," he sighed, partly to the Father and to Mercy upstairs. He'd try to keep himself covered for her, it was bad enough that she pretty much hated him, and to be naked around her...

Oh well. Hearing the girl already starting down the stairs, he pulled off his underwear then kicked it off to the side so it was hidden partially under a chair. As she came into the room, her eyes darted away from him and after she'd placed the candle back, she held out a pair of pajama pants for him. "Here, they might be a little small but its better than freezing." He took the pants from her with a slight grin on his lips, finding that he was more amused by her embarrassment than he thought. So that neither would have to suffer his nudity much longer, he dipped to quickly pull on the pants, then stood, yanking at the waistband a bit to stretch it out and stop it from digging into his hips so much.

Morrison turned away from Lexi as she sat down on the couch to check on Timothy. His temperature was still down and his body was warming up well; he was doing just fine. Nodding softly, satisfied with the man's condition, he turned to sit back down on the chair that his coat was laying on when Lexi made him look at her. "It'll be warmer..." He lifted an eyebrow slightly, smiling a little. "It'll be warmer if we sit together." The wolf stared at her for a moment, then slowly walked over to the sofa and sat down next to her.

He pulled the duvet up so that could lay it over his lap and start warming up again. For a while, he gazed at the wall across from them with half-lidded eyes. Suddenly, he was really tired. It might be the candles, or the blanket, or Mercy, her breathing. He could have gone to sleep right then, despite it being only about 8 in the evening. He shook his head slightly then glanced over at the human beside him. "Great day, huh?" he muttered, tone dry with sarcasm.

[Lexine Sullivan]

Lexi had to keep the pink tinged blush on her cheeks from spreading down her neck and to her chest as she watched him move around the room before coming to sit next to her on the sofa and she was very glad when he pulled the duvet up to cover himself. Despite being very immodest about her own body, when it came to others she was a little prudish- perhaps it was because she had never seen anyone naked except for herself or maybe it was because she didn't have a clue what to do in these situations but whatever the reason having this man next to her practically naked set her blood on fire. And she really did not like it.

Why couldn't she have been stuck next to a red blooded human male? She had at least a small idea of what to do with them. She might not have had any experiences what so ever in the specifics but she had heard more often than not that men liked pretty girls...and the best way to defend yourself against them was to kick them where the sun chose not to shine. Somehow she doubted that would really be as affective towards Morrison (but she would give it a bloody good go!).

"Great day, huh?"

His words were dry and sarcastic and she had to stop herself from replying, forcing herself to look anywhere but him and eventually settling on the still unconscious from of the priest.

Today had to be up there on the worst days of her life list. First off simply because it was the anniversary of the...'incident' and then because she had to run into the wolf and then get stuck in this place with him! She could think of several other things she would rather be up to tonight and for a moment she fretted over the welfare of the cats she allowed in her flat- she hoped they had the sense to get inside before all of this rain had come down but since she hadn't seen any of them before leaving she could only hope they got in alright.

"Fantastic." She retorted eventually, still keeping her eyes away from his face. Just bloody fantastic. Her life just seemed to get worse and worse! Her body shuddered and the hacking cough from before forced its way up her throat, forcing her body to move forwards as she reached up with the one hand to cover her mouth and the other gripped at the duvet.

Ok. So she could admit that this was most certainly not a cold. And if it was it was a bloody irritating one that refused to leave her alone and seemed to get worse every time it happened. She pulled her hand away from her mouth and briefly inspected it but was glad to see no sign on the normal little blood splatter that seemed to happen every now and then. She supposed that was a good thing? She still refused to see a doctor about it...what would be the point?

She shivered and moved back again, curling up into a ball slightly as she tried to get warm. As she pulled her part of the duvet up she coughed again, causing her body to shake slightly. Never mind the blood...the coughs were beginning to hurt!

She officially felt lousy and completely blamed the weather for her sudden lapse back into this coughing fit. Thanks to being soaked through earlier she was still feeling a little damp and there was no way she was getting into the priest's clothes! Besides if she moved from her spot she would only be colder than what she was now. Bloody English weather! What she wouldn't do for some heating....She glared at the dieing embers of the fire as if it had done her a great injustice by going out on her.

But despite the chill seeping into her bones she absolutely refused to move any closer to the half naked male form sitting next to her. She was not going anywhere near him willingly again! The last time she had temporarily lost her marbles and had kissed his cheek and then ended up threatening his life thanks to his idiotic attempts at trying to stop her leaving the hospital.

[Morrison Whelan]

Thinking that Lexine wasn't going to respond to him, he closed his eyes again, leaning back into the sofa so his head fell back over its edge. Morrison would love to be home right now, talking with Iivan for a while over drinks before going to bed early, the sound of the thunder there to keep out all other annoying city sounds. Instead he had to be here, looking after some old man and a girl who really didn't want his help. And he didn't expect to be rid of them tomorrow either. At least they were a distraction from the mundane and he hoped that this Mercy girl wouldn't turn into another one of his projects.

"Fantastic."

The wolf lifted his head to look over at the girl then let it drop forward, his hair flopping in front of his face. She sounded miserable, and looked that way too, with her hair all tousled and uncombed and her black dress sort of limp. He sort of wanted to pull her over into a hug, but she had positioned herself in a way next to him that told him she was in no mood of being touched by her.

Even when she began to cough he restrained himself from trying to comfort her, only looking over at her with a worried expression. She needed to go to doctor, desperately. Jeena had been almost as concerned as him when he'd told him about the blood Mercy had coughed up. She'd said the girl might have a parasite or virus, or something else, though she wouldn't say what that 'something' else could be, perhaps because she didn't want to worry Morrison even more or because she thought that it was unlikely. The wolf liked to think that it was just a virus, since that could be cured with a few shots and rest, but he didn't think the girl would consent to even that minimal of treatment. He starting to wonder if whatever it was would get too out of hand before she got help for it. He hoped it wouldn't.

When she started coughing again, Morrison pulled the duvet away and got to his feet. He moved over to the other chair and picked up his jacket before walking back to the sofa then around the back of it. He shook the jacket off, making sure there was no more water on it, then draped it over Lexi's shoulders and tucked it between her and the couch. That should keep her warm. Sighing softly, crossing his arms over his suddenly freezing chest, he moved back to the front of the sofa. He dropped back down onto the cushions, pulling the blanket back over his legs.

Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. This turned out to be a very cold way to sit but he figured it would keep him awake, which he wanted to do to keep an eye on the priest and Lexi. He tilted his head to rest his cheek on his palm and looked over at the girl, watching her for a second. "You have any way to get home tomorrow?" he asked quietly. He hadn't seen any other cars when he'd parked, so she either lived very close by or she'd taken a bus. And if it were neither of those, then he would like to drive her home, though he was sure she wouldn't accept a ride from him.

[Lexine Sullivan]

Lexi had been surprised when Morrison stood and retrieved his jacket and for a moment she honestly thought that he was getting it to wrap around his own body since he had even less on than her but when he moved to put it around her shoulders she turned wide eyes onto him, shock evident in the brown depths. Ok, so he wasn't selfish...or not completely anyway... She could live with that but she wasn't sure if she could live with him being cold for her sake. Which was why she was half way through taking the thing off when he spoke to her. She hadn't even noticed he had sat down!

"You have any way to get home tomorrow?"

"Um," She started off rather eloquently, having not expected him to ask her such a thing and also because she had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts. Actually, it was a really good question. How was she planning on getting home in the morning? she had walked here tonight simply because she had wanted to be alone despite Bert offering her a lift several times over the course of the day and because she couldn't have been here with him at the same time..the pain was still too fresh and she had wanted to grieve by herself.

"I have work in the morning, I'll probably head straight there." She turned her head slightly to look at Father Timothy before she changed her mind about what she was going to do. She wasn't about to leave him on his own until she was sure he was alright, even if that meant she had to call out a doctor to come see him. She could afford it and besides, she only hated doctors when it came to herself.

"But not until I call a doctor for Father Timothy. I won't leave until I know its alright to do so." She coughed again and winced, her throat feeling a little raw because of it.

finally she moved again and took his jacket off her own shoulders and shuffled along the sofa until she was right next to him and moved it over his own. "You need this more than I do." She told him, her own body covered in goosebumps but she could live with that, it was warm enough under the duvet anyway.

She moved away slightly, but only a little as she debated over what she was going to do next. Having already thrown most of her ideals out for the evening regarding his kind she wasn't sure what she could do now...well, she could but she didn't want to do it. There was a limit even to herself afterall and she wasn't sure if she could stomach the thought!

Her eyes flicked to the side as she stared at him for a moment or two as she debated over what it was she was going to do exactly. The room almost seemed to get colder and outside the wind was still howling and the rain coming down in thick sheets of water. The room lit up briefly as lightening flashed, followed just as quickly with bellowing claps of thunder. It was rather perfect weather really... perfect to describe how she felt about this particular date.

With a heavy sigh she let go of what was holding her back and twisted her body so she could reach out and push him backwards so he was resting against the sofa instead of leaning away from it. She really didn't know what was possessing her to do this but they were both cold and unlike Father Timothy didn't have the luxury of warm flannel pajamas. Once he was in the right position for her she moved so she could curl into his side.

Moving one arm over his waist, her fingers trailing over his cold skin, the other moved to pull the duvet up to cover as much of their bodies as possible without actually covering their heads at the same time.

"Don't move," She ordered as she rested her head on his shoulder, feeling warmer already. This is what they did in the snow wasn't it? Sharing body heat? Or maybe deep down she wanted to get closer to this male, despite the fact it went against everything she had ever stood for- once upon a time she would have never stepped foot in the same room as a wolf let alone curl up next to him so he could warm up!

[Morrison Whelan]

That look on Lexine's face made Morrison smile, he couldn't help it. Maybe he was finally getting through to her and she was realizing that he wasn't all that bad. He was willing to give up his own warmth just for her comfort, wasn't that nice of him? Actually, it was very nice of him, he could just feel himself start to shiver now that he was completely exposed to the cold air. Why didn't this old man have heat in his house? It was freezing! Perhaps he was just tougher than he gave him credit for.

"Um..." Morry just stared at the girl, eyes a little tired and droopy, able to tell that she hadn't thought that far in advance herself. "I have work in the morning, I'll probably head straight there."

The wolf softly lifted his eyebrows at this. After all she'd gone through tonight and she could just hop on down to work like nothing was wrong. She was at least still concerned for the priest wasn't she? He was getting ready to suggest that she stay a little while in the morning to keep a look after Father Timothy when she said that she would call the man a doctor and wait for him to be declared absolutely fine before she left.

Then she started coughing and Morry had a hard time keeping himself from suggesting that she get a doctor of her own. Eventually, he would get her to see someone, hopefully Jeena so that Mercy's case would get priority, and he didn't care how long it would take him. Well, he did... He would be crushed if this thing killed her before anyone was even sure of what it was.

Trying his best to not think of someone else in his life dying, he stretched out a hand and patted her lightly on the back then pulled back when she turned to him again. "You need this more than I do."

"No, I'm alright," he lied, but she'd already shuffled over to him and was in the process of of draping the jacket over his own shoulders. "Thanks," he then muttered, reaching up to pull the jacket closer around his neck then relaxing forward again.

Though he could feel Lexine's eyes on him, Morrison turned his head away from her, letting his eyes drift shut. The sound of the rain pounding on the house and the occasional thunder clap made him feel so tired, yet calm, it didn't help however that the edge of cold remained, reminding him that he wasn't at home, warm on the sofa. He supposed this was for the best, then he could stay awake and not leave Lexi feeling alone.

After a minute, he felt the girl's hand press against his chest and he took a deep breath, opening his eyes and looking at her with slight surprise. Yet, he let her push him back into the couch without protest, falling rather limply into the cushions and relaxing into them. As Mercy moved closer, he lifted one of his arms so that she would have something more comfortable than his elbow to lay against and once she had settled herself, an arm curled about his waist, he dropped the arm around her, making sure to keep his hand from resting on her hip.

Morrison shifted a little to keep himself from cramping up after staying in the position for a long time and stopped moving once the girl rested her head on his shoulder, even before she told him
"Don't move."

"Will do," he muttered, letting his head fall to the side so that his chin was resting lightly on top of the girl's head, finding this to be the least awkward position for him. Lexine's change in heart toward him was really confusing him, but he wasn't going to question it, enjoying this more cuddly side of her over the defensive one. Even her crying into his neck was better than that. Though this was the best so far, since she was letting her guard so much around him. It showed him that she was quickly coming to trust him. Perhaps that getting her to a doctor thing could happen faster if he didn't do anything to scar her opinion of him.

Feeling a yawn pull at his lips, Morrison lifted his head and turned it away as his jaw stretched to take a deep breath then relax back into place. He lifted his free hand to rub his eyes before tucking it back under the duvet, finding it much, much warmer under there. Too warm in fact, he didn't have the cold to keep him so awake and he feared he'd drift off without even noticing. Just to make it a bit difficult to fall asleep, he forced himself not to put his back down, instead keeping it straight and staring at the wall across from him.

[Lexine Sullivan]

Morrison's reluctance to settle reminded Lexi of herself. It was like he thought falling asleep was one of the worst things to do in this situation and she supposed it was in some ways but at the same time they both needed sleep and he couldn't hold out forever. She herself was a little tired but since she was used to being awake in all manner of hours it didn't really bother her too much...she could get a few hours sleep and be perfectly rested for the next day.

However, she was craving a fag and since she hadn't any with her was forced to nibble on her lip instead- not that it would have made any difference if she had brought any thanks to the rain ruining everything. She raised her free hand that wasn't really doing much of anything other than resting on her leg and moved her thumb to her mouth so she could bite lightly on her nail without actually ruining it in any way but simply so she could have something in her mouth.

She frowned around her thumb however as he refused to lower his back down to the sofa and she had the right mind to tell him to stop it and relax already but then again if it had been her she would never relax! but she guessed she was just tired, both emotionally and physically since she was much more docile than normal.

As he yawned she had to say something and shifted so she could look at him, a frown marring her face. "Lie down," She muttered as she shifted again, trying to get comfortable before resting her head on his shoulder once again, her thumb nail still in her mouth before she eventually moved it back down and began to nibble on her lip again.

It wasn't long however before she let out a small noise of annoyance as the familiar tang of blood seeped into her mouth. Bleugh. She ran her thumb over her lip and glared at the offending red substance that seeped from the cut she had maneged to giver herself. This wouldn't have happened if she had some nicotine! "Damn." The tip of her tongue poked out and ran along her lip as she tried to stem the blood flow. It wasn't bad she guessed but it stung.

She needed a new habit for when she had nothing to smoke. She was going to end up with a scar on her lips at this rate and since she had more than her fair share it was something she wished to avoid....bugger it all! She sat up and licked her thumb clean since she didn't really want to get up and stumble towards the bathroom or kitchen to wash it clean (besides the water would probably be freezing).

Still sucking her lip to stop the blood running down her chin she yawned, stretched and moved her hands up to her hair so she could run her fingers through the tousled locks, trying to put some order back into her hair but failing miserably and only ending up with making it do everywhere instead of straight. Curls were all well and good when she had a brush to sort them out!

She wished the lights would come back on but she guessed it was going to be an all night thing since the weather showed no signs of letting up and she guessed that there was a fallen line somewhere which meant it wouldn't be coming back on at all for some time until it was fixed. What she wouldn't do to be back home! Thanks to the garage below her flat she had an extra generator for things like this unlike the priest who was obviously trying to cling onto the 'old ways' of human life. She wanted a shower or a bath and a good movie or something! Instead she was stuck here at a place she had never wanted to come back to!

Her eyes cracked open slightly as she looked at him from the corner of her eyes. Well, he might be a wolf but at least he was cute...she wouldn't have been able to stand being stuck in a place like this with someone...undesirable.

[Morrison Whelan]

Morrison was only slightly aware of Lexine’s own restlessness, feeling the movement of her arm and the side of her jaw as it rested on his shoulder. He was just more concerned with his own self. Most of it was just trying to stay awake, especially feeling as comfortable as he was with the warmth around him. The only thing that was really keeping him awake was the dampness that Mercy’s not quite dry dress was pressing onto his chest and his nose was so cold. He wanted to rub his fingers over it, but then his hand would get cold and he didn’t think that would be worth it. He had to settle for sitting there stiffly and staring at the wall, face feeling freezing.

"Lie down,"

Blinking, he looked down at the girl, catching sight of her slightly irritated expression, then made a soft grunt of agreement and slid onto his back, propping his head up on the arm of the sofa, a small pillow under his head. With little time to adjust himself, he found that Lexi laying half on him made him very uncomfortable, but he didn’t say anything, supposing that they wouldn’t be staying there that long. She seemed to be very fidgety all of a sudden and he couldn’t imagine that she’d be able to stay in one position for long.

It turned out that he was right as she soon let out an annoyed curse and sat up, rubbing her fingers over her lip. He could smell fresh blood on her. There wasn’t much of it, but it was at least enough to make him perk up and lift himself onto his elbows to get a look at what she was doing. By the looks of it, she’d been nibbling on her lip for whatever reason. He thought back to the day he’d met her and remembered that she’d been smoking then. That had to be it, since he hadn’t seen her with a cigarette once in the past few hours, so now she would need something else to distract herself from the want of nicotine, and apparently that something would be chewing on herself.

For a little while, he simply stared up at her, regretting having moved from his space under the blanket to look at her, but being more concerned that she had seriously hurt her lip (and being partly attracted to that new smell) he was alright with his chest getting cold again. Finally, he found that he couldn’t stand just laying there and sat up beside her, locking eyes with her as she glanced over at him. Morrison shot her a slight smile then pressed his thumb into his mouth, wetting it with saliva as best he could. He then reached over and wiped the finger carefully over Lexine’s bleeding lip, able to get at it now that she’d started to leave it alone. Even he recognized this as a little weird, but he thought she’d be less bothered without a cut lip and he’d come to realize that werewolf spit did have its healing properties, so, naturally, he’d come to that conclusion. He could have kissed her and accomplished the same thing, yet he was almost sure that she would not be too willing to kiss him and if he accidentally tasted some of that fresh blood…

Which he did end up doing, licking off his thumb without thinking, just wanting to get it clean before wiping it dry on his jacket. At first, it had tasted as good as the blood of any other human’s, however, the taste changed and he almost threw up in his mouth a little. He made sure that this didn’t show on his face, nor did he let his lips slip open and tell Mercy what he now knew. That taste was familiar enough to him and he absolutely hated what it meant. It meant that this girl was incredibly sick and that she needed to get to a doctor as soon as possible, as much as he knew she hated them. Morrison was certain that he shouldn’t tell any of this to her, as hard as it would be. On the bright side, he had something to keep him wide awake now…

“Not tired enough to just sleep it off, huh?” he whispered, sitting against the couch again and pulling the duvet tight around them. He shot her a slight smile then glanced down, shifting around on the sofa to find a comfier position and one that didn’t end up in his bottom getting damp from the very slight wet patch Mercy had created. “You should take off that dress,” he muttered, unabashed, before realizing what he’d said. The wolf shook his head, closing his eyes tight, and sighed. “I mean, the couch is getting sorta damp and…” He waved his hand slightly and sighed again. “Clammy I guess.” It wasn’t that he wanted Lexi unclothed, that was actually what he didn’t want, but he did want comfort and any sort of wetness did not coincide with that.