A/N: I own nothing that is familiar.

He sat at the bar, empty shot glass in hand, his head down, trying to decide how much he could drink so that maybe he could pass out and get some sleep dead to the world with no nightmares. He tapped his glass on the bar signaling he wanted another.

She came through the door looking for someone. She walked through the crowd scanning faces. She spotted him at the bar, he was starting to drunkenly lean off his stool. She watched as he threw back another shot. She hurried over and caught him just as he started to fall off the stool.

"Alright there country mouse. You have had enough. Let's get you home." She told him as she steadied him on the stool while she paid his tab.

"Not near enough yet!" He slurred, "can't sleep yet won't black out..." he muttered to himself too loud though. She glanced at him worriedly.

She got him out to his truck where he promptly tried to get in and drive. "No sir, country mouse, you are not to going to drive. Get back on the other side of the cab."

"But you'll have to move everything and mess it all up. I just got it back to how I like it after last time." He grumbled then giggled to himself as she moved the seat all the way forward and as far up as she could get it. "So small." He reached over and patted her head. She rolled her eyes at him and put the truck in gear.

He slumped over and she realized he was close to passing out. "Hey hey none of that now. If you pass out I'll leave you in your truck. Won't be able to get you inside." She told him but it made no impact. "Lasalle!" She snapped, still nothing, "Christopher!" She nearly screamed at him as they were already getting close to his house.

"What's wrong city mouse? You never use my name unless I've really pissed you off."

"Don't pass out on me yet Bama, you need to at least help me walk you inside." She explained again as she pulled into his drive. She slammed the truck into park and jumped out and raced around to help him out before he fell out.

"I can do it," he complained letting her go and promptly tripped over nothing to sprawl out in the drive. He frowned and got to his hands and knees and started crawling towards the door. "Safer down here." He muttered to himself.

She ran ahead and unlocked the door, cringing as he looked up and she saw the damage his fall did to his face. Multiple little cuts were welling with blood and she could see bits of shells used for his drive imbedded in some places and she worried what he was doing to his hands and knees as he crawled slowly closer to her.

He got to the steps to the porch and hissed in pain the hard wood forcing the bits of shell deeper into his palms. She reached to help him up but he waived her off muttering "safer" again. He crawled inside, as soon as he crossed the threshold he started taking off his shirt, she had turned to lock the door behind them and when she turned back he was already sans shirt and working on his belt.

"Whoa there Lasalle, let's keep those on for a little while longer huh? How about we get you to bed?" She started trying to get him up again but he just crawled away towards his room.

She followed after quickly stopping in the bathroom for a cup of water, some aspirin, and the first aid kit. By the time she got to the room he was sitting against the side of the bed in just his boxers. She paused shocked but enjoying the view. Not sure if she was happy or sad he had left the boxers on. Then she notice the flask in his hand as he brought it up for a drink. She stole it just as he got it to his lips spilling a bit on his chest.

"You have had enough already are you trying to kill yourself?"

He put his chin on his chest and heaved a sigh, "that might make the nightmares stop, it might make the pain stop."

"Get in bed Christopher let me see your face and hands and knees I need to get you cleaned up. Take these and drink this whole glass." She ordered trying to keep the fear for him out of her voice and off her face. He wouldn't be able to handle that.

He laid silently as she dug out the shell in his face and hands and cleaned all of the cuts with alcohol. When she finished he pulled her down on the bed making her squeak. "Stay please I haven't been sleeping, maybe its because I got used to having someone else here with me?" He asked his voice pitiful. She noticed his eyes did look sunken now that he mentioned it.

"Just until you fall asleep, ok?"

He looked scared but said "thank you" and closed his eyes. Almost instantly his breathing evened out.

Her eyes widened and she poked him with no response. She worried though that with as drunk as he was he might puke and choke because he was laying on his back. So she moved in close to him and shoved him up on his side. He stayed there a moment and flopped right back on his back. This caused his mouth to open slightly and his snore shook the windows. She laughed shocked at the volume and intensity of it before shoving him to his side again. Again though his body wouldn't stay up on its own. So she did it one more time but this time spooning in behind him to keep his body on it's side. She had to reach around him then and close his mouth which ended the insane snoring.

She tried moving away but he started falling back to his back. She settled for rolling over so she was back to back with him and settled in to sleep. He had told her to stay at least.

XXXXXX

He woke slowly his mind groggy. He had to pry open his eyes as his mind panicked because he had his whole body wrapped around someone. It was a body he had never slept with before he was sure. Opening his eyes didn't help his panic. It was his partner, what was Sonja doing in his bed? He could feel she had clothes on that was good but he only had on boxers, where were his clothes?

He must have made a noise or moved because she stirred. She rolled over and faced him but her eyes were still closed. She snuggled down into his chest her face nuzzling him before her body settled back into stillness.

Percy was a snuggler! He almost laughed out loud but his mind was in turmoil. She felt so good in his arms and looked amazing even sleep rumpled. He tried to fall back asleep which for once in a long time wasn't hard. As he fell asleep he tilted his head down so it rested on top of hers.

XXXXXX

She woke startled that someone was wrapped around her. She didn't move because they seemed asleep and she didn't want to wake them as she felt safe, and when was the last time she had had that. Slowly she opened her eyes but all she could see was bare chest. She was confused for a second and then remembered Lasalle pulling her into bed and her worry about his drunken state.

Slowly she tried to slide out of his bed without waking him up. But he was wrapped around her and she couldn't get out of his grasp. All her struggles gained her was that she was now on her back but he was practically on top of her. She frowned starting to feel trapped and struggled to break free, old panic kicked in causing her breath to come in pants her eyes were really wide and cold sweat broke out all over her body.

He woke because of her thrashing beneath him. Again he was confused at first as to who he was in bed with. Until he saw her face which made him look around the room for an attacker before his gaze settled back on her face. He brought up his hands and forced her to look at him. "Hey, hey Sonja what is the matter?" He asked trying to keep his voice calm.

"Up, please let me up." She started saying and the panic being in full swing made her repeat herself a little manically until he moved enough that she could get up. She paced a second around his room before heading out the door. He could hear her pick up speed so he bolted after her not wanting her alone like this.

He caught her arm as she was about to open the door. She let out a squeak and struggled against him so he brought her into a tight hug making soothing noises and rocking slightly. "Come on Sonja tell me what's wrong, please?" His hands lightly massaged her back as he held her close. Not getting an answer he walked them to the couch and sat down with her in his lap.

"Can you talk to me Percy? I need you to tell me what's wrong."

"Trapped..." was all she could get out.

"Ok, if I let you go will that help? But you have to promise to not leave because like this you could cause an accident."

"Yes!" She answered and nearly catapulted off of him as soon as he loosened his arms. She began pacing through the living room, prowling like an angry cat.

"Would you like some tea? Would that help?" He asked still worried.

"Yes, thank you lasalle."

He left the room and she followed feeling slightly better now that she could move freely. But she felt safer with him which was strange since he had triggered the panic attack. He was her partner and the only man that she fully trusted with herself.

He started the water for her tea and got a pot of coffee going for him, he was going to need it today.

Slowly she was able to stop pacing. Her panic receding enough that she could see he was worried about her. She would have to explain something to him before he would let it go. It's not that she was ashamed of her past it was part of her but a part she had never shared before. She sighed before starting, "I'm sorry about this. Being trapped triggered a panic attack. It has been a long time since I have had one of those."

Finishing her tea he glanced up at her, but her face was turned away from him. He grabbed a mug of coffee and went back out to the living room. He sat himself on the couch and motioned for her to sit next to him knowing she had followed him back into this room.

"I'm not sure I can sit and talk about this. I know you well enough that you won't let it go until I've told it to you. So just sit there and listen. No questions please just let me get it out. This is not something I have ever spoken of with someone. So it might come out sorta jumbled alright?" She paused blowing out her breath and breathing back in slowly. "I don't trust easy, especially men. And one thing you need to know is panic attacks are not rational so even though you are one of the few men I have ever trusted you still triggered it. You didn't do anything wrong you were sleeping and just apparently happen to be a clingy snuggler. We started face to face. I was fine until I tried to slip out of bed. My pulling back pulled you on top of me and I couldn't get away. Being trapped on my back on the bed triggered the panic attack."

She blew out her breath again and did some deep breathing as she paced some more. "I..." she trailed of and started again, "I...I was raped when I was a teenager by my then boyfriend."

He got up and pulled her into a hug, making sure not too tight and holding her without crossing his arms behind her making her feel like she could pull away if she wanted. She stayed there a moment before pulling away and pacing again. He stood wishing he knew how to help her because she was tearing up and it was killing him to see.

"More than once, hell more times than I even remember as my mind blocked some of the worst ones out. I know they happened because I ended up in the hospital a few times and they told me I had been raped and beaten." She breathed out again, she glanced at him as she slowly drew in air again, "have I ever told you my dad is in jail? He killed him. When he saw me in the hospital the last time and they told him what happened he finally got me to tell him who had done it and he went nuts. Dad found him and asked him why he would do that to me. He told my dad I had liked it. That I had begged for more. He beat him to death bare handed for me. He is in jail for me. I have ptsd symptoms, though they are less now then they had been. Being trapped under you on the bed had me right back there being raped." Once she had that out she collapsed onto the couch. He was glad she didn't have her tea in hand when that happened. Knowing it would help her feel like herself he handed it to her then.

"I'm so sorry Sonja. I caused you to relive that, I would never have asked you to stay if I had known that I could cause this."

"Don't, it's not your fault it's his. You had no way to know I would react like that. Hell neither did I. I honestly haven't had a flashback or a panic attack in years. I learned how to defend myself, took all the self defense classes I could find determined to never be in that situation again. To never feel helpless with anyone ever again. It's why I started in our line of work. I can help people like I was, defend them when they can't defend themselves."

They sat in silence for a little while both lost in their own thoughts. His stomach growled and she laughed at him.

"Let's go get some breakfast,"