Back And Forth

Tommy padded his way into the bedroom, his heavy footfalls quieted by the plush carpet. The faintest of smiles crept its way onto his lips at the sight before him, his eyes lingering as if committing it to memory. From one shapely leg peeking from under the sheets, to the exposed skin of the small of her back, to her slender and inviting neck, right to the peaceful expression on her face as she remained in slumber, it was as if she had no care for the rest of the world. He loved watching her as she slept, but one glance at the clock and he knew he had to wake her up.

He sat down right by her, the mattress sinking under his weight, sighing as he revelled in the comfort it provided. He leaned over her form, one hand ghosting up her leg before settling at the small of her back, disappearing under her tank top, massaging circles into the bare skin. "Lex," he said softly. "It's time to wake up."

He had to fight a snicker as she groaned, burrowing her head further into the pillow. Pressing a kiss to her shoulder, he tried again, accentuating each word with kisses that trailed toward her lips. Alex's groan of displeasure quickly dissolved into a contented sigh, her eyes finally opening as his lips parted from hers.

"Good morning," Tommy greeted softly as he allowed himself to completely lie back down on the bed.

He opened his arms, waiting for her to move into his embrace. Alex was all too happy to oblige, knowing how times like these, times when it was just the two of them and having some peace and quiet, were few and far between. She pressed her cheek against his chest, throwing an arm over his stomach, wrinkling her nose when she felt the dampness, realizing that he had likely just finished working out from their home gym.

"What time did you get home?" she asked.

"Late," he replied simply. "Or early, depending on how you want to look at it."

She raised her head just enough to take a quick look at the bedside clock, rolling her eyes before dropping her head back onto his chest. "And yet you still managed to get up before 7AM to work out. Are we sure you're human?"

Tommy chuckled, knowing how much she hated mornings more than anything. "It's debatable," he said, turning to his side, drawing himself even closer to her. "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about," he said in a low tone, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. Her mouth fell slack before she swatted at his chest as his laughter echoed throughout the room. He took hold of her wrist and gently pulled, her supple breasts crashing against the hard planes of his chest, one strong arm holding her in place. "Now, now, none of that," he said teasingly, tapping a finger against her nose. "If you get rough, then I get rough. But you have to get ready for work, so get your ass into that bathroom and grab a shower."

Alex whimpered as she was pulled into a sitting position, wanting nothing more than to spend the rest of the day with him in bed, asleep or otherwise. "Five more minutes."

"Come on, get up," he urged. "If you hurry, I'll take you out for breakfast at that café you love."

He smirked as she jumped out of bed, throwing her arms around his neck excitedly at his offer. He pressed his lips firmly against hers before playfully pushing her towards the en suite bathroom. He had just about enough will to stop himself from following right along, but shook his head of the thoughts, instead sinking back down onto the bed as he waited for her to finish her shower before he went to grab one himself.

Tommy eyed her from the rim of his coffee cup to look at Alex, noticing how her cheeks were flushed pink from the cold morning winds of the Chicago autumn, smiling softly at the image she made as she finished off her plate of waffles. He could see the sheer happiness shining from her eyes, likely from the high of being out in public with him instead of a privately rented restaurant, or worse yet, spending time alone while he was busy doing business.

He wasn't stupid. He knew she had at least an inkling of an idea of what she had gotten herself into when she had agreed to marry him. Perhaps even more than an inkling, thinking back to how she barely batted an eyelash when he told her no one outside of family and a few close friends could know. Sighing heavily, he put his cup down before running a palm down the side of his face.

Alex turned her head to look at him curiously, wondering what caused such a sound to come from him. But before she could ask, the vibration of Tommy's phone against the table had interrupted. She watched at how his calm façade had turned into that of frustration, eyebrows knitted together as he quickly typed in a reply.

"Alex I –" he started.

"Go," she said with a wistful smile. "I can take a cab to the office."

He tried to muster up a convincing smile, knowing that it wasn't any use to try and take away the disappointment now etched on her face. "We'll do this again," he said as he pulled out some cash from his wallet to leave on the table. "I promise you that."

She nodded her head as he got up from the table, leaning down to press a kiss against her cheek as he moved past her. She watched longingly as he got into the black Ford Expedition and drove away, trying to fight back tears. "When?" she whispered to herself.

Staring at the human silhouette pitted with tiny holes, Anna let out a satisfied sigh and set her gun down. Pulling the trigger has always been a fun way to let off some steam. Pursing her lips for a moment, she eventually took a step back, making her way towards the reception area. The shooting range looked like time had stopped; nothing had changed in the last 40 years, and that was exactly how Anna's father wanted it to stay.

"You've got a visitor." Jimmy, Anna's godfather, was where he always was, nodding towards the office. Jimmy always sat behind the register with a newspaper in hand; and if he wasn't reading he was talking with the regulars.

Anna smiled softly to herself as she saw her husband leant in the entryway to the back office. Stepping behind the counter she followed Stephen into the office and shut the door behind her.

"I though ah'd find yeh here." Anna stepped into Stephens arms as he revealed his softer side for a brief moment. Her held her tight against his body and kissed the top of her head. As usual, he had slipped out that morning before she had woken up. Rolling over to a cold empty space in the bed was normal; Anna had come to think that he did it so that he didn't have to explain where he was going or what he was doing. Not that she would ask anyway. She had learnt very early on that if it concerned her, she would be told. That didn't stop her from wondering every now and then, but it had since become easier to block the tiny nagging voice in her head.

"Where else would I be?"

"Shopping." Stephen smirked, knowing he had a valid point. Anna considered shopping a job and a hobby - one that Stephen paid for. But he didn't complain when she brought him back new clothes, and he certainly wouldn't complain when she spent a few thousand dollars in Agent Provocateur.

"I didn't expect to see you, not this early anyway." She took a spare second to take in his appearance. He looked exactly like he always did when he had to go and meet 'important people'. Smart black trousers, simple grey dress shirt and black waistcoat. There was only one thing that was different, the cuts and bruises on his hands.

"What happened?" Anna glanced up, met by Stephens harsh stare. She knew that look; it was the one that said it's none of your business. Tentatively she reached for his hand, expecting him to pull it back; she found herself presently surprised when he didn't. "I know, you can't tell me. Forget I asked."

"Ah came to let yeh know ah won't be around tonight."

"Oh." Anna dropped Stephens hand, disappointment clear in her eyes. "Usually you just ring me."

"Ah didn't think yeh'd complain about seeing me." Stephen furrowed his brows then crossed his arms over his chest.

"I didn't mean it like that, Stephen." Anna pressed a kiss to Stephens cheek, the heels she had on making it easier to reach him.

"Maybe yeh could go and see Lara and Alex?"

"Yeah, maybe." Anna's closest friends; the only people in the word that were going through the same things she was. All of them living in a world of mystery and deceit.

"Ah'll make it up to yeh." And she knew exactly what that meant. Expensive gifts.
"Be careful." Anna mumbled before kissing him on the lips, hoping in her mind that he would decide to stay a little bit longer. He didn't, he said his goodbyes and left her in the office all alone.

Anna didn't stay long at the shooting range, she quickly headed over to Lara's house knowing full well that Alex would be at work. "Lara?" Anna yelled, dropping her purse down on the table in the hallway. She expected her friend to be busy typing away at the computer screen, but as she entered the kitchen, she found the complete opposite. Charlie was on the floor, hands and face covered in finger paint. A trail of red, blue and yellow hand prints made their way across the kitchen floor, and at the end of the trail, Lara was on her hands and knees clearing up the mess her ever artistic son had made. "Where's the nanny?"

"Oh good you're here, Bridgette isn't well so she went home. Can you help me clean up?"

Anna stared at Lara as if she'd just seen a ghost. "Do you not know me?"

"Oh I forgot, you don't do anything unless you benefit from it."

"Exactly, I'm not getting dirty. I'm guessing Stu isn't around either." Anna took a seat at the dining table, away from the mess and away from Charlie. Anna and children didn't mix; she had found that out when Charlie had thrown up on her brand new Chanel 2.55 purse. Their relationship just hadn't been the same since.

"Of course not." Lara spoke with a huff, ringing out the cloth over the sink once the floor was clean. "I thought he might have called."

"Stephen stopped by the shooting range at lunch, he'd been in a fight."

"What's new?" Anna couldn't help but nod and agree. This is what they had signed up for, a no questions asked relationship. Whenever their other halves came home, they had to act like everything was normal. Like they never saw the money, drugs, guns and blood stains, but they did. What else would the three friends have to talk about when they went out for cocktails?

"Are you okay?" Anna asked, concerned about her friend. She could tell something was on her mind, and that something probably concerned Stu.

"I need to get this article finished, please will you just look after Charlie." Lara looked on expectantly. "I'll be an hour at the most."

"Fine but you owe me."

Lara rolled her eyes, picking her son up and carrying him to the sink so she could wash his hands and face. "I don't owe you anything."

Lara snapped one eye open upon hearing the front door close, the red digital numbers on the alarm clock blaring back at her in the darkness of the bedroom. It was a few minutes after midnight from what she could see. A couple of hours ago, she had managed to get Charlie to sleep with the promise that his workaholic father would be home when he woke up in the morning. The toddler's chubby little face lit up at the mention of 'daddy', his dark eyes glistening with excitement when she tentatively tucked him in and read him a bedtime story.

The petite brunette stirred as she heard Stu attempting to carry his burly six-foot-six frame across the carpet without making any loud noises. He had manoeuvred around the room with some effort, toeing out of his shoes and socks as he got to the bed.

"You're late again," she mumbled, her voice laden with sleep. Stu sat hunched over, his back to her, as she rolled to her side in order to face him. He deftly loosened the knot in his tie and pulled it free from his shirt, dropping it on the floor carelessly. Lara sighed, wriggling free of the warm cocoon of covers she had settled herself in, and crawling towards him. She placed her hands on his broad shoulders, massaging lightly to relax him by slow degrees. "I'll give you some credit, at least you actually made it home before two in the morning."

"I've had a long day. I'm sorry; I tried to slip away as soon as I could," he ran a hand over his face and began to unbutton his shirt. A soft moan of approval dropped from his thin lips in response to her handiwork. She pulled away briefly to allow him to remove his shirt, joining the pile of garments that had come to accumulate. His hands fell to his lap as she resumed de-stressing him.

"You're so tense, baby. What did you do today that's got you like this?"

Stu chuckled quietly, "You know I can't tell you that."

Another sigh pushed through Lara's lips. She knew that his job entailed some gruesome stories; often he would be out all day and return without a word. Some things just weren't worth mentioning. She was aware that his avoidance was a way of protecting her from the world he was involved in. She wasn't completely kept in the dark; she knew what she was in for when she married the Englishman.

"Feels good," he smirked, his words dragging her out of her thoughts. Lara paused and pressed her lips to his neck, trailing upwards to plant a kiss on the side of his mouth. She took a deep inhale; he had worn the same aftershave since their first meeting, five and a half years ago, and it still smelt just as inviting. "How's my boy?" His demeanour completely changed when it came to their son.

"Misses his daddy, as always," she replied immediately, yet softness was still evident in her tired voice. "His teeth were giving him gyp today."

Stu grabbed onto her wandering hands, stopped short of their exploration across his hard muscled chest, and brought them to his lips.

"I might just go and see him-" He began to get up from the bed but her words halted his actions.

"I'd rather you didn't. I only got him to settle down an hour ago."

"So you complain that I don't spend enough time with him and when I want to see him you tell me not to bother?" He tried to keep the volume of his voice as low as possible, his harsh whisper still startling her. Anyone who came across him knew he was quick to anger.

"You just suck at picking your moments," Lara retorted with a giggle to restore the mood, retreating back under the covers. "Can't you wait until the morning, like I told him you would?"

The Englishman unbuckled his belt and stepped out of his trousers with a deep sigh. He felt as if he had been neglecting family life as of late. Sometimes he questioned why Lara and Charlie had even stuck around; the least he could do was love and protect them. She stifled a yawn as he climbed into bed and pulled her close, his arms a strong grip around her waist.

"I guess I owe you time as well, huh?"

"You make marriage sound like a prison sentence."

"I love you," Stu whispered, his lips capturing hers in a passionate caress. Her eyes slipped shut as he rolled her onto her back and trailed his lips down her neck. She carded her fingers through his dark curls, tugging lightly to encourage him to pull away. "That's all you really need to know."

A/N – So this is a new fic written by myself, Katie (DefinitelyProbablyMaybe) and Mox (ResplendentAnarchist). We're really excited about writing it so we hope you enjoy reading it :)