Rummaging around in the kitchen, I found enough ingredients to make a salad. It would be fast, simple and hopefully, Tilia wouldn't object too much. I was still chopping away when the door opened.

"Ethan!" Tilia dashed into the kitchen, crashing into me with a big smile on her face.

"Tilia, your shoes, honey." Matthews became visible in the doorway, shaking his head at the scene. He was smiling, though, so the scolding didn't work very well.

"Sorry, Daddy." She sat down on the floor and removed her shoes, grinning at me as she threw them in the direction of the hallway.

"Tilia!"

The little angel blushed, rose and fetched her shoes.

Matthews shook his head again as she rushed to the hallway. "I don't know what's happened. She's not usually like this."

"She seems excited."

"Yes. An understatement." He walked over to the counter. "What are you making?" His arm slipped around my back, and I warmed beneath his touch. It was a simple gesture, and I wondered if he knew how much it affected me.

"A salad. Hope that's okay."

"Of course. I'll help."

Tilia joined us, and in her presence, it felt easier to momentarily forget about all the troubles waiting for us in the world outside. In here, we were sheltered—an oasis where it was more important to keep Tilia happy than to sink down into the chaos that threatened to overwhelm me.

As we sat down to eat, Matthews asked Tilia a bunch of questions about her day, and she answered with such delight that it was impossible not to smile along with her. I allowed myself to forget about Jace, if only for twenty minutes, but it was enough to settle my nerves.

After the light meal, Tilia rushed away, and we heard her from her corner in the living room. She was playing house with her dolls, giving them voices and organizing a tea party. It was adorable.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Matthews asked. He didn't need to elaborate, I already knew what he meant.

"Not tonight."

He reached out to touch my hand. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?"

I almost laughed at the unusual normality. I had never watched a movie with someone, not like that, never in a romantic sense. It a something that I never thought I would experience. I had watched plenty of movies in my past, but always either coming down from a high or during a high. The movie was never the main event. Watching with Tilia didn't count.

"Sure. As long as I don't have to sing along."

Matthews laughed, and I wondered if I would ever start thinking of him as Marc. It felt strange. Not because I disliked the name, but even so. Marc. I tried it again.

"You won't have to sing, but I can't say what Tilia will do."

"Marc..."

"What?"

"Sorry, nothing." I blushed. I hadn't meant to say it like that.

"No, tell me?" He seemed amused.

"Just trying your name."

He laughed again. "Trying my name? Wait, that's right, you've never actually said Marc. I like it." He squeezed my hand. "Let's go watch something."

We ended up in the sofa upstairs where Tilia usually watched all her favorites. Matthews...Marc handed me a couple of DVDs to choose from. I had no idea what would be good but picked one with an interesting title.

"You haven't seen this one?" Marc asked.

"Nope."

He appeared surprised but hid it moderately well. "You've never seen Pulp Fiction?"

"Should I?"

"I guess it's a good thing you haven't seen it. I'm just surprised."

A strange feeling of being left out washed over me. A feeling of not being a normal member of society. Odd that it would hit me over something so small as not having watched a movie that others probably had.

Marc. I tried it again. Marc. He must have seen that my thoughts turned troubled, as always.

"Hey, it doesn't matter. We're watching it now." He rose from the sofa and placed the DVD in the player.

"Will Tilia be okay on her own?" I asked.

"Of course. She's won't look away from her dolls until her eyelids start to droop." He sat down next to me, close enough for our legs brush against each other with the briefest touch.

I was extremely aware of the contact until I got lost in the movie. And then, when I least expected it, it was no longer just a faint touch but his arm behind my shoulders.

"You okay?" he whispered against my hair.

Forgetting any kind of restraints, I leaned into his side and relaxed, feeling warmer than I ever had before. The comfort was exactly what I needed, I realized. His strong frame holding me steady and secure. Perhaps it made me weak, but he never made me feel weak. He made me feel stronger. He made me feel as if I could find a way out of the darkness.

"Yeah. I'm okay." It was true. As much as I wished Jace was safe, I knew that we couldn't help him until we had formed a plan, something that required more than one night of deliberation. Instead, this was the perfect escape to save my sanity.

Tilia appeared in the doorway awhile later, rubbing her tired eyes. "Daddy, I'm tired."

"Have you brushed your teeth?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

She managed to look guilty even if she tried her best to hide it. "No."

Marc got up. "I'll help you, honey." He looked over his shoulder at me, and I smiled in return. No words were necessary. Instead, I continued to watch the movie until he came back from tucking her in.

Twenty minutes later, the credits rolled down the screen. Marc sat with his arm around me again and made no attempt to move.

I looked up and turned in his direction, startled over how close we were. So close. We had kissed before, but the proximity together with the intimate atmosphere appeared to ignite the distance between us. I could almost feel his lips on mine.

His fingers tangled in my hair, tugging with affection. I leaned forward, hoping to catch him before the moment escaped us. He met me half-way, brushing his lips against mine, his tongue seeking entrance.

We sat there for far too long, simply enjoying the tentative touches and careful movements of our lips and hands. It was intimate, almost too intimate. It scared me when I surfaced from the daze—it scared me because I never thought I would have love in my life.

"Let's go to bed," he said, leaning back.

I though it was his way of stopping what we were doing until I realized what he really meant. Was I ready? I wasn't sure. Perhaps not tonight. Or perhaps tonight was the night I needed it the most?

We left each other to get ready, me going downstairs to the bathroom that once belonged to his wife. That was another unfinished chapter. What had really happened to her? I waved the thought away. I didn't need more drama. If he wanted to tell me about it, he could.

Then there was the awkward moment when I stood outside the door to his bedroom, wondering if I should enter. Did I knock? Why was it even closed?

I couldn't make up my mind until I realized how warm my lips were, slightly bruised from our kissing. I wanted more of that. Much more.

I didn't knock. I went right in, closing the door behind me. Marc was sitting on his bed, stripped down to his black Calvin Kleins.

When I made no effort to move, he reached out with his hand as if to pull me closer. I obeyed, walking on legs that shook beneath me. When his hand closed around the small of my back, I was no longer the one who made the decisions. He steered me between his legs and looked up at me with such warmth that I doubted I could have found words of any kind. His hands skimmed my skin beneath the fabric of my t-shirt.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked.

I thought about again, forcing my attraction for this man to take a step back. It didn't feel right. Not when I knew that Jace remained in Sam's clutches. I didn't deserve love like this when he was the one who needed it the most.

"Not yet. I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry, Ethan. I understand. Let's sleep."

I nodded. Sleep. That I could do. Especially if I could sleep wrapped up in his arms.

Snuggled up in his embrace, skin against skin, I knew I had made the right decision. When we took this further, I wanted it to be for the right reason. When he kissed me again, I hoped that day would come soon. 

A/N awww, wasn't this just too cute. I just want to cuddle them both <3 Thought they deserved a bit of calm after all the drama.