The drive home was hard for Talon. All he wanted to do was ask Vanessa a million questions, but he had his suspicions about what was going on and wanted to get her somewhere safe before he pried any harder.

Had she really shown up to work in a ball gown with no clue what was going on? He thought to himself as his fingers wrapped around the steering wheel. This was her second mental break in the last month.

Talon took his eyes off the road for a moment to glance at Vanessa. She was leaning against the car window and appeared to be sleeping. Talon knew she needed her rest, so he chose to just leave her be. Even if it was only a twenty-minute nap on the car ride home, it was better than nothing.

The picture of the blue dress she had shown him was still burned into his mind. He'd never seen something so extravagant, with diamonds draped over the skirt and floral details all over the bodice. When would she have ever needed a dress like that, and how could she have found one on such short notice? Talon had dropped her off less than twelve hours before she had to go to work. He'd help her bring her groceries up to her apartment and spent a little time kissing her on the couch before he finally drug himself home. Vanessa had been ready for bed when he left, and he heard her lock the door behind her.

So where did Vanessa go?

Talon knew this was getting dangerous and she couldn't live on her own anymore, not if she was going to go to random places in the middle of the night and not remember it in the morning. Maybe losing her job would be a good thing, since Talon could use it as an excuse to ask her to move in with him.

It's not like he didn't want her to move in. He loved having her there and knew he wanted to be with her. But he didn't know how to ask. Vanessa was strong and independent and didn't enjoy relying on others for help, but maybe this would be his chance.

When Talon pulled into the driveway, he wasn't sure if he should wake Vanessa up to head into the house or sit in the car with her so she could sleep for a little bit longer. Talon looked at Vanessa and took in the details of her skin. The bags under her eyes, the dark purple lining them, and the dull color of her face. If he couldn't see her chest move, he would have been convinced she was dead. Talon needed to help Vanessa, and he knew deep down in his heart that the sleep study was the best thing for her. How long could this go on before Talon would have to risk losing her and just do something to help her? What could he even do, anyway?

After an hour of sitting in his car thinking through everything that he should and could do, Vanessa finally stirs herself awake. Talon watched as she stretched her arms and turned to look at him.

"How long was I out for?"

"About an hour and a half?" Talon shrugged. He looked at the clock and then put his phone down and turned the screen off on his solitaire game. "Sorry, I didn't want to wake you. I figured you could use some sleep." He smiled.

Vanessa nodded.

Talon helped her get out of the car, and Vanessa brushed him off.

"Please don't treat me like I'm a sick patient. I'm fine. I just got fired. I didn't find out that I have a brain tumor or something." She sneered as she walked to the front door, waiting for Talon to come and unlock it.

"I'm sorry, but I really think we should talk about that." Talon muttered as he opened the door and followed her inside the house.

"What is there to talk about?" Vanessa asked.

"What do you think about moving in with me?" Talon wasn't sure how to ask it, so he decided being upfront with her would be his best bet. Vanessa's face couldn't turn more white than it already was, so Talon would have to wait for her response to gauge how she handled the question.

"You mean live here with you full time?" She questioned.

"Yes." Talon nods.

"What about your mother?"

"I think it might be time she goes into full time assisted living. I've been putting it off for too long since I feel horrible about doing that, but I can't be around to watch her as much as she needs, and I need to stop asking Mindy to come in on her days off."

Vanessa leaned against the wall, staring at him, as if she was really considering what he was saying.

"You can even pay rent if you must." Talon quipped, hoping it would lighten the mood and make her feel better about the situation.

"Why do you want me to move in with you?" She asked, seeming much more like herself after the hour nap in the car.

"I know I've been moving quickly in our relationship, but I mean it when I say I love you. I want to spend all my time with you, and a big part of that would be solved if you just lived here. We can get rid of your apartment and condense our bills and hell, we might even be able to save some money in the process." Talon felt disgusted with himself. He hated talking like this was just a money transaction, but he was terrified of pushing Vanessa too hard after the last few incidents.

Talon wanted to tell her how much he wanted her here, to let her know he wanted to hold her every night and make this the most romantic moment in the world, but that would only make things worse so he bit his lip and tried to keep his emotions on the back burner.

"I'm going to pay rent." Vanessa muttered.

"Is this the last box?" Marcus asks as he mock lifts with his knees, pretending the box was heavier than it actually was.

"No, there's more over there." Talon rolled his eyes as he pointed in the direction of twelve more boxes stacked in the corner of the living room.

Marcus's shoulders drop, causing the box to fall in his arms.

"Damn, next time you ask me to help your girlfriend move, do most of the work before I get here man, I'm just here for the pizza and beer." He teased.

"Sorry, I thought you were coming for the workout?" Talon teased back.

"No man, I didn't realize there were so many stairs." Marcus wiped the sweat from his forehead and he put the box down on a stack near the entrance.

"Well good for us it's a two for one deal. I'm moving Vanessa to my place and my mother was accepted for a room at the assisted living."

"Jesus, that means everything is changing for you, isn't it?" Marcus rapped his fingers on the box, his brown hair falling into his face, covering his eyes just slightly.

"Yeah, lots of big changes." Talon looked around the room for a moment, taking in the scattered mess of movement. It was only a week ago he was terrified asking Vanessa If she'd move in with him. It was crazy how quickly things could change.

"Are you nervous, man?" Marcus asked.

"More than you can imagine." Talon paused to take a deep, well-needed breath. He released the air slowly. "After I do what I need to do, I don't know if Vanessa will ever talk to me again."

"What the hell are you going to do?" Marcus cocked his head, giving Talon the most confused look. 

"Honey, I'm home!" Talon shouted as he opened the front door and carried a few of the smaller items into the house. Vanessa was quick to meet him in the entryway. She wrapped her dainty fingers around his cheeks and pulled him in for a kiss. Talon had to remind himself not to drop the items in his hand to grab her and pull her closer to him.

"Hey you two lovebirds, you're blocking my walking path!" Marcus shouted from the other side of the door.

"Sorry man!" Talon pulled away, feeling like a fool that was so deeply in love he was drowning.

Talon rushed into the house, setting the things in his hands onto the dining table before turning to help guide Marcus in with his boxes. The men continued to bring box after box into the house, emptying both of their vehicles before they had to run back to the apartment to get more.

Moving took most of the day and by the time the pizza was ordered, they were wiped out. They sat on the couch that seemed to be buried by stacks of cardboard, as Vanessa had been working on unpacking her things all day while the boys ran around.

"We did some good work today." She beamed. Talon soaked in the smile on her face. He was enjoying the mood she'd been in all day, and since he knew it wouldn't last long, he wanted to cherish every second of it.

"We! It was the boys here that did all the heavy lifting." Marcus groaned. Vanessa rolled her eyes, but Talon noticed the smile across her face.

"Yes, and it's very appreciated. Thank you for your help Marcus." She grabbed another box to cut it open. Once she looked inside and figured out where the box needed to go, she picked it up off the pile and headed towards the kitchen to empty its contents.

"She really is pretty nice when you get over how weird she can be." Marcus muttered as he leaned forward to grab another piece of pizza.

Talon didn't think much of his comment. He was right. She was the nicest girl he'd ever been around, but he didn't know if someone else would have stuck around after the few awkward dates and weird occurrences.

"Yeah, I think we just kind of work together, you know." Talon tried to keep his voice quiet. It's not that he didn't want Vanessa to know they were talking about her, it's that he didn't want to set her off. He knew if she thought there was something going on it could lead to her stressing out and having more nightmares tonight.

Talon stretched his arms above his head, hoping to release some of his sore muscles. He had stayed up a good portion of last night to make sure Vanessa got at least a few good hours of sleep. He knew she was nervous about the move and was doing his best to make her feel comfortable.

"When do you take your mom to her new home?" Marcus paused for a moment. "Sorry if this is too much, but how is she handling it? I know we've talked about her issues at work, and I've been there for you since it started, but does she realize she's getting pushed out of her house?"

Talon pondered the question before taking a sip of his beer. He wasn't sure he liked the way the question was worded.

"I really don't know if she realizes it yet." Talon shook his head, and he could feel the emotion build up inside of him. "She seemed excited when we dropped her off, and I've been going over there every morning this week to make her breakfast so it doesn't feel too different. She seems to be doing really well there and having a lot of fun with the friends she's made. She loves her nurses even if it's not Mindy anymore. I was shocked by that, but overall, it seems like she's doing really good."

"I'm glad to hear that. I've been worried about you, it seems like the two ladies in your life are dealing with the same demons just in different ways." Marcus held his beer high in the air as he chugged that second half of it. He reached forward and grabbed another piece of pizza, nearly finishing the whole box between the two of them. Talon stared at the last two slices and made a mental note to save them for Vanessa.

"Yeah, I guess I just like them sweet with a dash of crazy in them."