The moment Devlin stepped into the bathroom, his smile disappeared.

His smile had been bogus and he hoped to hell Pamela hadn't noticed it. How could she, when she looked so happy? So...in love?

Shaking his head, he moved swiftly towards a cabinet and opened it. Behind the door of the cabinet was a pad with numbers. He quickly punched a code, looking back occasionally to see if Pamela had followed.

The pad gave a beep beep, and red lights were blinking. Devlin frowned. His heart beat quickened in fear and he hoped with all his heart that he was wrong, that the blinking red light didn't mean what it meant.

Dammit. Dammit!

He heard footsteps approaching and he stood quickly. Pamela poked her head in. She grinned brightly and innocently at him and his heart squeezed.

"Everything alright?" He asked her almost too loudly, then he lowered his voice to a sexy drawl to mask his apprehension. "Or you want to join me in the bath?"

She rolled her eyes. "You wish. I heard you swear and wanted to know if everything was alright."

He had sworn out loud?

"Uh, yes. Sure. I just...uh, can't find the toothpaste." He hated the fact that he was stammering and fidgeting. But if his suspicions turned out to be true, then he sure as hell would do a lot more than stammering. He would die.

Pamela raised a brow – a habit she must have cultivated from him – and looked pointedly and balefully behind him. His heart skipped. Had he forgotten to lock the cabinet?

He looked at what she was looking at and it was...

"Toothpaste! Wow." He laughed nervously. "Found it." He raised it in salute then grabbed a toothbrush – heavens knows who put it there, or how long it'd been there – and spread the paste on it, trying to will his shaky hands to be still.

"Are you alright, Devlin?" Her soft-spoken words made his heart jerk. He shut his eyes briefly to bury the pain and fear that was in their depths and smirked.

Another bogus gesture.

"No." He dropped the brush not giving a damn if the toothpaste smeared the cabinet and moved towards her. She started shifting back uncomfortably.

Good. He needed her out of the bathroom, and fast.

"No? What's wrong?"

"Well, for starters, I want you naked in that bath with me." He stopped moving and pointed at the large bathtub.

She moved to the door. "Thanks but, uh, no thanks." She all but ran from the bathroom.

Sighing with relief, he bolted the door and then yelled, "Then don't come knocking or I'll not let you go!" for good measure. He hoped he didn't sound too whacky.

Hell, if everything was normal he'd have made good on his promises. But things weren't normal. They were far, far from normal. He sped back to the cabinet and punched another button. A safe opened and he yanked it wide, almost unhooking it from its hinges, and brought out the wireless communication device. He turned on the shower so Pamela would not hear him. He moved to the other end of the large bathroom.

"Cody?" Static crackled. "Cody?" There was no answer. He was damned worried. That blast had scared the shit out of him.

It had sounded, so, so much, like a bomb.

A freaking bomb.

He had pretended it was nothing because he wanted to protect Pamela from any fears.

He depressed another button. "Security Line 1, do you copy?" There still was no answer, just static and emptiness.

He let out a string of cringe-worthy curses. Something serious could have happened up there. But then, he might be worrying for nothing. He hoped to hell he was worrying for nothing.

After checking five security lines without a response, he tried Cody again and he responded.

"Copy sir! There's an emergency!" It wasn't Cody, but someone else's voice. The voice sounded faint through the crackling static.

And Devlin knew, he just knew that something bad had happened. All his life of protecting his safe house, something bad had happened. He gripped the device on his ear so hard that it was a wonder it didn't snap.

"W-what happened?" He was stammering! Hell. Usually, it was the other way round. But now, when the safety of his boys and his safe house was at stake, his guard was quickly watered down like a weak sand castle. He swallowed and asked again, dreading the answer. "What is happening?"

"We're under attack!"

~

"Devlin, no."

"Yes, you will."

Pamela shook her head in negation from side to side. "No, Devlin. I will not leave your side. Besides, you will need help up there, if what you say is true."

Devlin had told Pamela what had happened and he'd told her to stay in the safe house alone and that he was going up to see the situation of things but Pamela refused to.

He cradled her face in his palms and looked her square in the eye. "Please. I – I can't let anything happen to you. It could be you they are looking for. You'll be safe here."

She slapped his hands off and said stubbornly, "I can take care of myself."

"Listen to me, Pamela –"

"Listen to me Devlin, my answer is still no."

He gave her a hard, unflinching, and penetrating stare that would normally turn anyone's knees to jelly due to fear but Pamela returned it. It was as if they were having a staring contest and for the first time in his life, Devlin broke contact first.

He gave a frustrated grunt and drew her close against him, placing his forehead against hers.

"Please. It's dangerous. If anything happened to you –"

"I won't leave you alone Devlin." She interrupted stubbornly. Then she sighed and looked up at him her eyes pleading. "Please. Let me help."

"It's too dangerous!" He moved away to pace the room. "Besides, there's nothing you can do. I will feel better if I know that you're down here safe and sound. I can't let anything happen to –"

"I love you, Devlin."

He stilled immediately, his back to her. There. She said it. It was obvious that she did anyways. She didn't know when exactly she had fallen in love with him, but she realized now that she was in love with him. It was a good feeling, to be able to say she loved him. She hoped with all her heart that she wouldn't scare him away.

"I love you." She said again. "And I will not leave you." She walked to where he stood and hugged him from behind. His brick wall body was as hard as ever but it began to crumble. Brick by brick they started to break.

"I don't know if you're going to accept me, but I can't help what I feel. I love you with all of my heart and will do everything to make sure you're safe."

He turned around and looked at her. Pamela held her breath when he did. His eyes were unusual, they were darker than usual and were as cold as moonstones. What would he do? Retreat into his shell? Run? Why would he? He said she was his antidote – whatever that means – didn't he? Wasn't that love? Or something along that line?

To her surprise, tears filled his eyes. He cupped her face in his palms and kissed her hard. He then held her tightly against himself.

"That's my job. Doing everything to make sure you're safe."

She opened her mouth to speak but she was interrupted when he covered her lips with his again. He kissed her fiercely and she returned his kiss passionately, and when he pulled his head back, she gazed up at him.

"I love you too." His voice was as rough as sandpaper. "Hell, I love you, Pamela."

Pamela's breath caught. Tears filled her eyes too. They stood that way for seconds, lost in the euphoria of happiness and fulfillment and love.

But that lasted for those seconds as the moment was shattered when suddenly a loud blast deafened her. The ground shook. She grabbed at Devlin to steady herself, but they swayed, causing her to stumble.

Fear filled her eyes as alarms rang out. There was chaos up there she was sure.

"Devlin! A bomb blast?" She looked at him with fear and her heart sank as he nodded.

"Probably." His jaw tightened. "I can't let you come up there with me."

"No. I don't want to leave you," She grabbed him and hugged him to her. "Please."

He sighed and pulled back. "Fine. But stay behind me." He sighed and ran his hands into his hair as if unsure. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything happened to you."

"I'll be fine." She assured him, unsure but determined. She looked up at him as he took her hands.

"Let's go."

~

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