Officer Taylor Street

[Follows a few days after THIS]

It had been a tough few days in Austin for Taylor, to say the least. She didn't think her or Jason intended for them to just end up in bed together as soon as they reunited, but it had happened, and she wasn't sorry for it. It was the first time in months she felt alive and connected again. That just wasn't something she could regret. But it hadn't made anything easier. In the wake of it, it just seemed that they fell into this realm of not visiting what they needed to; not talking about what needed to be discussed. She knew why, too. They were both terrified of what was going to result in talking.

So, they didn't. They didn't say very much at all, and just spent the time being together. She had asked him if he wanted her to leave, to stay somewhere else, but he hadn't. He wanted her to stay here, and it seemed to be an unspoken agreement that she would just share his bed. That part of things seemed to click like nothing had changed, but there was still tension there. They couldn't go on like this forever.

It hadn't been lost on her how weak and drained he had looked when she first arrived. He had been pale and unshaven, had lost weight since she last saw him. That made sense, too, if what Tim had told her had been true. Jason had mostly been living on a liquid diet and his health had to have suffered on some level because of it. For her, it was easy to just fall right back into taking care of him. She started to make sure he was eating okay and helped him have clean clothing in easy reach. She just couldn't understand how something could feel so comfortable, yet so off-balance all at the same time.

It was now morning, and the rest of the house was quiet. Taylor had been awake for a little while, just lying there lost in her thoughts while Jason slept heavily beside her. She felt it came time to just get up and let him sleep, but when she shifted and rose to get to the edge of the bed, the frame squeaked and disturbed Jason, waking him up. She stifled the urge to curse under her breath as she guiltily looked back at him. "Sorry, QB. Go back to sleep, sweetheart..." she urged in a hushed voice.

[Follows THIS]

Taylor padded back into Jason's room with the cup of water still clutched in her hand and found him half on his way out of bed as he reached for his chair. She waved her free hand. "Stay, darlin'. It's okay. I'm comin' back t'bed," she assured him, her voice hoarse from being repeatedly sick. She set the glass of water on the bedside table and dropped a kiss to his head, her blonde curls flopping into his face. "I need some QB TLC. Sorry I woke ya'."

Taylor hesitated only slightly before she shrugged the last few inches out of her shirt and dropped it onto the floor of the hotel room. She kicked out of her underwear and pulled the covers of the king-sized bed back, slipping in beside Jason who was already lying there in all his naked glory. She smiled and curled up against him, slinging her leg over the top of his and tucking her hand in under his other arm. She kissed his shoulder and made a small, contented noise. "Ya know, I think there could be some argument in this cuddle verses sex thing. Ain't no sweat and no wet spots," she laughed.