Catherine

I wasn't expecting anyone to come over on a Tuesday evening.

(1) Because I don't remember inviting anyone. (2) There was no special occasion and . (3) I can't invite anyone while a Real Housewives of Atlanta fan is comfortably sitting on the couch.

Glaring at Damon for not getting the door, I purposely took my time searching for something I 'misplaced' on the TV set.

I decided to cook dinner and it took a lot of convincing for him to leave the kitchen. But it ended up as a problem when he found it hard to leave the sofa when somebody knocked at the door.

"Bonbon." he gestured for me to move aside but I kept on standing there until he groaned and got up.

"What." I was trying so hard not to smile while he was attempting a staredown with me.

I squeeled when he suddenly grabbed my waist and lifted me from the floor, effectively moving me away from the television.

"You could've told me to move aside!" I hit his chest and huffed, fixing my shirt.

"I did tell you to move aside. I did this." he mimicked the hand gestures he did before and raised his eyebrows.

"That's not telling. And someone's at the door." I pointed at the door and did the same with my brows. "The Housewives can wait."

"Fine." he turned around and practically dragged himself to the door.

I stood there as he opened it,but quickly closed it once he saw who it was. He quickly turned to me "False Alarm." But another knock came and he coughed. "Just people asking for money. We better not open it."

I scrunched my eyebrows and walked towards him. He was blocking the door with his body.

"Move Damon."

He shook his head.

Squinting my eyes, I thought of something that would catch him offguard.

"It would be rude to just slam the door on someone's face ye know." pushing him aside (which took a lot of effort) I opened the door.

I swear I saw a glimpse of black before I felt a finger tap my forehead. I shook my head slightly, my vision a little out of focus. Like those cameras when you zoom then in and out too fast.

It took me a while to finally focus on the person standing outside our apartment.

"Hello miss." He tipped his hat. He was looking at my arm and I had to hide it behind my back, hoping that he didn't notice what was written on it.

"Fascinating." He looked up at me and transferred what looked like a toolbox to his other hand. He was shorter than me, only reaching my ear. He removed his hat and I found out he had a balding head. He was wearing a black shirt, his beer belly a little too prominent for anyone's liking. But what caught my attention was the way he smiled and his eyes, like he knew exactly who I was.

"Do you need anything?" I heard coughing from behind me and saw Damon glaring at the old man.

"Yeah. Do you need anything." I could see how his jaw tensed and I had to place a hand on his arm. That seemed to work and he relaxed a little.

"I was called to fix a broken door." he looked at the both of us, but more on Damon, like he knew some private joke about him.

Frowning,I tried recalling on when I asked for a carpenter or if I even called for one. I was kind of getting used to Damon's bed and there were only a few incidents when I'd wake up on his side of the bed. I would usually build this pillow fort just so I wouldn't fall off or I'd wake up on his bed on the floor and find him snoring on my bed.

I noticed that he's been going out late at night or in the early morning more often than usual and I have to admit that it bothers me. Especially if he ends up with scars. I try not to pry him about it so I was simply content on looking if he has bruises whenever he was walking around shirtless. Or without pants. The man doesn't like wearing too much clothes. I still have mini heart attacks when it happens. There are things you just can't get used to.

"We didn't call for one goodbye." He was closing the door but the man quickly held a hand on the door.

"Well someone did. Do you have a broken door?"

I nodded and he squeezed his way inside.

He stood in the middle of the room and took a look around.

I turned to Damon with a confused look but he was too focused on the carpenter.

"I could fix it myself. You could go now." He crossed his arms and I had to punch him on the arm.

"You're being rude." I whispered.

He rubbed his arm and glared at me. "And you're being violent."

I smiled and soothed his arm. All the while, the man just looked at us,amused on our exchange.

"I have the door with me downstairs. Will this man help me?" He nudged his head towards Damon and the latter scoffed.

I gave him a warning look before he followed the old man outside.

***
Damon

"Too late to play father,don't you think?" I was trying to keep my cool while we were walking down the flight of stairs.

"It's never too late. And I'm just checking on you."

"Right. You leave a kid with a bunch of dead men who have no idea on how to raise a child and come back after so many years just to check if he's alive." I laughed and he stopped a couple of steps ahead of me.

"The woman. She's quiet a character. No wonder Sabina got curious enough to pay her a visit that night." he smiled and removed the dust on his already dirty shirt.

"You...leave her out of this." I was fighting for control. He just got here and I can't wait to kick his ass out.

"Don't worry. I have nothing to gain from harming her."

We were outside now,a beat down van parked just a couple of inches from the bush fence,blocking the sidewalk. An eternity on earth and he doesn't know how to park.

"The door's at the back." He flung it open and held onto the end of a peach colored door. He looked at me when he realized I wasn't going to help him on anything.

"Why are you here."

He sighed and sat at the back of the van, pulling out a cigarette. I shook my head when he offered me one. Raising a brow, he lit it, blowing the smoke out.

"You're not doing your job."

It was almost pitch black, the red glow of his cigar as the only light visible.

"I'm working more than usual actually. We've caught more nasties, thanks to you."

He laughed a little before looking at the apartment building, specifically on the window with the green curtains. He turned back to me. "I wasn't talking about that job."

I gritted my teeth, mentally counting to ten. He might look like an old man just having a smoke to an normal person but I could see him. And he looked younger than me. Maybe that's what he's getting for letting the nasties roam free.

"I'm doing my job." I don't see the use on defending myself but I just had to convince him for some reason.

"Are you?" He took one last hit on his cigarette before flicking it towards the bushes.

What is he trying to pull here.

"We both know why you're here. With her. Know your place. You're going to mess this one up, child. And it's something you and I can't fix. I decided to help you. I'll send the man for her. " he stood up and proceeded on pulling the door out.

"I'll fix the door myself." Without waiting for his answer, I took the door from him.

"Of course. I'll leave you to fix the door. And when you're finished,you leave her be,yes?" He smiled at me before raising his hands in surrender when I glared at him. He walked up to the front of the van and got in.

I have a feeling we weren't just talking about doors anymore.

Sighing,I headed back inside.

Was He checking on me?

Breathing in before opening the door, I saw Catherine running from the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" I placed her new door on the side and ran to her. Checking her fingers for cuts, then her arms,and lastly her face. "Where does it hurt?" I was holding her cheeks.

She was wild-eyed as she pointed at the kitchen.

"Fluffy..."

Frowning,I walked in the kitchen to see the cat with something on his mouth.

"He's got it in his mouth." she was slapping my arm like crazy and I had to squint my eyes to see a cockroach wedged in between Fluffy's teeth.

The little furball got one of the criminals who got us into trouble with her mother.

"Stop hitting me, bonbon." I could already feel the sting from the blows so I resorted to grabbing her hands and wrapping them around my midriff. "Keep them there." She nodded obligingly as Fluffy dropped the dead insect and went inside the cabinet again.

"He'll be a great reaper if you ask me." I grinned as I felt her tighten her arms around me.

Was she expecting me to feel threatened. What is she going to do?

Squeeze me to death.

I'm not goig to admit that with her squeezing me, I could feel her...softness.

"You're not taking him there. You have eve."

I looked down at her and smiled. "But eve's dead. She'll behave. Fluffy here seems tamed enough." the cat got out of the cabinet and dropped another one on the floor.

"I don't think leaving him with dead people would be a great idea." she looked at me and her eyes widened. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it that way. You turned out great so -it's just that-I'm sorry."

Facing her, I pinched her nose. "It's fine. I know what you mean. You don't have to-stop making that face,bonbon." I frowned when she started to sniff. "Hey it's alright. Are you seriously...shit. Stop crying, I'm sorry."

I barely noticed the thunder noises when she really did start crying. Panicking, I held onto her arms and took a look if she hurt herself while I was gone.

What if some nasties came while I was outside?

What if she slipped and hit her head?

What if she had even the slightest cut on her finger?

What if-

"I'm fine Damon." She took a shaky breath before removing my hands on her face and wiping her tears. "Maybe it's because it's-"

"It's because what?" I took a step forward.

She chuckled. "Girly stuff you wouldn't understand. It happens."

I felt Fluffy rubbing my leg, clearly proud on what he has done. I'm just hoping he got them all.

"I'll go fix your door now." After patting Fluffy, I walked back to the living room and took the door.

"What happened to the old man?"

"Wrong street. He had a spare door so he let me buy it." Placing the door on her room,I turned to her. She gave me a thumbs up and i asked her to get me the toolbox. Might as well install it now. It looked just like the door I broke.

Sabina must have remembered every detail. Maybe by giving Catherine wounds was an announcement that they'll both be messing with my life now.

And when you're finished, you leave her be, yes?

"You okay?"

She was holding the toolbox with both hands, a concerned look on her face.

"How about we go out next week? How is he going to find you if you're always cooped up in here?"

Maybe he put some kind of black magic on the door because I could feel something squeezing on my chest. It didn't hurt physically but it felt like my insides were being sucker punched.

She looked confused at first but looked down at her hands. "Oh...okay."

I hate seeing her like this. But we have to start moving so we could well-move forward.

If she ever finds little miss prince charming,I hope she wouldn't be doing this anymore. Or he wouldn't be the one causing this or I'll go Liam Neeson on him.

"I'm going to fix this." I smiled at her as she put the toolbox down.

I almost pulled her towards me when she smiled back, her eyes looking anywhere but mine.

"Okay."