If you wake up wantin' me. -Ryder

[Penny Jolene Dovecote]

Every day seemed to be getting longer since this 'thing' with Ryder had been happening. It was hard working looking after people, especially when they were in their twenties with children of their own. It was generally a hazard of the job when you worked at a bar but this was more than that. Penelope was still trying to get used to the idea that she was a hazard of Ryder's job too, that the night they met it was because a talk dark and handsome type had tried to make her vampire chow. It wasn't generally the easiest thing to deal with. Most nights ended the same way, after spending her entire shift fulfilling his need for the devil's drink, she ended her shift hauling him into her car and driving him back to his place. It was, to be perfectly honest, a miracle that some where in amongst the mess that was their relationship, she'd some how become fond of him. You'd think she'd had one too many puke related incidents would have put her off but she was still there, every day like the last, holding the poor boy up when the weight of the world got too heavy for his shoulders.


Waking up with a groan, Penelope threw out her hand towards her bed site table, or at the very least where she'd expected it to be, but when her relentless search for her phone left her confused she had to roll over and expose her delicate eyes to the harsh light of day. It was only when she gazed upon her surroundings and realised she was in Ryder's bathtub that she remembered everything that had happened the night before. Somewhere in her sleepy haze she'd actually managed to convince herself that she'd made it to her own bed last night, instead she was twisting her body to take a peek at the ruggedly handsome, incredibly damaged young man who'd fallen asleep with a blanket around his shoulders and wrapped around the toilet. With a quiet sigh, she lifted her tiny frame up and climbed out of the bathtub, silently stepping over Ryder and tiptoeing into the next room. Just like it was second nature she began to pick up items that had been knocked down and collect pots to stack them up in the kitchen.

Truth was, she was sure Ryder's home may have never been tidier than when she started helping him home, it wasn't that she had a cleaning problem or anything, just that mess bothered her. It was also the reason that thankfully her purse (that was almost 3 times the size of her) happened to contain spare outfits, just incase she should get into any bother at the bar. She took her moment of peace and got changed, brushing her hair and making herself presentable for the day ahead. A person would think that the cleaning of a house and a young girl getting herself ready would be enough time for the sullied hunter to awaken from his drunken slumber, especially when the morning was preparing to bow out and let noon take it's throne. Shaking her head and throwing her bag on her shoulder, she headed for the door.

This whole thing had started to get a little - intense. She knew she was better off out of there just as well as she knew that when he did wake, Ryder might not even remember her helping him. She was going to get out of there before he woke up , before he could start talking to her in his sober form and remind her why her smile lit up the room every time he walked into it. She was resolved, she was going to leave and she was going to get a coffee and she was going to do something that any normal girl her age would do. Like... Shop or.... Stare at boys in the park. Did girls really stare at boys in the park? God she hoped not. That would be beyond bizarre.


She got as far as the coffee cart outside Ryder's apartment block, ordering herself a coffee and a muffin and took exactly four steps before she stopped juggling her goods to rummage through her pocket for her phone. Dialling the last number she dialled, she knew who it would connect her to. She just stood there with it too her ear waiting for the gruff voice on the other end. "It's me, I'm was just gettin' me a cup o' coffee. You want somethin'?"

[Ryder James Crowe]

SHES THE PERFECT SHOT OF FAITH
Ryder was a hunter both in the waking world and in the dream plane. Funny thing was, the demons he fought in real life were much easier to deal with than the ones in his nightmares...

It was always the same, but always different. She was there. HIs almost wife, the love of his life and mother of his child. The woman he had killed.
Ryder's wrists were shackled, the chains hung from the ceiling so that his toes only barely brushed the floor. His chest was bare and bleeding; hundreds of bite marks marred his skin. The vampires were surrounding him and each taking a turn. And then another. And another.
Jayla was crying out for him from somewhere in the distance and the tawny haired male struggled to get free; to save her before...

The blood suckers parted like the Crimson Sea, and Ry hardly had the strength to lift his head to look. He didn't want to. He knew exactly what he was going to see.

The brunette beauty was dressed in a thin white cotton nightgown , bare feet and splattered with both dried and fresh ruby tinted blood. Her head was in her dainty hands, held out like an offering.
"It hurts so much, baby." She sobbed and shifted the head in her hands so he could see that yes, even though it was decapitated, those big brown eyes still looked up at him and dripped a blood tear and her jagged teeth worried on her rose colored bottom lip.

Oh God...he had done that.

"I'm sorry, Jay. You were hurting people." His voice was a raspy whisper. It was the truth, she'd been a monster when he cut her head off her neck, but the young hunter still could not forgive himself.

"You should be. Our daughter will know what you did. She'll hate you." Jayla's voice was nastier now, and she came forward with head held out; biting, licking bloody lips.

"Please, Jay...no..." Ryder's eyes leaked tears as he pleaded, trying his damnedest to get free of the chains.

It was no use. It was always the same in the end no matter how the rest of the dream had begun. Her fangs came and they aimed for his jugular, and the pain of her bite was the last thing he felt.

Ryder bolted upright and then immediately regretted it. His head was spinning and he was nauseous and he hadn't even opened up his damn eyes.
Keeping them closed tight, he lowered his head back down on the cold toilet rim and sighed in relief as the spot was cool and soothing. Through the fuzz he could hear someone in his apartment, but he hadn't the will or want to find out who it was right this minute.

The hell had happened last night? Ryder remembered going to the bar after dropping his daughter off with his big sister. He knew Penny had been working, for the smile she had given him once he'd sidled up to her counter wasn't one you forgot; not even when you hardly recalled the rest of the night.
As usual she served him as much as he wanted despite knowing his problem with drink and what would happen after. She was kind. Seemed to want to help him. Penny knew it was all he could do to try to dim the dreams that would no doubt visit him like they did every night.

Had Penny brought him home?

Ryder finally lifted his head again when he heard the soft closure of his front door. Whomever it was obviously wasn't looking for a goodbye and he wondered if it was Chey or Sam. He yawned and smacked his lips and lifted a palm to rub his temple (which was pounding, still.)
He didn't try to move yet. Better to be close to the porcelain throne in case he tossed his cookies. Again, apparently going by the awful taste in his mouth and his tee-shirt was wadded up in the corner of the small room and covered in something moist.

The sound of his cellphone startled him, and he cussed as it took him a few moments to dig the thing out of the pocket of his jeans. The voice on the other end was soft and southern, and Ry knew it was she that had been in his place before.
"Yeah, a coffee. Thanks."

Ryder took a moment to shake a case of the dizzies out of his head and pulled himself up, splashing his face with icy water before brushing his teeth and splashing his face with water again. (It felt so good.)
When he heard a quiet knock on his door he grabbed a clean white tee of the end of his unmade bed and headed out to let her in. He was just pulling on the shirt when she came in, and sheepish look crossed his young, but rugged face.

"Hey...Penny. Thanks." He took the coffee she offered and couldn't look her right in the face he was so embarrassed. Instead he went to the cabinet (since she had a bag of something for herself), pulled out a white plate, and set it on the bar counter. "I'm...really sorry about last night."

WHEN EVERY BIT OF MINE IS GONE

[Penny Jolene Dovecote]

Heading back to the coffee cart, Penny got another coffee. She knew she was loves bitch but something inside her had decided she didn't particularly care. Wisps of hair tumbled around her face and as seh blew them away she could see the guy on the cart eyeing her. Looking down awkwardly, she could feel a flush in her cheeks. Had he always done this? She'd been to this place so often recently and it was very possible that she'd been so wrapped up in Ryder that she hadn't even noticed someone else noticing her. She smiled at him and turned back towards Ryder's apartment building only to be called back by the sound of this guys voice. 'Hey! Don't suppose you want to grab a drink with me some time?' Turning back, Penny resembled a deer in headlights. "I - I - I'm really flattered....." The guy waved his hand to dismiss her before she could finish. 'You're seeing someone... Of course you are... Two coffees every day and... It's fine.' She didn't reply, just smiled and nodded slightly at him in way of an apology and rushed back towards Ryder's place.

She stood at his door for a moment, reluctant to knock. Why was she doing this? Shouldn't she know better. She needed to tell him she couldn't do this anymore. As she knocked on the door she took a deep breathe and was resolved to telling him about it. She hadn't counted on him answering the door half topless. It was all she could do not to stare, holding out his coffee in the hopes that he wouldn't notice the small amount of her that was doing so. Why did he have to be so..... hot? This was not fair. Not in the slightest. How was she supposed to get over him when he was flaunting his perfectly formed, basically sculpted in clay, abdominal muscles her way?? As he headed back inside she stepped in after him. She leaned against the counter top and pulled the plate towards her, emptying the muffin onto it and finding a knife. "You don't gotta be sorry... I think your head's punishing you enough this mornin'." She smiled and cut a small part off her muffin, popping it into her mouth and washing it down with a swig of coffee. "I cleaned up. Do you remember your sister ringing you last night? To say she had to drop the little bit off earlier today?"

[Ryder James Crowe]

SHES THE PERFECT SHOT OF FAITH

If Ryder wasn't hadn't been drowning in his own misery and perfectly oblivious to what was happening around him, he might have gotten a clue as to how Penny felt.
It was no secret that there had been an instant attraction that night they'd met, but the circumstances that had forced them together had been so intense it was easily explained away because of the furiously pumping adrenaline, the pain, and the drink.
Maybe because he couldn't yet admit to himself that he could move on. That he should move on. That those warm and fuzzies he felt whenever she was around weren't only because she listened to him like no one else did ( because he wouldn't open up with anyone else; his family had their own problems), or that she tucked him into the covers those nights he couldn't do it to himself, or the way she was so kind and loving with his daughter Jay...

There was a spark there he couldn't ignore, but wouldn't give into. Period. Besides the fact he was a piece of shit that could murder the woman he loved, she deserved so much better than an irresponsible drunk like him.
Though,if he had seen the way that man at the coffee cart had been flirting with her...

Penny's smile was infectious, and you could hear it in her silvery voice. Ryder couldn't help but finally let his grey-blue eyes lift to hers, and a soft chuckle escaped him as he lifted a palm to rub absently at his pounding temple. "Nothing I don't deserve. But this will help." He dropped the rubbing hand to grasp his coffee and held it up in thanks once more before taking a careful pull from the steaming cup.

When the wispy blonde confessed she had cleaned up for him (again), Ryder winced and let his gaze travel the short distance around the small apartment. True enough, the old, empty fast food litter that had covered the kitchen countertops were gone and the piled up dirty dishes gone from view. It seemed she'd even folded a basket of laundry that had been a mini mountain on his couch, and his cheeks tinted red at the thought she had definitely touched his boxer shorts. Oh for the love of...

"Fuck! I mean shit! I mean..." Ryder's eyes shifted back to hers and his face was screwed up in worry. "No. I mean I don't remember that. God, I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes..."
Ryder moved to the window and peeked out, fully expecting Sam to pull up any minute with Jaelin and probably a lecture he didn't want. And...shit. If Samara knew Penny had spent the night he was never gonna' hear the end of it! Leave it to his sisters to jump to conclusions about things they didn't know anything about.

Ryder blinked absently, staring out the window but not really seeing as he was lost in his own chaotic thoughts. "The place looks great Penny. Someday I'm gon' make all this up to you..."


WHEN EVERY BIT OF MINE IS GONE

[Penny Jolene Dovecote]

Penny hadn't met any of Ryder's sibset, she was more used to being out of there first thing in the morning but the longer things went on the more she seemed to be around. She'd helped out with the little one a few times and everything but that was generally after she had got a desperate call to grab something from the store to compensate for his empty fridge or pain killers to dull the hell in his head from the night before. She'd just shrugged it off when he seemed to react to the fact she'd cleaned his place. She wasn't bothered. She'd spent months with a guy that treated her like dirt, cleaning up after him and washing the stains out of his underpants, not just folding them. The difference was, whether Ryder saw it or not, whether he was sober or drunk as all hell, Ryder treated her better than any guy ever had done before. She watched as he headed to the window, sipping her coffee and looking around awkwardly, shrugging off his comment. "There's no need, it's fine." She took a deep breath and prepared herself. "I can go... I know you don't want your sister to get the wrong idea or anything and I don't want to be in the way or cause a fuss..."

[Ryder James Crowe]

SHES THE PERFECT SHOT OF FAITH

One thing Ryder definitely didn't feel for the quiet blonde woman in his kitchen was shame. In fact...that female over there? She was perfect. Gentle, warm, beautiful; just like a Sunday morning. Bright and full of grace and faith. Him? He was the black cloud that showed up on that cherry Sunday and hung around to hide it's warmth and light until time for the sun to sink beneath the horizon. He was an infection; like a plague. And the desperate young man knew he'd have to let the light go soon before he infected her.

But he couldn't do that. Not yet...

Ryder shook his head and turned back towards Penny. The look on her face would have broken his heart had the organ been healthy and unwounded. "I don't give a shit what Sam thinks." The hunter told her in a tone that was a tad too harsh, so he cleared his throat and tried again, this time forcing a sort-of crooked smile. "I mean Samara can think what she wants. She usually does anyway and there's no changing it. As far as being in the way? You're small and don't take up much room. If you cause a fuss I'll just put you in Jay's crib like I do when she throws a temper tantrum."

Now the sort of smile he wore bloomed into a full blown grin. It was just so damned easy with the woman. "You mind hanging out for a while? Unless you've got somewhere else to be?"


WHEN EVERY BIT OF MINE IS GONE

[Penny Jolene Dovecote]

Her grin had was probably unmatched to anything he'd ever witnessed before. It was easy to feel ashamed of herself or that Ryder would be ashamed. It was nice to hear his response purely for the fact it meant he wasn't. But the girlish giggles that came out of her were impossible to contain when it came to the way that Ryder said he was going to put her in his little girls crib. She knew that she was small but she was almost certain that she wasn't that small. "Well I guess you could do that but I'm squirmy so you'd have a good job to try and carry me in the first place plus I'm lanky so my skinny long legs would hang over the edge of the bars." She poked a tiny pink tongue out at him before her grin returned. Oh how she wished that he would get over his heartache and let her in, she was willing to give him the world if he'd only let her do so. She couldn't help these feelings that raged on within her oh so strongly. "Of course not... I have no work till tomorrow evening so I don't mind... In fact I miss your little pretty girl. Could do with some Jay Jay time!" She couldn't denied she'd bonded with the little tyke. She was so pretty and such a good child that it was hard to not grow attached to her. She longed for the mornings when her pretty little eyes would glow upon seeing Penny above her.