Finding Kate

Chapter Ten: Grave Young Men

We all begin with good intent
Love was raw and young
We believed that we could change ourselves
The past could be undone
But we carry on our backs the burden
Time always reveals
In the lonely light of morning
In the wound that would not heal
It's the bitter taste of losing everything
That I've held so dear.
I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...

Sarah McLachlan – Fallen

A loud shrill noise was piercing through his aching skull as he opened one eye lazily eyeing his vibrating cell phone with malice. His whole body was protesting as he rolled on his side to grab the offending item, meaning he'd got a pretty good work out the night before. He also had just realized he was entirely naked, which meant he'd brought someone home with him. His phone was in his hands now and he was squinting at the caller ID trying to ignore the pounding in his head.

"Make the noise stop." A voice commanded from underneath the sheets.

Tim froze, taking a few seconds for his groggy brain to accept that there was someone else in the bed with him. He frowned at the familiar shape before turning his attention back to the noise that was assaulting his senses almost violently.

Great now he had someone to go through the awkward morning after routine with. Someone annoying and demanding by the sound of it. He narrowed his eyes staring at the caller ID and trying to make out the tiny digital words.

Megan.

Tim pressed disconnect before flicking the phone onto silent and off vibrate. Yet another problem he had to face. She'd probably heard about the shootout yesterday and watched to come by to play nurse. He knew who he wanted to play nurse and it wasn't that curly haired harpy.

Tim found himself sighing at the memory of Kate in a nurse's outfit from way, way back. He had to admit it had been a complete turn on when she'd stepped into their bedroom wearing the tiny white uniform with matching white stockings. It sent shivers up and down his spine remembering that now.

The girl next to him made a groaning noise, reminding Tim that she was still there and it was no the time to be reminiscing over his ex girlfriend. He took a deep breath trying to figure out how to handle this. He remembered very little besides doing shots at the bar and selective images of some one's flesh melding against his.

A one night stand...

He hadn't done that in a very long time.

The girl in question was slivering towards him under the covers, her face turned the opposite way so he couldn't catch a glimpse of it. Shit he didn't even catch a name.

Tim was alarmed by how close the girl was getting now, she was trying to snuggle against him and that was not something he felt comfortable with especially not from a stranger. So he tried to scoot away discreetly, catching sight of the hair underneath the covers and swallowing hard.

Shit he'd picked up a girl who looked like Kate, or at least had the same kind of hair. He was mentally thumping himself in the forehead. He'd made that a taboo in the past, never pick up a girl who looked remotely like the woman who'd broken his heart. It was too painful...

She was getting closer now and Tim found himself already hanging over the edge of the bed with nowhere to go.

"You keep doing that then your gonna fall out of the bed."

Tim was speechless as the female next to him, rolled on to her back, throwing her arm over her head and tilting her face up towards him.

Kate.