The Shower

[ladyhunter]

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I haven't written a Catherine/Lady Heather fic in a while. Enjoy.
Oh, and I wrote this yesterday for a friend of mine, so all mistakes are mine.
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The Shower​

She looks so fragile, so week and so empty. She is sitting there nearly naked and all I see is an empty shell of the woman she used to be.
She was not so long ago, so happy, full of life. Her red hair symbolizes her joyful spirit and love of life. Now she is a different woman all together.
The color has drained out of her face. Her pale pink lips have almost no color as well. The vibrant red hair that she is known for even looks dull and lifeless.
All I want to do is put my arms around her and comfort her. She is shivering as I place my arm around her. She barely moves as I tell her the shower is ready for her.
“I think the water is ready,” I say to her not expecting a response. I can hear the water running making a very odd sound at the moment as it begins to splash against the glass door of the shower enclosure.
“Catherine,” I quietly say as she looks up at me with empty blue eyes. “Let’s get you in the shower, you need to warm up.” My voice is low, barely above a whisper.
I clumsily fumble with getting her body from the stool next to the shower to actually standing in the shower. I couldn’t help but shed my clothes and slide myself in behind her, at first just to prop her up, but now it’s more to make sure she doesn’t fall. And who am I kidding; it’s to be there for her.
It breaks my heart to see that someone could have done this to her. In all my years of dealing with the most intimate details of people’s fantasies, I have never witnessed anyone take them out in real life, so to speak. Then to see her at my doorstep with nowhere else to go, it ruins me.

“Heather,” she gasps as I open the door to see her standing there looking so …vacant.

Here in the shower, I’m hoping to revive her, to help her, and mostly to let her know I’m here for her.
I stand behind her as the perfect temperature water spills from the shower head onto her beautiful face. She reaches her hands up and wipes it away. I watch from the corner of the small enclosure as the water washes over her. I watch as she lets the water fall on her tiny body as she is mindlessly washing away her sins if you will.
She stumbles upon stepping back from the cascade of water, “I’m here,” I say as I slide my arms underneath hers.
“Shhhh ,” I whisper, “I’ve got you,”as she falls into me. Her eyes widen and a look comes across her face as if she is going to be punished.
“It’s okay,” I tell her again, “I’ve got you.”
The look on her face changes as she attempts to stand upright.
“Thank you,” she manages to me. I nod because I know there is so much more to her words than just a simple ‘thank you’.
We stumble, her and I, in my shower as I help her finish washing herself.
I find myself stroking her back as she stands once more under the falling water. I resist the urge to do much more for I am afraid she’d shun me so I just help….
“Are we done?” I smile to her hoping to ease some of the tension out of her.
She nods to me. I quickly exit the shower as I leave the water running for her. I don’t want her to shiver again. I wrap a towel around myself and grab one for her.
My dark hair drips onto the heated floor in my personal bathroom off my bedroom. Normally I would wrap my hair to keep it from dripping all over the place, but now I’m more concerned about the red headed woman standing in my shower.
I walk over to the shower and turn off the water. Before she can protest, I reach out to her and pull her gently out of the shower and wrap a towel around her all in one move. She doesn’t have time to protest as I whisk her from the shower and next to the heater. On average, Vegas nights don’t get cold enough to warrant such a devise, I still had it installed for the rare occasions when a chill passes through the desert.

Without words, I help Catherine dry off and change into some more comfortable attire. I keep from commenting on her tiny body that seems to get smaller every time I see her. I also keep my mouth shut as to the circumstances as to why she is even here in the first place. There is a time and a place for such conversations, but this isn’t it.
So, I just help. I help her dress and tidy up her hair that seems to have been brought back to life with the shampooing it received. I can also say that her mood is better too. She doesn’t seem to be so empty, like the soothing falling water helped revitalize her.
After she dressed, I walk her silently out of the bathroom and into my personal bedroom. It’s my bed and my room. Normally, I have guest room for such occasions, but I feel that I need to be right there for her, so I offer my personal space to her.
I turn down the covers of my king-sized bed. I don’t say a word, just extend my hand in a motion for her to get into the bed. She does. I slide the covers up over her body up to her chin. I smile as I find myself flashing momentarily back to tucking my daughter Zoe in when she was about 5 years old.
She looks content, peaceful and almost happy. Her eyes are on the verge of closing as she looks up at me. I don’t say anything, there is no need. I watch as a smile forms on her face while her eyes flick closed. I want to walk out and leave her to rest peacefully. But I can’t.
Instead, I find myself walking over to the other side of the bed. Her eyes flutter open as I lean on the other side of the bed. I look to her for a sign that it’s okay for me to join her in the bed. Her eyes signal me to get in. I don’t hesitate.
I crawl into my bed, on the side I don’t normally sleep on. Catherine rolls to her side and I spoon up next to her. She doesn’t protest, but grabs my arm and pulls it around her. I find myself feeling very comfortable as I watch her drift off to sleep.
I feel the warmth of her body next to mine. It feels good. My eyes are now on the verge of closing. I smile again. I never thought Catherine Willows would be in my bed, let alone at my door. But here we are. And I wouldn’t change it for the world.