The Little One

A/N: Well, my finals are done... I have many a plan for Anne and Sean, heh-heh.

Enjoy and, as always, review! (Just keep my previous comments about reviews in mind!)

sugarkisses

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11.

“I’ll Stand By You” ~ The Pretenders

Oh, why you look so sad
The tears are in your eyes, come on and come to me now
Don’t be ashamed to cry
Let me see you through, cause I’ve seen the dark side, too
When the night falls on you, and you don’t know what to do
Nothing you confess could make me love you less

I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you

So, if you’re mad, get mad
Don’t keep it all inside
Come on and talk to me now
Hey, what you got to hide?
I get angry too, well I’m a lot like you
When you’re standing at the crossroads, don’t know which path to choose
Let me come along, cause even if you’re wrong


I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you
Take me into your darkest hour
And I’ll never desert you
I’ll stand by you

And when the night falls on you baby
You’re feeling all alone
You won’t be on your own

I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you

I’ll stand by you
Take me into your darkest hour
And I’ll never desert you
I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you

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Something felt wrong from the moment that she woke up the next morning.

Anne awoke with a start as the alarm went off: being closest to it this morning, she reached out and silenced it. Although it was time to get up, she didn’t want to separate her body from Sean’s… he had spooned himself against her back the night before, as they had fallen asleep for the second time, and his body was so warm…

Anne wasn’t sure what was bothering her… she just felt… off. She lay there in Sean’s embrace until Viggo called: it amazed her that Sean never red red at the sound of the alarm, but he always answered Viggo’s early morning calls.

She hopped out of bed as her lover spoke with his friend, going to the bathroom and relieving herself before she returned to the bedroom and got dressed. Anne was glad that Lisa and Melinda were bringing her clothing today, she was being forced to wear the same shirt for the second time this week.

“No, Vig, I don’t think she would mind at all…”

“What wouldn’t I mind?” Anne queried, putting her socks and shoes on.

“Vig and Orli were thinking about coming out for Lisa’s birthday with us, sort of a triple date… You wouldn’t mind, would you?”

“Not at all” Anne breathed, walking over to where Sean sat in bed and kissing his cheek. “How about I go and make us some coffee, hm?”

“That’ll be great, love…” Sean paused, turning his head as he listened to Viggo on the other end. “What? No, I wasn’t talking to you… Oh, piss off, Vig”

Anne giggled, reaching out to tousle Sean’s hair and then leaving the room. “Coffee in ten minutes” she called out behind herself.

The kitchen felt cold this morning: winter was still with them even if they didn’t want it to be. Anne went to the pantry and got the coffee out, carrying it to the counter by the sink. She rinsed the empty pot out and filled it with cold water, gazing out the window that looked upon the back yard.

A few moments later, the coffee was brewing and she was still looking outside… Her eyes swept over the bushes that lined the back yard…

Anne wasn’t sure what compelled her to do it, but she walked to the back door of the house and stepped out onto the grass, peering around… The same sensation, the one that had consumed her in the trailer corridor the evening before, struck her again. The hair on the back of her neck went up: there was something different about the bushes.

She approached the foliage slowly, cautiously… It was the space between the third and fourth bush: it was larger. An abnormal amount of dead sprigs were on the ground between them, far too many to have simply fallen off. Anne’s mind began to race, her heart jumped into her throat…

Someone had been here, hiding in these bushes…

Sean, dressed in jeans and a dark gray shirt, meandered into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee: he was tired and he needed a boost of caffeine to keep himself awake. He blew on his hot drink and sipped, the window right in front of him…

He had no idea what she was doing in the yard, especially on such a cold morning: he decided to investigate, going to the back door and stepping outside. The grass was still wet with dew, so that his approach was silent… Thinking that he could tease her, Sean waited until he was right behind her to speak… “Anne?” Sean called, his voice low.

She had been buried in her fearful thougho deo deeply that Sean’s call jolted her system: Anne screamed and whirled around, stumbling backward and nearly falling.

Sean jumped forward to catch her, managing to save her from hitting the ground and spilling his coffee on his stomach in the process. “Ah! Shite!” he swore, pulling his mug away from his body and hers, holding it at arms length: the liquid was hot as it penetrated through the cloth to his stomach. “Fuck!” he yelled in pain, looking at her. “What are you doing out here?!”

“I… I saw a bird and I came out to get a better look at it…” Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was gasping for breath. Sean had completely startled her out of her skin… but she forgot her own concerns as she realized that Sean had spilled coffee on himself: worry swarmed her that he may have hurt himself trying to keep her from falling. “Oh, god, I’m sorry, Sean…”

“I’m all right” Sean replied. “Just need to change this shirt. Can you take this for a second?” he queried, handing her his coffee cup.

Anne accepted it and followed him back into the house, shutting the back door and feeling more regret with every step she took. She left his cup on the kitchen counter and went with him into the bedroom… “I’m really sorry, Sean”

“I’m okay” Sean answered once more, going to his closet: he pulled his sta shi shirt off and tossed it to the carpet, gazing down at his stomach. There was a red spot, about two inches in diameter, on his skin: thankfully, it was nothing more than an irritation. “I’m going to kill that fucking bird if I ever see him, though… I could have really burned myself…” He turned to her, thinking that he would tease her a bit more, whatwhat he saw stopped him in his tracks. Anne was crying, tears spilling from her eyes as he watched. “Love, I told you before, I’m okay…”

“Sean, I…” she croaked. Anne couldn’t stop herself: she moved forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him close.

“Hey” Sean soothed, returning her embrace, “I’m all right, sweetheart… don’t cry…”

Anne couldn’t help it, her nerves had been on edge from the get go… she sobbed and pressed her face against his chest, shaking with her tears. “I just… I… oh, god…”

He knew that they should be on their way to the set, but his heart overrode his mind: picking her up into his arms, Sean carried her to the bed and laid down with her, holding her close and whispering, “I’m all right… It was an accident…”

“Sean, I…” Anne paused, swallowing hard. She was in turmoil, unsure of whether or not she should reveal her suspicions to him. “Sean, I need to tell you something, but I want you to promise me that you won’t fly off the handle…”

Sean stiffened: he knew that tone, she only used it when she was speaking about that bastard, Jake. “I can’t promise that” he replied, “I can only promise you that I’ll try not to…”

Sniffling, Anne pulled back and looked at him. “I think… I think that someone was standing in the bushes last night…”

He frowned, pressing her for information. “What are you talking about?”

“There was no bird” Anne confessed, leaning forward and resting her cheek on his skin. “I only said that because I was afraid that you would get angry… It looks like someone was standing between two of the bushes out in the yard: there are needles all over the ground…”

“Like someone was spying on us” Sean finished. “You think it was him, don’t you?”

“I don’t know” Anne admitted, “I just… It was the first thing I thought of…”

Sean was up out of the bed in a heartbeat, and, before Anne could stop him, he was moving through the house and out into the back yard. Anne followed him, pausing at the threshold of the back door and watching as Sean approached the two bushes in question.

He saw what she was referring to: each of the bushes had some stray needles beneath them, but there was an abundance on the ground between two of them that simply didn’t look normal… Squatting down, Sean peered at the ground closely, hoping to find a shoe print or something else that would warrant calling the police on this matter, but there was nothing.

Sean stood up once more and returned to the house, pausing just in front of Anne. “If it was him, he didn’t leave anything behind…”

She nodded: she had been thinking about getting the police involved as well, but she didn’t think that they would take it seriously. “We should get to work” Anne stated.

“I’m going to talk to Polly, explain that you need to have someone around you at all times” Sean proclaimed, entering the house once more. He shut the door behind him and locked it, then walked past Anne and back into his bedroom.

Anne was right behind him. “Sean, don’t…”

“You can’t be serious” Sean answered, going to his closet and grabbing another dark gray shirt from one of the hangers. He slid his arms into it and pulled it over his head. “Anne, she has to know… I don’t think it’s safe for you to be alone on the set”

“What’s she going to do, have someone baby-sit me? That’s ridiculous…”

“Are you daft?!” Sean asked, looking at her. “You know what this bloke is capable of, Anne! I don’t wyou you to get hurt!”

“I know that!” Anne replied, tears threatening her once more, “but treating me like a kid isn’t going to solve anything!”

Sean was beside himself: didn’t she understand where he was coming from? “I’m not trying to treat you like a fucking kid, I’m trying to protect you, you daft woman!”

Anne couldn’t take it: she stormed out of the room and went to the kitchen, grabbing her purse from the counter and moving towards the front door…

Sean was right on her heels, though: before she could get the door open, he had taken hold of her right upper arm and spun her around, placing his hands one on either side of her head so that he had effectively trapped her against the portal. “I’m not going to stand for this, Anne… look at me” emanemanded.

She was too upset, too afraid to obey him… After all, Anne knew that Sean was angry with her, and she feared his ire.

He grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her head up so that their eyes met. “Maybe I didn’t say it right, I don’t fucking know, but the only reason that I want to talk to Polly is because I love you, Anne… I fucking love you and I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you… Can you understand that?”

Anne was sha now now, clutching her purse against her chest.

Sean lowered his head, trying his best to find the right words for what he was feeling. “You are… everything to me, love… I would rather die than see you come to harm. I know that this sounds crazy, but I’ve never felt like this before, I’ve never loved a woman the way that I love you… I’m not trying to cause you embarrassment on the set, I just want to protect you.” He lifted his head and looked into her eyes, his heart aching to see that she was still crying…

But they weren’t tears of sadness: his confession had touched her soul, filled her once more with the realization that he was everything that she had ever wanted. Anne leaned forward, gently pressing her lips to his: Sean released a deep sigh, and the next thing that she knew, he was kissing her deeply, his hands in her hair, his tongue making love to hers.

When he finally let her up, she was breathless, her lips swollen from his kiss. Sean had shifted so that he was now kissing her neck, his body completely pressed to hers.

“We’ll be late” she warned, dropping her purse to the floor.

“Do you really care?” Sean intoned, his right hand pulling her shirt from her jeans and snaking under it to caress her breasts.

Anne shook her head and slowly genuflected before him, reaching up and undoing his belt and fly.

Sean braced his hands against the door and groaned as she took his cock into her mouth, his head going back and his eyes closing with bliss. She was so giving… god, it felt so good… “Anne” Sean protested weakly.

“No” she answered, leaning back and stroking him as she spoke, “You can’t tell me such wonderful things and then expect me not to worship you, Sean… Let me have at you, please?”

He nodded briskly: he couldn’t deny her, not when she sucked him in a way that told him that she adored him with all of her heart. She was moving her lips up and down his shaft, her tongue tracing his every ridge… Other women had given him head, but with nowhere near this much pure affection. Sean realized, at that moment, that although Anne was skilled at sucking, that wasn’t what got him off again and again… it was the tenderness, the raw love that she poured into the act that undid him. She was looking up at him now, her eyes expressing her adoration for him as he watched his cock slide in and out of her mouth.

Sean couldn’t hold back any longer: he came with a sharp grunt, feeling her swallow his seed and tenderly milk him through his orgasm until he felt absolutely legless. Once Anne released him, he slid down to his knees, capturing her face in his hands and kissing her.

“Love you” he gasped, stroking her cheek with his palm. “Love you so much…”

Anne knew that they should be leaving for work, but she found herself helping him get her shoes and socks off, followed by her jeans. They kissed deeply as Sean laid her down on the carpet and spread her legs…

She cried out happily as he entered her, her moan being captured by his lips. Matching his thrusts one after another, she sucked upon his tongue and dug her fingers into his hair.

It was possession, plain and simple: Sean was claiming her, but he was also offering himself to her at the same time. Pleasure was mounting in her belly with his every stroke.

“Sweetheart” Sean groaned, licking a long, hot path from her shoulder to her left ear, “Oh, fuck, I want to come with you…”

Anne whined in response, clutching his shoulders. “Sean…”

“Come with me” he entreated, his lips by her ear. “I need you to come around my cock, baby… Fuck, baby, please…”

She was already on the edge: his request only served to push her over. Digging her nails into his flesh, she arched her back and came, her inner muscles contracting hard around his cock.

“Oh, god, yes… That’s it…” Sean bellowed: he let go at that moment, his own orgasm rushing through his body as he spent himself inside of her. Sean spasmed from head to toe, the bliss so white hot that colors flashed behind his eyelids.

This was who they were together, perfection…

Sean rolled them onto their sides and kissed her gently, smiling between gasps. “We’re going to be late…” he noted.

“Oh well” Anne replied, nuzzling his lips with her own. “We needed that”

He chuckled deeply, hugging her against his body. “Yes, well… I suppose that we had better get going before Viggo calls us”

“Are you going to talk to Polly alone?”

“I think that would be best… You can sit with Vig and Orli while I do that”

Anne nodded, pressing a soft kiss to his chest. “You really are wonderful, you know that?”

“Not nearly as wonderful as you, love… Now, come on, we have to get going before they send out a search party…”

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“Took you two long enough” Viggo stated, smirking as Sean and Anne approached the practice area. Viggo had been waiting for Sean to arrive: they were sparring partners. He had a sneaking suspicion what had made them show up so late, but he didn’t say anything. “I don’t like being kept waiting…”

“Piss off” Sean growled, walking up to Viggo. “Look, Vig” Sean continued, lowering his voice, “I need to take care of something… I’m going to leave Anne with you fro a few minutes…”

“What’s wrong?” Viggo inquired, sensing that there was something amiss by his friend’s tone.

“I don’t have time to explain right now, Vig” Sean replied. “Just stay with her a minute, all right?”

Viggo looked from Sean to Anne, unsure of what to do. “I… Sure…”

“Hey!” Orli cried, bounding up to his friends, his short sword in his right hand, “So, are we set for tonight?”

“Not now, Orli” Viggo answered, rag hig his hand to shush his friend.

“I’ll be back” Sean promised Anne, turning to he and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You stay with Vig”

Anne nodded: she watched as Sean walked away, heading straight for where Polly sat at a picnic table.

“What’s going on?” Orli asked. “You’re acting like a poof, Vig”

Anne couldn’t hear what was being said, but she saw Sean walk up to Polly and exchange a few words before they walked off with one another, ostensibly to discuss Anne’s situation in private.

“Anne” Viggo breathed, gazing at her. “What happened?”

Turning to peer at Viggo, she was accosted by the concern and sadness on his face: before she could stop herself, she was crying once more.

“You poor thing” Viggo whispered, handing his sword to Orli. The younger man took the weapon as Viggo grasped Anne’s hand and led her over to a folding chair. Anne sat down and he knelt before her, resting his hands on her knees. “What happened, Anne?”

“I don’t know” Anne replied, wiping at her eyes.

“Anne…”

“I really don’t know, Vig, it’s hard to explain… When I got up this morning, something just felt wrong… I went into the kitchen to make coffee and I was looking at the backyard… I can’t prove anything, but I thought there was something wrong with the bushes, it looked like someone had been standing between them, spying on us and…”

“Jake” Orli whispered, peering at Anne.

She shook her head. “I don’t know, but I got spooked and then Sean… he got angry and I got even more spooked…”

“He has that effect” Viggo soothed, smiling at her.

“Now he doesn’t want me to be alone on the set, that’s why he’s talking to Polly” Anne squeaked, sniffling.

“I can’t blame him” Orli stated. “He wants to make sure that you’ll be safe”

Viggo sighed, turning his head towards his young friend. “Orli, take a walk for a minute, huh?”

Orli’s brow knitted in confusion. “What? Why?”

“I’d like to talk to Anne alone for a moment, that’s why…”

Orli nodded, resting Viggo’s sword on the ground beside him. “Okay…”

Viggo waited until Orli was a few tics away to speak to her, and even then, he whispered. “Orli doesn’t understand, Anne… but I can tell that you’re feeling helpless. You love Sean, but the way that he’s stepping in with Polly has you pissed”

Anne laughed sourly. “How did you know?”

Viggo chuckled and patted her knees. “I know how he is, Anne… I’ve been around him long enough to know what happens when he gets an idea into his head. It’s frustrating, I know, but Orli was right when he said that Sean is trying to protect you”

“I know, Vig… Honestly, I don’t know how to feel about it: I mean, I’m crazy for him and I appreciate what he’s trying to do for me…”

“I know, honey. You see… I’ve never seen him this happy, and you guys shouldn’t let Jake ruin that for you: you know that, and so does Sean, it’s just… sometimes he gets so full of emotion that he loses himself, you know?”

Anne nodded. “Believe me, I know, Vig”

“What I’m trying to say, hon, is that you shouldn’t be upset with him. Sean is doing what he thinks is best, and if you’re right about your suspicions, then I don’t doubt that he’s doing the right thing. Believe it or not, we all like you around here, and we wouldn’t want to see you leave”

Sniffling, Anne managed a small smile. “Thanks, Vig… I know that Sean gives you a hard time, but you really are full of wisdom”

Viggo grinned and patted her knees. “Funny how that works, isn’t it?”

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“So, what do you need to talk to me about?” Polly inquired, gazing up at Sean.

The two of them had taken their conversation inside of a small trailer that was vacant, the normal inhabitants out working on the set. Sean dug his hands into his pockets and gazed at the floor.

“Polly… Anne has been very nervous lately…”

“So I noticed: I have a feeling it’s because of how serious you two are”

Sean sighed. “Someone on the set has been causing trouble for her”

Polly had been leaning against the side of the trai but but she stood up straight when she heard this. “What? Who?”

“Look, Polly… This person was dating Anne when she first came here: things didn’t go well between them and he left for a while, but now he’s back and… well, I can’t prove anything, but I think that he may be following her around…” Sean paused, looking at Polly.

The older woman appeared to be furious. “Jake” she hissed, remembering having seen Anne witm dum during the first weeks in Australia, before the group came to New Zealand. “She would never tell me what happened between them”

“I don’t want to break her trust” Sean replied. “I can only tell you that he hurt her, and she has been feeling spooked for a while now… What I’m proposing is… I think that Anne should have someone with her at all times, just to make sure that she’s safe. My concern could just be paranoia, I don’t know, but I don’t want to take any chances”

Polly nodded in agreement. “I think you’re right… Between myself and the other girls, I think that we can have someone with her when she’s on the set: better yet, I can talk to Charlie, Jake’s boss…”

“I’ve mentioned that to her, but she doesn’t want it: she thinks it’ll make things worse. I’ve never met this bloke, but knowing what I do, I can’t say that she’s wrong.”

Releasing a deep sigh, Polly replied, “Yeah… I just wish that she had come to me about this earlier”

“She was afraid that it would jeopardize her job to tell you…”

“She can be so silly at times” Polly guffawed, shaking her head. “You know, she’s lucky to have you, Sean: she needs you to help her protect herself”

Sean chuckled and crossed him arms over his chest. “I wish you’d tell her that”

“Oh, I will” Polly promised. “Tell you what, I’ll keep someone with her at all times if you two promise to keep me in the loop about what happens from here on in”

“Sounds fair to me” Sean agreed.

“Good… Now, let’s get back to that little brat of ours who goes by the name of Anne, huh?”

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Anne hadn’t been able to ask Sean how his conversation with Polly went when he returned: Viggo and he had to get started on their sparring. Polly wasn’t saying much either, so that by the time that the group broke for lunch, Anne felt like she could burst from curiosity.

She took another private lunch with Sean: this one was outside since it was a fairly nice day. They bought sandwiches from the catering cart and found a seat on the ground by the Cuntebago. The grass was dry and soft beneath them.

“So?” Anne inquired, chewing a small bite of her sandwich.

“So what?” Sean asked, taking a drink from his soda can.

“You know what” she answered. “I’m beginning to think that you delight in making me nervous”

“Oh, belt up” Sean teased. “If you remember, you didn’t even want me to talk with her”

“And you did it anyway, so why don’t you tell me what she said?”

Sean looked at her, raising his eyebrow. “You have a lot of nerve, you do… I shouldn’t even tell you”

“Oh, come on!” Anne shrieked, playfully slapping his shoulder. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” Sean inquired, smiling. “You’re a mite too small to be threatening me”

“Yes, but I have things that you… want” she breathed, giving him a devilish grin.

“I’m flattered, love, you know I am, but not here… I think about half of the set would want us thrown out and the other half would want to watch. If some of the people around here saw what you were getting, they’d be jealous”

Anne snorted. “Now you’re flattering yourself… Fine, don’t tell me: I’ll get you back”

Sean shrugged his shoulders and took a bite of his sandwich. “I don’t know: that sounds interesting to me…”

She rolled her eyes: his innuendo was never-ending. “Whatever… So, are we still going out with the others tonight?”

He took another bite of his sandwich. “That’s up to you… What do you want to do?”

“Well, I promised Melinda and Lisa that I would go but that was before all of this… Right now, I think that I’d just like to go home with you and watch a movie”

Sean nodded. “I was thinking the same, but I didn’t want it to look like I was telling you what to do”

She sipped from her soda: despite the fact that it was a fairly warm day considering the time of year, Anne scooted closer to him until her left thigh was pressed to his right.

“You know, it’s difficult to eat when a girl’s trying to climb on your lap” Sean joked, chuckling.

“Sorry, Seannie… I’ve never had the experience, so I guess I don’t understand…”

“I have to admit, it’s surprisingly pleasant, though...”

Anne sat close to him as he finished his sandwich, her own only half-eaten.

“Aren’t you going to eat that, darling?” Sean inquired.

She shook her head. “I’m not hungry: I’ll take a cigarette, though”

Sean took his cigarettes from his pocket and handed one to her, lighting it before he got his own. “Did you have a good talk with Viggo?”

“You mean this morning? Yes, actually. I know that he drives you crazy sometimes, but he’s quite level headed. He could tell that I was jumpy, I guess.” Anne inhaled from her cigarette and then released the smoke, leaning her head onto Sean’s shoulder. “He just wanted to remind me that you’re trying to protect me for my own good”

“Really?” Sean asked, blowing smoke toward the sky. “Well, I’ll be damned… He’s not a complete pain in the ass…”

“He’s a good friend” Anne retorted. “You two give each other a hard time, but you really like each other”

“Yeah, well… Don’t get any ideas about inviting him into our bed” Sean warned jokingly. “As nice as he is, I’m not willing to share you with him”

“What are these suspicions?” Anne teased. “Sean, you’re more than enough for me…”

“Sorry, love… jealousy is part of my nature. I see you, so attractive and sweet, and what with Viggo being a poet… I start worrying”

“You have nothing to worry about” she responded, resting against him. “I love you and only you, Sean”

Shifting a bit, he slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, resting his chin on the top of her head. “I’m glad: I could write poems for you, but they’d probably be so horrible that you’d cry”

“I’ll take your word for it”

Sean chuckled and rubbed his hand over her back. “Finish your cigarette, darling: they’ll be wanting us back soon”

Anne sighed unhappily. “Too bad I like this job: I’d much rather spend the afternoon in your arms”

“Don’t tempt me, darling… that sounds much better than swinging a sword around my head”

“I’m just glad that tomorrow is Saturday and we can spend the whole day in bed…”

“You’re being a tease” he warned.

“It’s not my intention to be… I just can’t wait to be alone with you again” Anne took another drag from her cigarette and brushed the top of her head against his chin. “I feel safe with you: that is, when you aren’t angry”

“Even when I’m angry, I could never hurt you, Anne” Sean replied, finishing his cigarette and putting it out in his empty soda can.

“I know” Anne whispered, leaning over and depositing her own cigarette in the same can. “Well, shall we?”

Sean nodded regretfully. “Yeah… All that interesting stuff will have to wait until later…”

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TBC