The Owl and the Angel

Chapter 7

A/N: Parker has a potty mouth... and she really needs to pay more attention when people talk to her.

Parker had not expected Cox to spend the night with her. Really. Even after their initial… "lovemaking" she figured he would go home at some point that evening. But he had joined her in bed after taking a shower and had gone to sleep. He hadn't left during the night. They had woken around 8 that morning and they had spent another two hours in bed together before they needed to find food.

Cox left her in bed to take another shower. After that, he went to the kitchen. He found her waffle iron that she had misplaced months ago and had a stack of waffles and a pot of coffee ready when she finally emerged from her bedroom.

"Good morning, my dear. You look well rested." Parker wondered if that was a euphemism for her bed head and lack of make up. Tommy had been the last one to see her like this.

Cox, on the other hand, had straightened himself up. His shirt was still unbuttoned but he was dressed in his khaki shorts from the day before. He had combed his hair again which had been quite messed up when he had gotten up from bed that morning.

"And you look like you've made yourself at home." Parker raised her eyebrow at him. Cox simply smirked and pulled out a chair for her at the kitchen table. He couldn't resist breathing in the subtle remnants of her perfume from the day before as she sat in her chair.

"I hope you don't mind. I was hungry and wanted to make us a nice breakfast."

"It looks great. Thank you." He placed a plate in front of her and she started to eat. He watched her over his cup of coffee as she ate her breakfast silently.

He sat beside her and took her hand. "My dear, I'm under no illusion about this relationship. I know you detest me and I know that you are being coerced into this marriage. But I do not want you to think that I do not cherish you or that I do not treasure you. I will win you over. I am completely taken by you." He kissed her hand and smiled warmly (as warmly as she had ever seen from him).

Parker wasn't so certain but she went with it and dutifully finished eating her waffles and eggs. She half expected them to be laced with something, but she was just being paranoid.

"Thank you for breakfast, Cox. Are you going home soon?" She needed him to leave so she could process the last 24 hours. Parker stood to gather the dishes. She may not be as OCD as her twin, but she liked her house to be clean and in order.

Cox sat back in his chair to watch her as she moved about the kitchen. He did think she was stunning and he loved to take advantage of every opportunity to observe her. "I have a few things to take care of. Do you mind if I start bringing some of my things over this week?"

Parker had been dreading this ever since they had decided to live here in her house. It was a physical reminder that this is not a dream and that this marriage was actually happening. "That would be fine. I suppose I should give you a key in case I'm not here. You will be living here soon enough. If you want to unload boxes or whatever you have, you can use the garage or the empty bedroom. I've been meaning to set it up as a guest room but never got around to it. If you want it as an office, you can have it." The only guest she had had in the last six years was Debbie Broots.

"That would be wonderful. I'll look at some buildings to find something suitable for the backyard. We will make this work, my dear, if we only cooperate. I think we're off to a good start."

Parker smiled weakly at him. Cooperation. That was the new Centre mantra. Cooperation as long as you were cooperating with what Raines wanted. Otherwise, you were fucked. She dutifully parroted back the party line. "Cooperation is key. It will all be fine as long as we work together." She didn't really believe it. Parker was also under no illusions about this relationship. She had no idea where Cox's true loyalty was- her father, Raines, or the Triumvirate. Or to her brother. Or someone else entirely. So even in her own home, she needed to act like the good girl she always was and stay outwardly loyal to the Centre.

She was already exhausted and they weren't even married yet.

Cox smiled and rose to kiss her. She kissed him back, there was no point in resisting now. They had already had sex three times in the last twelve hours. And it really wasn't as repulsive as she had predicted.

He found the bruise on her shoulder and gently sucked in it. Parker wondered if he would ever let it heal. She moaned and ran her hands across his bare chest. He whispered sweet nothings in her ear. He pushed her against the refrigerator. She pulled on his hair and kissed him. She pushed him gently toward the bedroom as he unbuttoned his pants.

He was not as gentle this time around but Parker was not complaining. Cox rested his head on her chest as he caught his breath. Parker played with his hair and closed her eyes. She really needed to process everything. There were a lot of conflicting emotions and thoughts and she needed to get her head straight.

He laid beside her and looked deeply in her eyes. "I could love you, Parker. Truly. I hope one day you feel the same about me." He wished he had time to properly court her, he was old fashioned like that. But circumstances being what they were, he would have to make do with what little time they did have before the ceremony. That is, if things didn't go as planned in the next few days. Parker didn't know anything about this, of course, and she never would. Not if he could help it.

"I'm getting there. And I don't detest you, Cox. Honestly, I don't know you well enough to truly detest you. Give me time so I can get to know you better so I can detest you properly." She smirked at him and he retaliated by straddling her again and biting her unbruised shoulder. She shrieked in surprise and nearly kicked him off of her.

Once he recovered from his initial shock Cox pounced on her again and pinned her hands above her head. She whined and squirmed, but the doctor was stronger than she anticipated and had used speed to surprise her. Parker wasn't getting up until he let her.

"Do you have something to say to me, my dear?" Parker shook her head defiantly. "Hmm, very well. Perhaps I'll just tie you up like this for a while and come back later. Give you some time to think about what you should say to me?" She looked at his menacing expression, clear blue eyes looking directly at her.

"Would you do that? Just leave me here?"

"Not if you say what I want you to say."

Parker giggled and tried to get up again. "Okay, please let me up." Cox shook his head. "I'm sorry that I kicked you."

Cox smirked at her. "And? Anything else, my dear?"

Parker grinned at him, she could play the game too. "I am sorry that I was teasing you."

He leaned down and kissed her. "Apology accepted."

Parker's face softened. "We'll get there, Cox. It may take some time though. But we're not doing so badly at this point. We haven't killed each other yet."

"I could never do that. Maim, perhaps, but not kill." Cox smirked and kissed her again. He finally let go of her wrists and he kissed each one in apology. She smiled up at him. He was quickly wearing her down and she had to admit, but only to herself, that it was easier this way. Easier to smile and give in than to fight him. She was tired of being stubborn and difficult.

"I do have to be going, dear. I have a few things to tend to at my condo and my parents want to come down this afternoon. You can come over if you like. They want to meet you."

Parker didn't know about that. Meeting her future in-laws? She had enough daddy issues without adding a father-in-law to the mix. "That sounds like fun. What time?" What the hell. May as well jump right in.

Cox stood and pulled her up into a sitting position. "Around 3. We'll have something to eat around 5 or 6 and probably play cards or something equally mundane." He straightened his clothes and buttoned his shirt. His hair was a lost cause again but he did the best he could to flatten it.

"Okay, I'll be there. Can I bring anything?"

"No, just be there. I can't wait." Cox smiled at her and kissed her again. "I will see you soon, my dear. Have a good morning." He left after one more kiss and Parker sank back into her bed after she heard the front door shut.

"What the fuck am I doing?"

The rest of the day passed by in a blur for Miss Parker. She cleaned up around her house and tried to sort out her thoughts about Cox and the fact that she was supposed to meet his parents in just a few hours. She had never been close enough to anyone to meet their parents. Except Tommy but his parents were already gone. He had been excited to meet her family… and that had certainly backfired for him.

But she knew that wouldn't be the case for her. His family was exceedingly normal. His father was a mortician, his mother a schoolteacher. His sisters were married with kids. He was the youngest of four children, the only son.

Miss Parker couldn't help the feeling of jealousy as she watched Mrs. Cox dote on her son, filling his plate with more food as he tried to get up and wash the dishes. "Mother, please sit down. I can't eat another bite. Go into the living room and relax. Dad and I will take care of this." He was sweet to her, he kissed her cheek every time one of them left the room, they were constantly smiling and laughing. While the men cleaned the dishes, Miss Parker and Mrs. Cox sat in the living room and Mrs. Cox filled what could have been an awkward silence with a conversation about an old family friend who used to visit them years ago.

Miss Parker only half listened to Mrs. Cox, who insisted that she wanted to be called Miriam. If she had truly been listening to Miriam, she would have been shocked to hear what her future mother-in-law had to say about her best friend, Catherine, who had died thirty years ago. Parker only heard bits and pieces as she looked around in the living room, as the random assortment of raccoons and rabbits stared back at them with their glass eyes.

Coming soon: Raines' days are numbered.