In another world, another time

It couldn't be helped, it won't be assuaged...

Standing to his full height once more, Bill looked over Rick's shoulder.

"Leave."

He hesitated for nothing but a moment, then turned around and left the office that Bill would ensure would never belong to him anymore.

"Bye bye now!" Steffy yelled out as Rick slammed the door.

Stretching his neck, Bill proceeded to cage the beast once more.

The wildness within him refused to bow down easily, latching onto her presence as a tether. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths, reinforcing the bars on his cage.

If he had been more aware of his surroundings as he undertook this feat, perhaps he would have sensed her move closer. But as it was....

He didn't.

He felt the heat of her invade his personal space like a heat wave.

"That was fun," she stated, moving to stand next to him.

"Not as much fun as the rest of it will be," he stated.

"You and your never ending plans of one upping everyone."

"As is expected."

"Of course." She chuckled.

Moving back to sit in one of the armchairs in the room he presumed, Steffy asked him the question he knew everyone was dying to know.

"Tell me, how did you do it?"

"No."

"Come on Bill."

Turning to face her, he saw the concern on her face before she quickly rose from the chair, moving towards him quickly.

"You're bleeding," she said, telling him something he already knew.

"I know."

Coming to stand directly in front of him, no more than a meter away, her hand rose towards his face.

The atmosphere of the room had already undergone a state of conversion the moment she had stepped into the room. Now it proceeded to add dimensions to this conversion, making him more aware of her presence than ever before, of the accurate distance between her fingers and his face as it lessened.

Just as before, her hand halted in it's journey a finger-breadth away from his face, the beast stretching itself in remembrance, the heat penetrating his skin once more.

Her eyes were fixed on her hand, his eyes were fixed on her, and he wondered....