Duplicity

Dodici

Mature Content

I woke up in scorching water.

My clothes were still on, but I was in a tub of water, my shoulders being held down by Niall.  I thrashed, and cried, wanting to get out, but he offered no reassurance, just a clinical once over.

"I-It's too hot!" I cried.  "Let me go!  Let me go!"

"It's actually lukewarm. If I don't get your body temperature up, you could possibly die from hypothermia."

I then realized that while I felt like I was sitting in a boiling bath of water, my teeth were still chattering, and I was still shivering.  I had never experienced anything like this before, and the thought of ever going outside in the snow again made me feel a bit ill.  I honestly thought that I was going to die out there, and I would have if Harry hadn't found me.

"D-did you f-find that man?"  He nodded quickly, taking my arm to have me stand up while he unplugged the drain.  

"He's dead."  Dirty water began to sink as Niall began tugging at my sweater, but I shoved him away, not that it did much, in alarm. 

"What are you doing?"

"The less clothes you have on, the faster your body will warm up," he said, this time successfully removing my sweater. I'm left in my cardigan and jeans, which I began to take off when he waved at the water.  "The fastest way to get your body temperature up would be sitting naked with another person, but Boss didn't like that idea very much," Niall grinned at me for the first time since I've met him, but his face is blank again before I could comprehend it.  "Just one more bath with warmer water and then you can rest."

"Where's Harry? What day is it?" I asked him, suddenly alarmed at the amount of time I could have lost.

"He's...dealing with things and it's about four in the morning right now, so you've only been out a couple of hours."

"Has Harry gotten any sleep yet?" I question, genuinely concerned for his wellbeing.  The last time I saw him, he really needed rest and I had a feeling that he forced himself to stay awake to find me.  Not that I'm complaining.

"We found you practically dead in a snow bank in the middle of the woods, and you're concerned about Harry?  The man who had you kidnapped?"  He asked me in disbelief and I blushed.  It sounded awful when he put it that way.

However, I never got the chance to answer because the door suddenly swung open and a dead looking Harry walked into the bathroom.

"Thank you for watching her, Niall.  I'll take it from here."

"Of course," the blonde nodded, standing up quickly.  "Let her sit in the water for a couple more minutes and then let her rest in bed for at least tomorrow.  Call me if anything worsens."

Harry clapped him on the shoulder, muttering another thank you, and then it was the two of us alone.  He began to take his clothes off and I gasped, gripping onto the bottom of my shirt with nervousness.  

"W-what are you doing?" I asked quietly, not wanting to antagonize Harry when I didn't know where exactly we stood.

"I'm not going to watch you sit in a warm bath while I speak to you.  I haven't had time to relax in a week," he snapped at me, and I immediately turned my gaze to water in front of me. I didn't like Harry when he wasn't in a good mood.  "Now strip, Mary."

I looked at him wide-eyed, and began to shake my head, which caused him to emit a low growl from his throat.  "Do you want to get better?  Perhaps I should just leave you outside, since you obviously don't give a fuck about your well-being," he barked at me, making me shiver in more than one way.  I slowly peeled off my wet camisole, leaving me bare except for my panties.  I covered my breasts, tilting my face down so my hair would shield my face when Harry slipped in behind me.