Rhys tossed a raw marshmallow to Sassy who barked at it before deciding it was good enough to eat and listened to Mercy's story.

"I was wondering," He said calmly as he put a new one on his fork. "Because you said it was from blood, and I read somewhere that only a person who's shifting or shifted can infect you. But yeah, that makes sense the way you say it."

He hadn't actually read it, his wife had been reading him snippets from one of her Human's First books, and that one stuck in his mind, while he brushed her teeth and she'd been on the bed. The image of her flashed though his mind, laying there in her peach silk nightgown, brown hair catching the light as it swung forward, the taste of peppermint foam in his mouth, and wishing she'd just close the damn book and make love with him when he was done.

Mercy brought him back to the present and he realized that actually, she and Becca looked quite similar... Was that why he'd asked her out? He examined the marshmallow to hide the small frown he got at the thought.

"Yeah, well, in my family the elders take care of the youngers, and there was a couple younger than me who were big drama queens. Hard to steal the spotlight from them. One's actually an actress now, fancy that." He grinned. "I'm going to get another scotch, you want one now that you seem a bit more sober?"

“Hmm..yes. I believe the man I was working on was close to shifting, maybe in the throws of it when he came off of the table. He looked a little wild and frightened. Now that I look back on it I believe it was to be a full moon that night,” she said thoughtfully.

She watched the marshmallow start to roast in the fire while listening to what Rhys said. A smile broke out on her face when he went on about drama queens. “I guess it would have been.” It explained why Rhys kept his cool so easily. That was nice to know. She’d have to remember that if she ever freaks out and needs to be calmed, maybe she could give him a buzz.

Her hazel eyes moved from the fire to look at Rhys, shaking her head. “No, thank you. I believe I’ve had enough for the night. I’m getting sleepy, actually. If I drink a scotch I will likely pass out on your floor.” But, maybe some rest would be good?

"Well then, you see," He explained giving her a grin. "You freaked out for nothing because you weren't any where close to shifting, now where you?" He teased lightly. "But we'll blame the wine, since your a level headed lass most of the time."

When she mentioned passing out he nodded towards the bedroom. "You're not driving tonight, remember. The bed is in there, fresh sheets today, even. And I'll sleep out here, after I put the couch back together. Silly will chaperone."

Currently their chaperone was laying on her back, all four black and white paws in the air and breathing deeply, not even twitching at the sound of her name.

"She'll have to pee at about 3 am, so, it'll be easier for me to let her out and back in again without waking you." He told her in case she thought to protest.

Mercedes eyes went huge. "Shifting? That hadn't even been my true fear. I was completely worried about just getting you infected by dropping blood on something." She gulped then, completely petrified of what might happen if she was to shift.

She quickly looked at him. "I..are you sure I shouldn't sleep outside? What if I do shift during the night? Oh god, I would not want to harm you." Even the thought of him sleeping in the living room didn't seem enough comfort for her. She was thinking it'd be better if she wasn't in the house with him, period.

Her eyes darted to their supposed chaperone. She didn't think Silly would be able to handle her at all if she shifted. Quickly, she looked back at Rhys, "I don't know if this is such a good idea. I have a bad feeling. I still think I should sleep outside under a tree or something for the night."

"Oh for fucks sake, there you go again." Rhys shook his head and stood up, took the fondue fork from her and scooped her up. She weighed next to nothing so it was easy to do, even though she protested. He took her into the bedroom and put her on the bed and then took her shoes. "Sleep now. Stress later. And I'm keeping these."

He took one of the pillows and the quilt that was folded over the bottom of the bed that his mother made him when he was a teen and paused in the doorway. "I won't say things will be all right, because I don't know they will. But everything will be fine tonight. So rest. And maybe tomorrow you'll have some perspective."

He turned off the light but left the door open a crack and the spill of firelight flowed in.

"What?" Mercedes blinked innocently. She was not trying to get Rhys upset. She was being overly cautious, which was who she was. She was a doctor for heaven's sake. And she was completely taken by surprise when he took the fondue fork from her and lifted him up into her arms like she weighed nothing. She let out a sound in protest, clicking her tongue. "I don't think you understand what sort of danger you are putting yourself in."

He grabbed a pillow and quilt then started for the door. "Perspective?" She blanched at the rest of his words. Oh god, if she did do something to him she would feel absolutely horrible. "You won't take no for an answer, will you?" She asked him before he turned and left.

After he was gone, she stared at the glow of the firelight for quite some time before she dozed off. Not exactly the best sleep came either. It rolled from one nightmare to the next. All because of her fear of what she might do to innocent people.

"Your no danger to me unless you're upset, or it's close to the full moon. So, go to bed, sleep, and don't worry so much. If I thought I was in danger, I'd protect myself, don't you worry on that." He nodded and makes sure she was tucked in.

"You won't take no for an answer, will you?" She asked tartly and he cracked a grin that shone white.

"Can't say I'm in the habit, frankly. I blame my mother, if you told her no she'd smack you and say 'don't you tell me no!' and I guess I inherited that from her. Most of us did. We're an ornery bunch." His smile easy, his posture relaxed. He really wasn't afraid.

When he went into the other room he remade the couch and flopped down on it, his feet hanging over the arm, being a bit too tall to lay out comfortably.

Mercedes stared at Rhys as he exited the room, not feeling as positive as he did about things going perfectly well. Her eyes continued to stare at the warm golden light flickering against the wall from the fireplace. She silently prayed that she didn't shift and go apeshit crazy on Rhys. He was too nice of a guy for that to happen to.

Turning her back to the door, she stared at the opposite wall and closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep. It didn't take as long as she thought it would. She dozed off after about ten minutes of lying there, except it was accompanied by nightmares. The nightmares made her toss and turn in her sleep. Of course, it was full of her shifting and becoming ugly. There was a horrible, contorted face staring back at her. It's lips peeled back and licked her face. It felt wet, so wet.

She sat up with a scream. Her hands immediately came to her face, touching it to make sure she hadn't gone furry. Silly was next to her, paws up on the bed with a worried expression. "It..it was nothing," she spoke to the dog as if the dog really understood her.

It was hard getting comfortable on the couch, he was too long and it was too lumpy, but a tall glass of Irish and the warmth of the fire helped as he finally dropped off into a fitful doze.

Silly woke up first, her ears catching some distubance he didn't, and she padded into the bedroom. Usually she slept beside the bed, but since Rhys was in the living room she had too. She whined at the strange smelling females tossing and turning before jumping up to look at her when she screamed.

"Shit!" Rhys rolled off the couch into a crouch, not even fully awake yet, expecting gun fire from the street. But this wasn't home, or London, it was the farm house with cold stone floors and someone in the other room powerfully upset.

Half drunk and half asleep Rhys went into the bedroom and found a woman in the grips of a nightmare just passed. "Shhh, shhh.. Mo chuisle mo chroí. Just a bad dream." He sat down on the edge of the bed, it sank with a squeak under his weight, and enfolded her in his arms to stroke her hair. "It's all right."

Mercedes was so frightened by the nightmare that she was about to get out of bed and go to Rhys. There was no way she was falling back asleep after that, not without a warm body next to her, except the moment the door open her wide, frightened eyes fell on him. He was half asleep, that much she could tell. And she could smell the liquor on him.

He spoke so calmly, soothing her with his voice then his touch as he pulled her close. She felt like a little kid, needing someone next to her after the throws of a nightmare, but this had seemed so close to what was to come. She didn't want to think about it. She practically threw herself into Rhys' arms.

Her heart pounded so heard that her head felt the fast rhythm in her chest. This fear to change was far more crippling than finding out that she was infected. It hurt her so roughly when she realized it. She did not want to change and become an animal.