Type of work: Chapters of Yesterday to Tomorrow
Genre: Romance, fan fiction
Title: Yesterday to Tomorrow: Chapter Twenty, More every breath
Author: dreamsinfiction
Fandom: Chris Cornell of Audioslave
Rating: R
Warning: violence, language, nudity


Links to Previous Chapters:
Chapter One, Ice Cream
>Chapter Two, Waves
Chapter Three, A Breath Away
Chapter Four, Completely platonically
Chapter Five, Don't leave bed
Chapter Six, Not a rebound
Chapter Seven, Kaleidoscope of feelings
Chapter Eight, Shadows of memories
Chapter Nine, Ripe circumstances
Chapter Ten, Domus
Chapter Eleven, Where it all began
Chapter Twelve, A blessing
Chapter Thirteen, Just a quick deposit
Chapter Fourteen, Precious
Chapter Fifteen, A Chest
Chapter Sixteen, Block the bullet
Chapter Seventeen, A test
Chapter Eighteen, Not a Girl's Best Friend
Chapter Nineteen, Nervous Twitch



Eyes closed, Alyssa focused on Chris's fingertips running gently over her body. Baths were infinitely better with someone else. Especially when one knew that the someone else loved them. She didn't even need bubbles to enjoy that bath, as long as Chris cradled her in his arms. She could almost forget that she couldn't feel her left leg, could almost believe it was merely a side effect of the weightlessness of being in the water.

"Let's stay here forever," she breathed, gasping as his hand brushed over her breasts.

His lips touched her throat, "But then we would be all wrinkly."

"I'm fine with that," Alyssa smiled. "As long as I'm all wrinkly with you."

Chris chuckled, "Silly girl."

"Maybe. But you love me."

"More every breath."

Remaining silent for the moment, just revelling in his kisses, his caresses, his breath, Alyssa relaxed fully against him. Like that, in that moment, nothing was wrong, the world was perfect. And she wanted it to remain that way forever, how it was before. Before the bank...

A muffled shout of her name interrupted the chance of a memory returning.

Alyssa tensed, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what, baby?" he muttered.

"I swear I just heard my name."

"Maybe you just understand my heart's language," Chris replied, his hand running between her breasts, pausing to rest against the beat of her heart.

"No. It was definitely someone shouting."

"Alyssa! Chris! Where are you?"

"Tell me you didn't just hear that," she turned slightly to look at him.

"I did," he replied. "And I know who it is. So let's just ignore him and stay here."

"Who?"

""Alyssa! Chris!"

"Tim," he responded, kissing her shoulder.

"Staying here is kinda your choice since I can't..."

"Baby," he kissed her again, "don't think of that right now. Just relax again. Like you were a moment ago."

"But—"

"Alyssa! Chris! You guys in here!?" the shout came from within the bedroom.

"He doesn't give up, does he?" Chris muttered, slipping Alyssa's arm around his neck so that he could stand for both of them.

"You should know that by now. He's your bandmate," she retorted.

"Yeah, yeah," his arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her over the edge of the tub.

"Alyssa! Chris!"

"We're in here, Tim," Chris finally called back. "And don't come in—"

The door opened.

"— we're not decent," he finished, his green eyes meeting Tim's eyes.

Alyssa couldn't help but giggle at Tim's red face and the way that Chris adjusted how he was holding her to assure that Tim didn't see more of Alyssa or Chris than he needed to see.

"I'll just wait.... in the living room," he stammered quickly and turned away.

"Yeah. That's a good idea," Chris replied before Tim hurried from the bathroom.

"Who would just go into someone else's bathroom like that?" Alyssa chuckled, her fingers holding the edge of the counter after Chris set her upon it to towel her and then himself off.

"He's a bass player," he stated, as if that was enough explanation for everything.

"Ahhhh," she grinned at him. "Such wisdom that is."

"It is," Chris grinned back at her before kissing her quickly. "Let's get you dressed so we don't keep our guest waiting too long. Who knows what he's liable to do."

Pushing Alyssa's wheelchair down the hall a few moments later, Chris paused just outside the living room. Alyssa's right toes were wiggling and by the look on her face, he knew she was ecstatic to be doing something as simple as that again.

"Hey, sorry about earlier. I didn't think, heh heh," Tim stated as they entered the room. "I just...."

"Don't worry about it, Tim," Chris stated, angling Alyssa's wheelchair so she caught the sun, leaning in to kiss her as he set the brakes on the chair.

"Look!" she pointed to her wiggling toes.

Following her point, Tim smiled, "That's great, Alyssa. Home only a day and you're already moving your toes. You'll be running next week!"

"Yeah. So you better be ready. Because I think you're overdue for an ass kicking," she teased, brown eyes going to his.

"Yeah, yeah," he nodded.

"So besides ruining a wonderful bath with my fiancee, what brings you here this morning?" Chris asked.

"This," Tim held out a small box. "When they called me this morning, I couldn't wait to get it and bring it to you. Probably should of waited, but couldn't."

Accepting the box, his green eyes looked at it then back to Tim, "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yeah."

The box was then held out to Alyssa, "You open it, Lyss."

"What is it?" she asked, leaning forward to reach the offered box.

"Just open it."

Removing the lid and tucking the bottom into it, Alyssa's fingers folded back the dark blue felt. Exposed on a plush bed of felt was a silver bullet casing. At the tip of the casing sparkled a small diamond. Pulling it out, she wasn't entirely surprised to find a silver chain attached to the bullet casing.

"Is this what I think it is?" she repeated Chris's earlier question.

Both Tim and Chris nodded.

"That's the casing from the bullet that was shot at you and the very diamond they removed from your back," Chris explained.

"You honestly don't expect me to wear it, do you?"

He shook his head, "No. I plan to. To remind me how close I got to losing you."

She held the box out to him, "My being in a wheelchair isn't a big enough reminder?"

"You being in a wheelchair is temporary."