Finding Home

7. Tired

7. Tired

Bethany hadn't believed she could be so sore and keep walking, and yet there she was, getting on the plane again.

“Please tell me we're going home.” She said Davis. Her voice was ragged around the edges.

“As far as I know, we are.” Her liaison looked every bit as tired as Bethany did.

“Thank god.” Bethany winced and struggled as she put her bag in the overheard compartment. It had been fourteen days since they left the BPRD. To Bethany it seemed more like six months. Davis, who was taller, gave the bag a push. “Thanks.” Bethany said.

“Welcome.” The agent's voice was flat, she dropped into her seat by the window. Bethany read the tone for what it was, complete physical and mental exhaustion.

Bethany walked slowly toward the back of the plane. She got a bottle of water and some ibuprofen. Those days hadn't all been spent actively fighting. There was the time it took to get from where the plane could land to where they needed to be. There was equipment set-up time, and the time it took to make a site minimally livable for forty people. Sure they were there to fight monsters, but people still needed to eat, rest and go to the bathroom from time to time. Of course once the creature-of-the-moment was dead all of that had to be undone again and that took time and effort.

“Sore?” Red asked. She sat down near him and took off her boots. She leaned against the side of the plane and pulled her feet up next to her on the seat.

“Yeah. You feeling any better?” She looked over at him. His chest was bare except for the bandage wrapped around it. He had already changed into a pair of sweats. She noticed that the shallower bleeding wounds were gone. The deeper ones were scabbed over. The areas that were deeply bruised turned his skin a darker reddish black. He held her foot softly, because it was the only part of her that he could reach. His thumb stroked her arch, Bethany smiled as a little pleasure-shiver moved through her body.

“Yeah. In a couple hours I'll be able to take this thing off.” He glanced down at the bandage.

“So soon?” She shifted and took his hand. It felt like years since they'd been able to touch like this. That was the last time they were on the plane. “I thought they were broken.”

“They were. The wrapping is more for the gash.” He smiled a little. Bethany often forgot his healing was so accelerated. The blow he took from the hydra's tail as it was dying would have killed a human being. He'd managed to walk away from it. “How's your head?”

“Fine, it just looks bad at this point.” She touched a cut over her right eyebrow near her hairline. It was swollen, and she knew the edges were bruised, but it hadn't required stitches. “If it leaves a scar I can comb my hair over it.” She smiled a little.

“Shoulda ducked when I told you to.” He smiled back.

“I did, you just didn't tell me how far I needed to duck.” He grabbed her ankle and tugged lightly. Bethany slid toward him.

“You're sayin' it's my fault?” His tail wrapped around her right leg.

“Course.” She grinned.

“You just wait 'til I heal-” He smirked.

“You'll still have to wait 'til I heal, and it takes longer for me than it does for you.” She shrugged a little. “Maybe you'll forget by then.” Her fingertips stroked his tail teasingly.

“You keep doin' that I'll forget before we take off.” Bethany blushed and took her hand away. Seeing Myers approaching was a relief. It meant she didn't have to say anything. “We goin' home?” Red asked the tired-looking agent. His tail stayed wrapped around Bethany's leg.

“That's the plan.” Myers said. Over the past few weeks he had warmed to Bethany. She was glad, but she wasn't sure what had changed for him.

“'Bout time.” Red said.

“It's close to fourteen hours back. You guys want the other side opened up?” Bethany was a little surprised. They had gotten to Japan in relatively easy stages. She never thought about how long it would take to get back.

“Other side?” Bethany asked.

“Yeah. Least I do.” He unwrapped his tail, got up slowly and walked toward the bathroom. “Be back.”

“Other side?” Bethany asked again. The agent released several clamps and shifted the tabletop, making more room.

“The other bench opens up so that he can lay down.” He felt around on one end of the bench. “Usually he doesn't use it, but it's a long flight after a long time without much decent rest. There's a lever over on that side, too.” Bethany found it and lifted. The seat lifted up and came out on a framework in much the same way that a sofa-bed opened. The frame was much stronger and the padding was much thicker than a standard sleeper sofa, though. The orientation made it more like a futon. As she looked at it, it was probably longer and wider than either one as well. “Let me know when you want pillows and blankets and stuff.”

“Just tell me where they are. You're as tired as anyone else.” Bethany said.

“That cabinet over there. Thanks.” He smiled a little and turned to go back to the forward part of the cabin. He turned back to her again. “You know I didn't mean that you had to-” He paused. “You two just seemed so comfortable together this trip.”

“I know what you meant.” Bethany smiled.

“There are drapes there and there.” He pointed. Bethany had noticed them before, but didn't think they served any particular function. “When you close them, it gives you a little privacy.” Bethany nodded and sat down again. Her back against the wall of the plane, her legs stretched out in front of her, her eyes closed. California seemed like forever ago now.

Bethany had never heard of a cockatrice before, but for some reason she was feeling pretty much alright as she got on the plane. It was on the day-long hike to a mountainside camp in the middle of nowhere that her anxiety level started going through the roof. She didn't mind being out in the middle of the woods in the dark, she just wasn't sure what was going to happen from there and the questions began pounding at the inside of her head. What if she froze? What if she hesitated at the wrong time? At a little after midnight she'd gone out to the fire to try and calm herself down. Red found her there. He'd calmed her down and held her so that she could get some rest. It always amazed her that he put up with her nervous fits, but that night did set a precedent for the rest of their time in California. Even when she was relatively calm, she slept near him.

The rumble of take-off brought her back to the present. She was surprised to find the drapes closed and Red sitting back where he had been before. His left hand rested on her ankle.

“You should stretch out.” She said softly.

“I will, as soon as this'll let me sleep.” He indicated his ribs. “Go on and get comfortable.”

“I am comfortable.” Bethany closed her eyes again. He squeezed her ankle, and she looked at him. Without saying a word she got pillows and a blanket out of the cabinet. She curled up on the expanded bench nearest the wall of the plane and closed her eyes. She didn't think she'd fall asleep, but it was dark and warm and exhaustion took over.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Hellboy looked over at her, a little smile on his face. There were deep, dark circles under her eyes, her hair was a mess, she had a bruise on her head and god knew how many more he couldn't see, and yet her face was perfectly serene. Even that first night in California, once she'd calmed down she'd fallen asleep with that little smile on her face. That night had spoiled him. He was used to having her fall asleep with him, he just hadn't bother to move her anywhere else that time. It was the same way in Hawaii. The little time they had to sleep was spent with each other. Most of the time he didn't even touch her. Just being close-by was enough. Having forty people around wasn't exactly ideal, but you couldn't have everything.

He'd learned more about her on this trip too. She might not be much of a hand-to-hand kinda fighter, but she had damn good instincts. At first, he wasn't sure how that was going to work out. He wasn't much for fancy tactics and she didn't like to go into anything without some kind of a plan. Because they had to find some way to work together on this one, he had been willing to see how it went before complaining too much.

A cockatrice is an ugly thing with the head and neck of a rooster and the body of a lizard. It had wings and large talons, but no arms. Like a basilisk, it could turn an adversary to stone with a single look. Course it also turned anyone to stone that happened to wander by and say “What the hell is that?”, as was evidenced by several statues standing on a scenic overlook. Luckily one of the curious happened to have a video camera that had been recovered. There was a short video of the creature itself.

Collins seemed to think that Bethany would be able to do the same think to this that she had done in France, just because it was a flying creature. From the beginning, Bethany didn't think so. She said it was something about the way the animal moved. He didn't think so either, but once Collins got something in his head he didn't let go of it easy. She'd used video surveillance to watch the thing. After a day of throwing everything she had at it, Bethany was exhausted and the cockatrice was pissed off, but it was a long way from dead or even approachable. She had managed to sweep the creature's nest and four eggs off the cliffside though. He counted that as a small success.

That night he had 'suggested' – strongly - that they come up with a different plan for the next day.

“Why can't we just show it its own reflection?” Bethany had asked. “Won't that turn it to stone?”

“If it were a gorgon we were dealing with, that would be a practical suggestion.” Abe said. “Unfortunately, a cockatrice isn't affected by its own gaze.”

“Wait a minute, I'm not processing as fast as usual. You mean it has to see YOU, or that you have to see IT?” She had been leaning against his arm, but she'd sat up to ask the question.

“I don't think that question is really-” One of the other agents started. He was new, and he hadn't even taken the time to learn Bethany's name. He had been about to give the agent a piece of his mind, when Abe cut in.

“I think I understand your meaning.” Abe said. “It has to see its target.”

“Okay, how do we blind it without it seeing us?” Collins asked.

“You can pick up particulates fairly easily.” Abe said to Bethany.

The rest went pretty okay. She did her thing and kept a steady stream of sand and dirt at the critter's eyes. He did his thing and killed it. Wasn't quite that easy, but it went a whole lot better than the day before. It kinda set the tone for Hawaii and Japan, too. She was a distance weapon, and that's how they used her.

A soft sigh from the other side caught his attention. She drew her knees up more tightly for a minute, then relaxed again. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Bethany was dreaming about Hawaii.

They went because of a fire demon. Red had a good idea of how her ability could support him, so basically she just did what he wanted. Even a demon's fire needed air to survive. She simply removed the air. The thing was still throwing rocks, and it was mad as hell, but Red seemed to be able to handle it. That's where she got the cut on her head. She needed to be relatively close and in some sort of visual contact, which put her in the line of 'fire' as it were. She'd simply ducked too late. Red had fought with it all day and most of the night before the demon managed to get back to the bubbling lava. It took all of the next day, but Red won. She knew he would, eventually. That was the reason they were in Hawaii in the first place, but the incident that inspired her reverie happened on the last night they were there.

She had been sleeping and she thought Red was too, until he woke her up, a mischievous grin on his face.

“C'mon.” He'd whispered.

“Wh-?”

“Shh!” He'd helped her up and led her out into the darkness. She'd noticed that he had changed out of his 'work clothes' into sweats. As they walked, she could hear the sound of the ocean getting louder. The whole time she'd been so focused on work and sleep that she hadn't even considered the fact they might be near a beach. Even though it was dark, she'd followed him easily until he stopped abruptly. Bethany looked up to see Myers standing in the middle of the path. He'd looked from Red, to her and back again.

“Go that way.” He'd pointed to the left fork in the path. “Some of the agents are down the other way, and if you get caught, you're on your own.” They'd followed the path and ended up in a sheltered cove that looked as though it had been scooped out of the rock. There was a narrow, half-moon of black sand beneath them and a full moon above dancing off the waves. It was the first time they had been really alone since they left the bureau, and they'd taken full advantage. It was the first time he'd kissed her in all that time, and when he did she completely forgot about the sand and the moon and everything else. The ocean was only steps away, but they spent most of the time laying together on slab of rock. His fingers drawing excited patters over her skin, his mouth stealing the breath from her lips.

Bethany wanted to stay in the dream and in the memory, but turbulence shook her awake. When he opened her eyes, his back was to her and he was struggling with the wrappings around his chest.

“Wait a second.” She moved closer.

“I don't need'em anymore.” He sounded frustrated.

“Okay, but the clips are in the back. If you stay still for a second I'll help you.” He sighed. Bethany moved behind him and opened the clips holding the gauze in place.

“Blue does that on purpose.” He tugged at the wrapping.

“Sure he does. So you'll keep it on as long as you need to.” Bethany slid back to give him more room.

“You're on his side.” He dumped the pile of gauze onto the floor. Bethany fought her inner urge to clean up the mess.

“Sometimes.” She admitted. He turned quickly. “When it gets you better.” She smiled a little and drew one fingertip over the spot that had deeply sliced only a few hours before. He looked down at her hand.

“Gonna ruin my reputation.” He was almost pouting. She slid forward and brushed her lips over his cheek.

“The 'Hellboy is kinda stand-offish and a little prickly' reputation?” He pulled her closer. She let him.

“You never bought it, did you?” He smiled a little.

“Sure I did, at first. Then I got to know you.” She settled against his side. The plane shook again.

“What were ya dreamin' about?” He asked.

“Just now? Hawaii.” She smiled a little.

“Hotpants made an impression, huh?” He asked, a little smile in his voice.

“Oh yeah. You know big red guys are my type, 'spcially when they're trying to kill me.” Bethany smirked.

“I knew it.” He chuckled, his arm tightening around her. He was silent as the plane rocked. “The beach?” He asked finally.

“No.” She looked up at him. “You on the beach.” Bethany blushed a little as she said it. The plane felt like it dropped. Bethany hid her face against Red's shoulder until it evened out again. “That cannot be normal.” She was trembling. She could hear several of the other agents mumbling. He stroked her back.

“Sorry guys.” The pilots voice crackled over the intercom. “You're all gonna wanna sit tight. I'm skirting a storm, but it's likely to be pretty rough for awhile.”

“Is he any good at this?” Bethany asked. She was still relatively new to flying. The previous trips had been smooth ones. She was already coping with the bone-deep ache and exhaustion, the unstable flight seemed to add insult to injury.

“Yeah. We'll be okay.” His arm stayed tight around her. Slowly, Bethany started to relax.

At first, there was too much agitation for conversation to be possible. She stayed quiet and did her best to relax against him. She hoped that he might be able to relax enough to sleep. She was tired, but he was the one who had done all the hard work in Japan.

Bethany hadn't been sure what to expect when she heard they were going after a hydra. She'd expected some sort of water creature, but what they found was more along the lines of a sauropod with ten necks and a long, heavy tail. Before they'd arrived, someone had tried to kill it by cutting off two of the heads. Each of those had regrown as two heads, there were twelve in all. Too many to blind without making impossible for anyone else to see. It didn't fly, so she couldn't knock it out of the air. Abe told her it could hide the the water for prolonged periods without breathing. Shooting it only made it mad. The one thing she could do was to throw a shield around most of the heads, slowing them down at least. For that, she'd needed to be close and unshielded herself. She simply wasn't powerful enough to generate two strong shields.

It had worked pretty well. The shielding wasn't perfect, but it gave Red more time to work. It had been a long process, though. She knew healing tended to sap his energy too.

Bethany closed her eyes. She wasn't sure when she fell asleep, or when the plane stopped shaking. She knew at some point he moved her over to the other bench. She vaguely remembered him asking her something about food, but it didn't really break into the half-doze she was in. She knew at some point he lay down with her and took her hand. Other than that, the rest of the flight was a blur.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Bethany slept great the first night they were back, but she was beginning to realize that was pure exhaustion. She hadn't slept well in the four nights since. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She slept great when she was close to Red. As soon as she got back to her own bed though, she woke up and was fitful for the rest of the night. Stan was convinced her nightmares had returned. Bethany didn't know what it was really. She didn't remember nightmares when she woke up. She didn't have the racing thoughts or intense sudden fears she'd had before either. There was just something.....missing.

Still, life had to go on. When Agent Preston let her know that Glen was off for the day, she seized the opportunity to get some target practice in. Not that she had done very well. She almost felt bad that Preston had gone to all the trouble. She walked back toward the living unit and decided that she would try and get some sleep after lunch. Maybe that meant she wouldn't sleep at night. For all she knew all the travel is what threw her all off again. Her musings were interrupted when she crashed into a young, dark-haired woman. The binders and papers the stranger was carrying went flying.

“Oh geez, I'm sorry.” Bethany said. She stooped down to help gather up the mess. Taking note of the heavy policies and procedures manual. She'd gotten something similar when she'd first arrived. She didn't think she had ever actually opened it though.

“It's okay, I wasn't looking where I was going.” Her new acquaintance tucked a lock of dark hair behind her ear.

“Didn't help I was a million miles away. Are you new here?” Bethany handed back the thick binder.

“Is it that obvious?” She looked a little embarrassed.

“Well, I got one of those when I first got here.” Bethany pointed at the thick manual, she smiled a little. So did the other woman.

“Christine Alfonsi, communications.” She said. “I'd shake your hand, but-”

“It's alright.” Bethany laughed and took some of the heavy stack. “I'm Bethany Allen.”

“Nice to meet you. What do you do?” It had been awhile since anyone had asked her that.

“Air support.” She answered without a moment's hesitation. “Do you know where you're going?”

“It's written on that card there.” She indicated the part of the stack Bethany was holding. Bethany studied the upside down card and thought for a minute.

“I think I know where this is. This place is rabbit warren in places though.”

“It's not like I can get more lost than I was before.” Christine followed Bethany in the opposite direction she had been heading. “So you fly planes?” She asked.

“No.” Bethany answered. “I'm an aerokinetic.” Christine stopped in her tracks.

“You're a what?” The other woman looked at her curiously.

“It's a form of telekinesis, only instead of moving objects I move air.” Bethany explained.

“You're one of the unique agents then.” Christine looked at her closely, but started walking again. “I thought you were all-” She paused. “I mean, you don't look-”

“Some of us stand out in a crowd more than others.” Bethany smiled and turned down another corridor.

“Sorry. No one told me anything until I got here an hour ago. If I offended you-”

“No.” Bethany laughed softly. “It's a lot to take in at first. Took me days before I would even leave my room. I think we take the right up here.” They walked a little way down a corridor that looked much like the first. “No, sorry. Other way.” Bethany lead her companion back to the left turn.

“So you haven't always been here?” Christine seemed surprised by that. Bethany stopped in front of a door and took the stack of papers the agent had been carrying to let her open the door.

“No. It's kind of a long story though. Have you had lunch yet?” Bethany set the stack on the desk in a much smaller, grayer version of her suite.

“No, and I'm starved.” Christine said.

“Me too. I'll show you where the dining room is.” Bethany said.

“I really appreciate this Ms Allen.” Christine looked relieved.

“Please call me Bethany. And you probably won't want to thank me after you taste the food, but I hear they usually have a decent salad bar.”

*~*~*~*~*~*

Hellboy lay in a half-doze on the sofa. It had been days since he'd slept right. Bethany didn't look like she was sleeping much either, but she wouldn't come right out and say so. He figured it was because Stan was at her about having nightmares again. He was pretty sure she wasn't. At least, she hadn't had a single one while they were away. As far as he knew, she hadn't had one since either. Although it wasn't like he was with her the whole time anymore.

That's what he missed. He missed waking up and smelling her hair. He missed the little sighs she made in her sleep. He missed the way she would lay her hand on his arm when his own dreams grew dark and turbulent. He had no idea how she knew, she was never awake when she did it. Maybe in her sleep she was that kind of psychic. The mechanism didn't matter so much, he just knew he missed it.

One of the cats jumped down from the back of the sofa and landed on his chest. He opened his eyes to find golden feline eyes looking back at him. He scratched the animal's head lightly and was rewarded with a deep purr. He closed his eyes again. This time he was interrupted by a knock on the door. He growled. The cat jumped down and he sat up.

“What?” He barked. Clay opened the door and stuck his head in.

“You playin' poker tonight or what?” He asked.

“Yeah, be right there.” He hadn't realized it was that late. He grabbed a Red Bull and headed down the hall.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Bethany sat in front of Abe's tank in the library. A chessboard was set up on the outside of the glass. He could visualize the whole game in his head, but she needed the pieces. They'd each made a few moves, and Bethany knew it was her turn. Well, technically she knew. She couldn't say that she was entirely focused on the game, or anything else at that moment.

“Bethany?” Abe said.

“Hm? Sorry.” She moved forward. “Is it my turn?”

“Yes. You haven't been sleeping, have you?” He asked. Bethany moved a pawn. “No, I can see you haven't. Queen to E4.”

Bethany moved the piece and immediately saw that she was in trouble. She sighed.

“Check.” He sounded almost smug. She studied the board, her eyebrows drawn together.

“I'm not going to get out of this, am I?” She said.

“Well, you could sacrifice several pieces and draw out the game, but I'm afraid that won't change the outcome.” Bethany sat back and looked at him.

“To think, I was going to offer you an egg.” She smiled a little.

“Was?” He sounded perfectly shocked.

“One or two?” She laughed softly, and got up.

“Two please.” She transferred two of the eggs from the jar to the tank and sat down again. While he ate, she reset the board. She had no real desire to start another game, but there was no reason to leave her shame on display either. “You avoided the subject of not sleeping.” He said finally.

“Did I?” She said. He simply watched her. Bethany sighed. “Alright, so what if I'm not? I'm not having nightmares, I think my schedule is all off because we were away for so long.”

“It's not an accusation, Bethany.” His voice was calm as ever.

“I know. Tell that to Stan Bickers. He's convinced I'm not telling him about nightmares or flashbacks or something.” She pulled her feet up and crossed them Indian-style.

“Perhaps he's trying to help you discover the real reason.” Abe said.

“I'm tired of being treated like damaged goods.” Bethany's eyes were closed.

“What do you mean?” He was concerned.

“I mean that since my little breakdown it's like I'm on some kind of watchlist to have another one. Every time I see Stan it feels like he's just waiting.”

“Perhaps you're misreading our concern. You are still very new to all this, the adjustment takes time. Besides, clearing the interference from your unconscious will only add to your abilities. You've seen that first hand.” She opened her eyes and looked at him.

“I can still get stronger?” She asked curiously. He cocked his head, and thought about that for a minute.

“I'm not certain that acquiring strength is really the right way to put it. Energies that were previously taxed in other ways may become more accessible to your conscious mind. You'll certainly be able to achieve finer control. I'm not entirely convinced that all of your abilities have fully manifested themselves either. You're still very young. Powerful psychic ability like yours is usually present from a very early age, but it often develops as a person matures.” He gestured gracefully as he spoke, but Bethany hardly noticed.

“I hadn't thought of that.” Bethany admitted.

“Consider it. Maybe, when you begin to sleep well again, you'll be able to think about things more clearly.” She sighed.

“I know you're right about that.” She smiled. For a few minutes, they wandered conversation drifted to less serious topics. When Red wandered in, Bethany's eyes were closed, her head was resting against the side of the chair.

“Hi Red.” She didn't change her position.

“Hey.” He kissed her softly, his lips lingering on hers for a moment. “Hey Blue.”

“Good evening Red. I hope the two of you will excuse me.”

“You don't have to go.” Bethany said.

“I know, but I think I'd like to get some rest.”

“Sleep well.” Bethany said. She wasn't certain if he did sleep in the usual way, but that wasn't a question she felt she could ask.

“G'night.” Red said.

“How was your game?” She looked up at him.

“Eh. It was okay. You have a good chess game?” She took his hand and got up.

“I lost.” They started down the hall.

“You always lose. So does everybody else.” He said.

“I know, but it usually doesn't happen so fast.” She followed him into his room. He sat down and she snuggled against him. He held her close and let out a long sigh. For a few minutes they sat in silence, but Bethany was tired enough for that to be almost enough. She got up slowly.

“Where ya goin'?” He asked, pulling her back into place.

“Home. You're tired.” She kissed him softly. “You should be sleeping, not entertaining me.” He held onto her and kissed her again.

“Haven't seen you all day.” He murmured. Bethany didn't have it in her to struggle with him. She curled closer and let out a long sigh. He turned on the TVs, and lowered the volume. She barely noticed.

The next time she woke up, it was nearly two in the morning. He was snoring deeply, his arm still around her. Bethany shifted slightly, trying not to wake him as she tried to coax feeling back into her buried arm.

“Hey.” He mumbled.

“Sorry. Was trying not to wake you.” She sat up a little more.

“S'okay.” He glanced at the clock and the surprise registered on his face. “Damn, didn't think I'd sleep that long.” She kissed his shoulder softly.

“I should let you get to bed.”

“Stay.” Bethany turned quickly. He looked as surprised to have said it as she was to hear it. Before she could answer, he rushed on. “I mean, you're not sleeping, I'm not sleeping. The last time either one of us had a decent night's rest we were together.” A protest formed on Bethany's lips, but she knew it would have a hollow ring to it. He was right. She still couldn't meet his eyes though. She got up and walked to the door. Before she could get there he was in front of her.

“I didn't mean it that way-”

“I know.” Bethany looked up at him. “I need something more comfortable than jeans to change into.” She couldn't control the blush that colored her cheeks.

“You could wear one of my shirts.” He shrugged a little. “If you want to.” He stroked her cheek softly. Bethany found she couldn't speak again. She simply nodded and took the t-shirt he gave her. She disappeared into the bathroom to change.

His shirt fit her about like she expected it would. It came down to her knees and was rather like wearing a large sack. She didn't feel quite as naked as she thought she would though. She folded what she took off, then pulled the band out of her hair and dropped it on top of the stack. When she emerged, she found him trying to rearrange the covers on the large bed. She hesitated in the bathroom door, just watching him.

“I can do that. If you want to change or something.” Bethany's voice had an uncertain sound. He approached her, kissed the top of her head and disappeared into the bathroom.

Bethany soon found that trying to make the bed properly was like trying to put sheets and blankets on a swimming pool. Since the fitted sheet was still in place, she settled for straightening everything else out. After she was done though, nervousness pushed past logic. When he came out again she was pacing on the other side of the room.

“What-” He stopped and looked at her. Bethany tried to hide the little tremor that coursed through her body. She let her hair fall forward to hide her face, but she stood still, listening to him approaching. He didn't say another word. He just held her until Bethany relaxed against him.

“Sorry.” She murmured. “Being stupid I guess.”

“Nah, not stupid.” He kissed the top of her head. Her arms wrapped around him.

“Just feels different, not having a herd of people around.” Her eyes closed. His left hand moved her hair from her face.

“You want me to take you back to your room?” The fingers of his right hand tightened just a little on her waist. Bethany knew being apart from him now would be almost physically painful. She took a deep breath, and let it slowly.

“No.” She said.