Too Far?

By cultnirvana

********Chapter Eight*********



The room was cast in a deep red glow, the illumination provided by the setting sun barely breaking over the horizon.

Misty lay over him, gazing downwards into those mesmerising pools of brown. She felt his chest rise and lower below her, the motion of his deep breathing relaxing her. Pulling her fingers through his sweat-moistened hair, she placed her forehead upon his, reeling in the lingering emotions within her.

Ash could feel her still paced exhales tickling his cheek, the tender caresses causing his heart to sing once more.

He couldn’t believe the situation he was in. The previous night he was sobbing over the death of their friendship, but now she lay naked once again in his arms, and this time he had no fear of her running from him.

He studied her orbs, entranced by every subtle variation of blue and green within the irises. Every trace of pain and regret had been extinguished, her eyes now alert and joyous.

He tightened the embrace he held upon her, gently turning to the side to softly lay her upon the bed. They never broke eye contact, neither able to take the slightest fraction of their concentration from the other.

The room just lay still for the longest time, a comfortable silence reigning over everything, until a soft giggle left her lips.

“What?” Ash asked, whispering for no apparent reason.

She felt a rush of heat flow into her cheeks. “I don’t know. This…just kinda feels…strange.”

His face contorted into a slightly confused, slightly wounded expression. “Hey!"

She immediately waved off his interpretation of her words with the shake of a hand. “No, don’t worry. That wasn’t an insult. I meant that…being this physically close to someone, doing what we just did, feels so…unusual. But definitely not in a bad way.” She placed a tender but forceful kiss upon his lips, feeling her eyelids momentarily flutter and close, before uttering against them, her tone still tinted with desire, “Definitely good.”

Her delicate kiss enticed him, causing him to return an even more passionate one of his own. He felt himself falling for her taste once more, darting his tongue into her mouth, unconsciously pushing her onto her back. After a moment of her returning the kiss, however, he felt her resist a little, instantly making him stop. “Are you okay?"

She nodded, smiling up at him. “But can we…wait a little while before we make love again. It’s just…” she finished uncomfortably.

From the emotion held within her eyes, he knew exactly what she meant. “Of course, Mist. I wasn’t thinking,” he told her, before cupping her face with one hand, looking down towards her with a worried look. “Was it…really bad?”

“No. Just a little…uncomfortable. The first time it was worse, though, not as bad as I thought it would be.” She chuckled. “I guess that really says something about you.”

He eyed her with a curious expression.

“That even when you had no control over your actions, the fact that you are such a sensitive and empathic person still shone through. You were so gentle.”

He blushed profusely with embarrassment. Lying back upon his side, pulling her with him, he gazed once again into her eyes, her returning the soft stare. Trailing his fingers over her eyebrow, down her cheekbones, along her jaw and across her lips he whispered gently, “You’re so beautiful.”

She directed her attention truly from his for the first time, casting her eyes downward awkwardly. “You told me that…the last time.”

He pushed her chin up slightly so he could study her face, shocked to see her eyes slightly shimmering with tears. “Hey, what’s wrong, Mist?” he panicked. “I was just telling you the truth. I didn’t mean to upset-”

She placed a finger upon his lips, suddenly bringing his anxious words to an end. “You didn’t. It’s just…it feels so good to hear that.” She took a reassuring breath, allowing it to flow through her body and calm her mind. “I still sometimes find it hard to believe that…someone could think of me in that way.”

“Hey,” Ash uttered softly. He reached down and took her hand in his, interlacing their digits, and brought them upwards to his mouth, gently kissing it. “I can’t understand how you can think of yourself like that. I never could. To me…you’re as perfect as anyone could be.”

She smiled slightly. “I know I am too you, and you know how much my opinion of myself has changed since…then. But I’m never going to be the way I was when I was eleven. Too many events have occurred between now and then for me too become that…egotistical little preteen again.”

They both chuckled at her description of her old self, before she continued in a more subdued tone.

“Most days I wake up and I’m truly happy with the person I am, with the face I see I the mirror, but other days…” She averted her eyes once more, this time a sorrowful look upon her face. “It’s just after being told and believing that I was worthless for so long, it was always really hard to push through that and think positively about myself. Even now, after years of feeling pretty much like my old self again…I still have periods of those doubts.”

Unsure of how to respond, he moved his face closer and gently rubbed his cheek against hers in an effort to calm her. He felt some of the tension release from her body as she responded to his touch. After a few moments of silence, he decided to try and resurrect their earlier conversation that had been abruptly cut short. “Was it more than just that whole…lack of control thing that started everything off?”

She nodded, her gaze still cast downwards. “It wasn’t the only thing. A lot of it came from being bullied by my sisters and from some of the kids I went to school with. But it was certainly the main reason.

“For a long time I was able to put that feeling of powerlessness to the back of my mind. When I was happy and with my friends…well, it just didn’t matter. But when I left you guys to go back to the gym…I got so lonely that…I couldn’t stop it. It all just rose to the forefront.”

“God, Mist. I should have made more of an effort to come see you,” he told her regretfully. “Over that whole year, I didn’t visit you once.”

She looked up at him. “You couldn’t have, Ash. You were hundreds of kilometres away. You did nothing wrong. Believe me, when we did talk, it helped me so much.

“But I had no friends in Cerulean. Everyone I cared about was so far away and I rarely had any contact with them. Having my friends around made me forget about that prevailing sense of no control I had, but without those I loved surrounding me…it came back full force.

“But, just like typical Misty, I didn’t allow myself to truly look into the emotions I was feeling. I kept them inside, just trying to get on with a somewhat normal life. When we met up again, I was where I wanted to be again. I thought I didn’t have to face them again. But, I had fallen so far that I didn’t have the strength to climb back to the level anymore. They were still there, always growing stronger until…” She swallowed loudly. “…until I couldn’t hold them back any longer. Until I burst.” She paused momentarily. “You remember the nightmares I had after we started travelling again?”

He quickly nodded, willing her to continue on, unconsciously treading his fingers through her hair.

“I think that was the start of me losing the strength to hold them back. Years and years of emotions – those about how I felt when my parents died, about being bullied, being dragged countless times away from the life I wanted, failing everything I tried to achieve – overtook me and I could neither continue to hide them, nor cope with their weight.” She placed her lips upon his, uttering, “But you were the one who saved me from being crushed.”

“Did you…have any of those feelings after what happened?”

She nodded. “I felt…worthless for doing that to you. I was sure you would hate me…felt that you should hate me. I felt miserable…and did feel some of those old…emotions rise, but I forced them away. I wouldn’t let them do to me what they once did.

“Instead, I did what I should have done all those years ago. I let myself experience every emotion I had. I lay in bed and cried, for how long, I have no idea. I wasn’t going to act like the old Misty and almost destroy myself again by not facing what I had done, or by torturing myself for a mistake.” She saw him smile at this, the expression becoming contagious. “And by doing that, despite the fact I still hated myself for it, I was able to go to you and tell you how sorry I was.”

Though she felt nothing but bliss, her mind free from despair, she felt a trickle of tears slowly pass down her cheek. “That depression will never entirely leave me, and has and will resurface in certain circumstances. I have accepted that fact. But it doesn’t mean I’m ever going to let it rule me again.” She smiled triumphantly. “I know I can beat it. I feel in control of my life now. I have for a long time. It was just that fear of never being able to find someone to love me that has had me so down lately. But, I don’t exactly have to worry about that anymore.”

He brushed the few tears from her cheeks. “That’s my girl,” he told her proudly, causing a light chuckle to escape her lips.

The joyful look in her eyes flickered, giving way to an almost worried one. “But, there is something I haven’t been truthful to you about, and as we’re about to start this whole new relationship, I want us to have as much as possible out in the open.” She bit her lip anxiously. “Those antidepressants…I…I did take them. For a short while only, though. I felt so guilty that I was laying all this stuff on you and thought that maybe they would be a way I could lift some of the pressure from your shoulders.” She took a deep breath. “And, the night after we sleep together, I felt tempted to take them again.” She studied his expression, unsure what emotion it displayed. “But I didn’t.” She hastily added. “I’m really sorry, Ash. I-” The affectionate glance he gave her made her pause.

“Mist, it’s nothing to be sorry about. It was because of my begging that you weren’t going to take them in the first place. I guess I was too focused upon the possible side effects and my…wish to be the person you relied upon that I didn’t really think about how you were really feeling. I mean…I wish you hadn’t needed too, but it was your decision to make, not mine. It wasn’t fair of me to ask you not too. But I’m really glad that you didn’t this time.”

Shaking her head, she said, “I just can’t believe that we’ve both wasted so long beating ourselves up for what happened, when…if I had of just listened to you that night instead of running off like a scared little girl…”

“Mist, what happen doesn’t matter anymore,” he reassured her. “What’s important now is that we have both come through it all and are closer than ever. The past few weeks needn’t have happened.”

She felt a smirk cross her lips. “Maybe you aren’t as dense as I thought you were.”

“Hey!” But instead of continuing his insulted façade, he laid another kiss upon her. “I hope you know I’m never gonna let you go.”

“You better not, Ash Ketchum,” she replied, in a half-teasing tone, turning around so that her back was against his chest.

They both cast their eyes past the glass of the window and into the purple sky, the last few rays of crimson sunlight now falling below the horizon.

Ash lifted his body up slightly from the bed, using his elbow for support, and glanced down upon her. Her face displayed that contented expression he always yearned to see there, the one that told him that perhaps the worry and panic he held within his heart in regards to her was unnecessary.

She was strong, and everything she had been through in her nineteen short years had made her even tougher. And in times when she perhaps did fall, when her resolution retreated, he would be there, his arms wrapped around her, to carry her whenever she needed.

The last lingering traces of illumination passed from her face, and the room passed into almost entire darkness. Unhappy with the fact he could no longer study her, he reached behind him and flicked the switch on the bedside lamp.

“It going to be hard to get used to,” he heard her utter as he turned back to her. “We’re so used to being best friends, but now we have this whole new relationship, this whole new…future together.”

"Yeah, but it’s gonna be great,” he excitedly exclaimed. He kissed her bare shoulder. “So, you wanna get married when you're about twenty-five,” he began happily. “Good. That gives me a few years to propose."

"Well, you don't have to wait that long if you want."

"I'll keep that in mind." He paused for a moment. "But maybe, until then, I could make another kind of commitment."

She turned her head towards him, looking deep in to his eyes. "What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"You know you were wanting to move out of the gym, find a place of your own. Well, why don't you move in with me? This place is paid for so you wouldn't have to worry about rent, it's not that far from the gym and the university, and you will only have to see your sisters when you want too. And we’ll be able to be together whenever we want."

"Oh, but I don't want to impose on you. I mean, this is your apartment, and it's not that big. It wouldn’t really be fair to you.”

"But I want you here. For a start, you are constantly trying to earn enough to pay for your tuition fees and everything, when I spend most of my cash on junk. I could help you out.”

“I don’t want to be a kept woman,” she joked.

“You won’t. I’ll just be helping until you graduate. I know how difficult it’s been for you sometimes, so I just want to do anything to make the girl I love happier. And when it comes to space, I don't think that will be a problem." He gave her one of his trademark cheeky smiles. "You can just sleep in here with me every night."

"I'm sure that's one of the main reasons you want me here, the ability to make love whenever you want."

Taunting her, he replied, "I'm sure you would enjoy that benefit too, judging by the way you were acting a few minutes ago.”

"Hey," she gasped, pretending to be outraged, but unable to disguise the blush upon her cheeks.

He focused upon her with a serious expression. "What do you think?"

She returned his stare, moved by the passion and commitment reflected within his eyes. How could she do anything but agree. "I'd love to."

*********


Pikachu examined the imposing box in front of him, licking his lips at the challenge it posed. Yeah, maybe it was a few inches taller than him but that didn’t mean it was *too* large to carry.

Placing two furry hands under its cardboard bottom, stretching his short arms apart as far as they could go, he hoisted the box up into the air.

Instantly, however, he felt the unexpected weight of the container sway him back and forth. Every counterbalance he made just seemed to cause the object to fall in the opposite direction, never tiring in the game it was playing against him.

“Pikapi!” he screamed out in fear, hoping to alert his master’s attention. If he didn’t stop this idiotic stumbling act soon, he was going to end up squashed under god-only-knew how much mass.

Responding to his panicked call, he heard Ash utter, “Pikachu,” in a tone that clearly meant, “What have you gotten yourself into this time?”

As Pikachu continued to battle against his hefty opponent, Ash crossed the room, sighing. But just as he bent to lift the box, Pikachu felt his balance falter once more, this time falling to a point that he couldn’t recover from. Landing flat on his back, painfully bending his tail into a position it certainly wasn’t meant to be in, he felt the full weight of his adversary push down upon him, only to lighten seconds later when the flaps at the top of the box popped opened, permitting its contents (numerous hard-backed books) to escape onto the carpet around him.
“Pika,” he groaned. Opening his eyes he saw the cause of his downfall move away from him only to be replaced by his trainer grinning.

“That was stupid.”

With a dirty look, he replied, (“Not as stupid as half of the stuff you do.”)

“I’ll second that,” said a voice behind them, enjoying how easy it was to anger her lover.

In turn, Ash punished both Pikachu and Misty with a disdainful expression, but the look ended up producing nothing more from the pair than cackle of laughter.

Pikachu stood, pushing the last few books off his body, shaking his head to regain his feeling of equilibrium.

Misty reached over to remove a small makeup bag from her bed, handing it to her yellow friend. “I think that’s of a more suitable size, ne?”

“Pikachu,” he nervously responded, staring at the floor, before exiting the bedroom and continuing through the corridor, down the stairs, into the lobby where the rest of Misty’s belongings sat.

“You’re never gonna stop teasing me, are you?” Ash grumped.

“Of course not. It’s my job.” She fell down upon the bed, winking cheekily at him.

Throwing the books back into their box, Ash found himself discovering a flimsy, paper-backed novel among the thicker, hard-backed ones. He looked at the cover; a man, his shirt open to reveal his muscled chest, and a woman stood in a clichéd pose. “I didn’t think you went in for these kind of books,” he teased, waving the book in front of her.

As soon as she realised what he had found, she made a quick grab for it, missing as he stood and raised it over his head. Attempting to reclaim it from his hands wasn’t going to work, so she decided to try the next best thing; denial. Laying back upon her mattress, she pretended not to care. “It’s not mine. You don’t think that I’d read that trash. One of my sisters must have accidentally left it in here, or put it in that box as a joke.”

“Mmm,” he murmured, not believing her excuse. He flicked through the hundred of so pages stopping when he noticed a bookmark, covered with a pattern of pink Corsola (Oh, Mist, you can be so predictable, he mused.) placed about halfway through.

He scanned the first few paragraphs before beginning to read aloud a part he found very interesting.

“’She traced her fingers through his luminous golden hair, filtering down to massage those awe-inspiring golden muscles. She felt a warmth spread throughout her body as he pushed the lace of her transparent dress off her shoulder and down her-‘“

Shaking his head, he threw the book down into the box, and cast an eye towards her red face. “I didn’t think you were the type to read smut,” he laughed, sitting upon the edge of the bed.

Desiring retaliation, she quickly returned, “And I didn’t think you would be the type to buy those magazines that I noticed at your - sorry, our place.”

With a shocked expression, he pleaded, “How…where did you find them?”

Unexpectingly, she broke into a peal of giggles, rolling around in uncontrollable amusement. “I was just kidding…but I certainly tricked you well.”

He still hadn’t moved, his mouth gaping open, hand scratching the back of his neck. “Ah, well…they aren’t mine…see…Brock asked me to…ah, look after them for him.”

“Now who’s the one trying to blame their ‘personal pleasures’ upon someone else?”

“You little con artist.” He moved closer to her, leaning his body over hers. “So, is that where you got some of those ‘ideas’?”

“Well, there and late night girly chats.”

“Oh,” he whispered before kissing her hard upon the lips, their teasing and taunting session causing his lust for her to increase.

After a few moments of unbroken kissing, Misty felt her lover tug lightly upon the hem of her top, trying to persuade her to sit up slightly so he could remove it. “Ash, what are you doing?” she chuckled. “We can’t here, not with the Pokemon and my sisters around.”

“But we still haven’t ‘christened’ this bed yet, while we’ve pretty much made love everywhere back home."

“You’re incorrigible,” she whispered, almost ready to give up until her attention was distracted by a forced cough coming from the doorway.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Daisy joked.

Ash sat upright instantly, awkwardly casting his eyes to the floor. Despite his best efforts to display an innocent air, his beat red face couldn’t fail but give him away. His embarrassment only grew when he saw both women smirk at his reaction. Standing from the bed, he grabbed the box of books. “I’ll…ah…put this one down with the others,” he quickly muttered before almost running from the room.

“Is he okay?” the blonde inquired.

“I think you just embarrassed him.”

Daisy took a quick survey of the room. Some of her sister’s possessions still littered the selves and table, but the impact of the pieces that had been already packed away was profound. The room looked so bare. “Are you nearly finished packing?”

“Just about,” she replied, throwing the last few items of clothing from a drawer into her old, battered red duffle bag. “Think this here is the last of it.”

Daisy watched Misty joyfully hop about the room, collecting several of her little trinkets. After a few moments of observation, she began, “It’s going to be weird without you here. I know you’ve only been back for, like, two years, but-“

“Don’t worry, I’ll be here almost everyday for battles and to look after my Pokemon.”

“You aren’t taking them with you?”

“It wouldn’t be fair to them keeping them cooped up in a flat. God, could you imagine me letting Gyarados lose. Nah, it’s better for them here with the pool and all.”

“Yeah.”

Misty set the bag upon the mattress and, shaking her head, regarded her eldest sister. She couldn’t really understand the expression she wore, so instead guessed at its meaning. “You must think we’re crazy. We’ve been together for three days and we’re already moving in together.”

“Maybe if it was someone else, but you guys have been in love for, like, forever. I think it’s great. So does Lily and Violet.”

“Thanks.”

“What did his mum say?” she smirked.

Misty couldn’t hold back her laughter. “You think he was embarrassed a minute ago, you should have seen him on the phone with her. He froze the moment her face appeared on the screen. I had to tell her. He just sat there and nodded as I spoke.”

“I can imagine that. He seems really shy when it comes to sex, well, except with you of course. He hasn’t been able to keep his hands off you all day.”

Misty blushed. “Well, he may be a little shy, but he’s…ah, very passionate.”

After the nervous laughter had died down a little, Daisy moved from the door to sit next to her baby sister upon the bed. “Was he your…first?”

“Yeah,” she told her, feeling proud of that fact.

“And, everything’s alright after the argument you had?” Daisy added with concern.

Misty nodded. “Looking back on it…it was the best mistake I ever made. It helped us realise that we couldn’t live without each other and how much we truly needed one another. I don’t think we would’ve had the strength to admit our feelings if it hadn’t happened.”

“I’m so happy for you guys…but, even though you’re gonna be here a lot…I’ll…I’ll still miss you.”

Misty looked up at Daisy, shocked at her words.

“I mean it. I know that we rarely see eye-to-eye and haven’t seen much of each other over those years you were away, but I guess that since you moved back, I’ve kinda gotten used to all four of us living together again. It’s gonna be a little…lonely…just the three of us again.”

“I know what you mean.”

Daisy then did something that surprised Misty even more than her previous admission. She pulled her into a light hug, one that was awkward but also comforting. Misty returned the embrace.

“I’m so proud of you, Misty.” Daisy stood from the bed and made her way across the room. “You just make sure he treats you right, or he’ll have to deal with your big sis,” she kidded, winking before walking out into the corridor.

Misty still sat in silence, still contemplating what had just happened, but her confusion didn’t prevent a smile from spreading over her lips. Daisy had never acted that way towards her. Maybe things were beginning to change in more than one area of her life.

“Everything okay?” she heard Ash ask her as he arrived back.

“Ah…yeah. Everything’s great.”

He bent down to grab the final large box as Misty slung her bag over her shoulder. “That seems to be it.”

“Yeah,” she answered, giving her old room a last glance. “Oh, except this,” she exclaimed, knelling on the bed and snatching her Pikachu cuddly, the one that wore that very familiar baseball cap. “Ready,” she beamed happily.

*********


“Ring ring. Ring ring. Phone call,” the computerised female voice called out, causing Ash to jump up from the floor of their bedroom, setting the objects he had been sorting back into their box.

Hitting the answer button, the screen faded from black to show the person on the other end. “Hey, Brock. I’ve been meaning to call you,” Ash greeted excitedly.

However, Brock just stared at him for a moment, confused by the cheery persona his friend was radiating. “Have I missed something? Last time we talked you were totally in the dumps. Now you look like you’re on cloud nine.”

“I certainly feel like I am,” he sighed.

“Eh?”

Ash felt arms wrap themselves around his waist and a chin rest upon his shoulder. “Hiya, Brock,” Misty chirped.

Brock expression changed from confusion to one of complete perplexity. He looked from Ash to Misty and then to Ash once more. “Er…did I miss something?”

“Heh heh, definitely” Ash answered.

“What’s going on?” he almost demanded.

“Ah, well, we’re…together,” Misty told him, never taking her eyes from Ash’s.

Brock felt his mouth fall open. “What?”

“Yeap,” Ash returned. “And we’re in the middle of moving in together.”

His mouth gapped even more. “Moving in? Have I been in a coma or something?”

“I know, it’s a little fast, but…we know it’s right.” Misty’s eyes were still focused upon her lover, awarding him with her awe-inspiring smile.

“God.” Brock shook his head, feeling his bafflement fading away, and, instead, gave his friends a joyful grin. “That’s…that’s great, guys. You just give me a bit of a shock there. Ah…when did this happen?”

“The day after you were over,” Ash informed him. “We met up and talked about what happened…and realised we had no reason to blame ourselves for it and that there was nothing wrong.”

“Wow, guys. I’m so happy for you. I’ve been going out of my mind with worry about you too.”

“Well, you don’t need to worry anymore.”

“I can see that,” he grinned.

Misty turned momentarily from the two men, looking back into the room she had just left. “I better finish unpacking. There’s still so much of it to do. I’ve got classes all day tomorrow so want to get rid of it all tonight.” She focused her attention back on the video screen. “But how about we get a few of the guys together and do something this Saturday? You up for it Brock?”

“Oh, you know I’ll be there.”“Great, I’ll see you then.”

“Bye, Misty.”

“Buh-bye, Brock,” she called as she strode off back into the bedroom.

“How a few days can change your life, eh Ash?” he contemplated once Misty vanished from his sight.

“Yeah. I still can’t believe it. I have to kick myself sometimes just to jog my memory. It just doesn’t seem like it could be real. But it is. She loves me as much as I love her. We’ve both had these feeling inside us for so many years. I guess that night they finally took over us.”

“Thanks for waiting so long to tell me, man. I’ve been in a total panic.”

“I’m sorry. We’ve just been so busy. I didn’t even get the chance to tell my mum until yesterday.”

“I guess I can find a way to forgive ya.”

“Thanks. But…everything’s great now.” Ash’s cheeks reddened slightly. “And don’t worry. She’s…she’s not pregnant, and...” he directed his vision away from his friend, feeling suddenly awkward. “…we’re making sure we’re careful, so you don’t have to worry about that. We both panicked so much that first time that we weren’t prepare to take that chance again.”

“Good, good,” Brock uttered along with a sigh of relief. “So, how far along are you with unpacking?”

“Quite a bit now. Almost finished, but we keep getting distracted, either coming across something interesting or…by each other.”

Brock raised his eyebrows slightly. “I can guess.”

“Yeah,” Ash replied nervously. "And...and thank you, Brock, for helping me that night. I think I was just starting to go mad 'cause of everything that was happening. I...I thought I'd lost her."

Brock smiled. “It was no problem, Ash. I care about you kids and am glad you've been able to work through all of this." Brock paused momentarily. "Ah, does Misty know that you told me?"

"Yeah, but don't worry. She's okay with it."

"Good. Well, I better let you go help her. I’ll call tomorrow night about Saturday.”

“Great. Talk to you then.”

“Nite…And good luck,” Brock ended with a wink.

And with that, the line went silent.

*********


Ash looked down upon Misty’s sleeping form.

She was so adorable as she slept. Her hair spread out in all directions over the pillow, her flannel, sky-blue pyjamas hanging lightly upon her frame, her lips parted, exhaling quietly. She lay upon her side, cuddling Pikachu, his Pokemon clearly content to be held within her welcoming arms.

The scene was so ideal…so perfect. Its beauty had kept him awake for several hours. He just couldn’t find the desire to allow his mind to give itself over to his dreams when his greatest fantasy was lying there in front of him, his arms draped around her.

But his love for her wasn’t the only thing that was disrupting his sleep that night. A few days ago, consumed by his love for her, he had convinced himself she was now invincible, and could cope with any heartache that came her way. But now, with a level head, the more realistic and pessimistic side of his being had begun to panic.

As she had informed him herself, she may, at some point in the future, feel her resolve slipping once more, plunging her back into her old dark cycle. That element of her psyche could never be erased. Although he knew he would be there to help her in anyway possible, as he had been before, the chance of a recurrence terrified him.

Those months had been the worst of his life. The empathic feelings he had experienced had almost crushed him. If that period had been so traumatising to him before their relationship had extended past the ‘best friends’ stage, what would be the effects be now with their new level of intimacy? How would it affect him after they married? After they had children?

He shook his head, trying to break his focus. How could he be thinking of himself? If she relapsed, she would be the one suffering most, not him.

No. If it all happened again, he didn’t care about how it would affect him. That didn’t matter. She would be the only important one.

And they would get through it. He would make sure of that. Nothing was allowed to hurt his redheaded angel. Nothing.

He had to push these thoughts from his mind. If those events did ever repeat themselves, he would think about it then. Now everything was blissful. He didn’t want to tarnish that by thinking about what-ifs.

He traced his hand down her arm and interlaced her fingers with his. His gentle touch was enough to wake her, making her shiver slightly. Her eyes began to flicker open, her aqua orbs instantly focusing upon him.

“Hiya,” she spoke though a yawn.

“Hey.”

With the back of her hand, she rubbed her eyes and studied the clock on the bedside cabinet. “Why are you still up? It’s after three and you have work tomorrow.”

“I know. I just couldn’t sleep.”

“Why not?” she sleepily asked, resting her head once more upon her pillow, closing her weary eyes.

“Just couldn’t stop staring at you.”

With a blush and a giggle, she said, “When did you become such a romantic? I thought you hated all that mushy stuff.”

“Guess it’s your influence. I didn’t care about it ‘til I fell for you.”

“Heh, I’m a good influence, then.”

“Just don’t tell anyone about it.”

“What, you scarred your masculine appear will be damaged?” she teased. She opened her eyes briefly, only to meet his annoyed expression. “I promise. Now you promise me that you’re going to go to sleep. It’s hard enough to get you up in the morning after you’ve had a full night’s sleep. I don’t want to think about waking you on only a couple of hours.”

“Okay, I’ll try.”

“Don’t try, just do.”

He pulled himself a little closer to her, his face so near that he could smell the fragrance of her hair. “Love you, Mist,” he whispered into her ear, but he received no response. Lifting his head slightly he took in her features.

She was already asleep, her light snoring becoming audible.

She must be tired after all that packing and unpacking today, he mused.

Today. Today, they had taken the second giant leap in their new relationship, mere days after they had taken their first. Or was it the third? Wasn’t that night almost two weeks ago the first?

After a few moments, he didn’t care. His eyes were closing and his thoughts were becoming jumbled with the first glimpses of dreams.

It doesn’t matter.

******************

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