It is one thing to know there is a terrified individual hiding in his bathroom, it’s another thing entirely knowing she is armed with a shotgun that would drop him dead the moment he opened the door if he were to startle her in any way. His approach needed careful consideration especially since he arrived much sooner than anticipated.
Outside the wind was picking up speed, bending trees until limbs broke off and slammed into the roof of his house with a resounding thud which only served to make matters worse.
When Isaac finally reached for the knob he actually felt somewhat relieved to find that it was locked. Even though he had given her instructions over the phone, when scared it is easy to accidentally try and turn the lock the wrong way.
Preferring not to break open his door, he turned around to fish the key out from under a stack of towels in the linen closet behind him then knocked once on the door frame, “Vera?” He paused for a second to listen for a reply, or any sound of movement that might suggest she was no longer in the bathroom. “It’s me, Isaac. I’m coming inside ok?” Still there was no sound coming from the other side of the door.
Slowly he turned the handle, hinges creaking in the process he announced himself once more, albeit louder this time.“Vera?” Her silence had struck a chord of fear in him, that perhaps the thud he had heard while downstairs was not something falling over but rather her collapsing instead.
As he stepped around his dresser, with the large TV mounted on top, Isaac paused. There was no blood on the ground or signs of a struggle which was a relief. But, if she was in fact on the other side of that door as he had instructed he needed to be sure that she didn’t have the shotgun pointed at him if he tried to get inside. “Vera,”He called out once more. “It’s me, Isaac. I’m coming inside. Don’t shoot me…”
~~~
Fear pumped into her body, shaking her to the very core. In her latest attempt to move...to not be basically a sitting duck, Vera had found her legs had completely given out on her. No longer could they support the weight of her body or even move more than a few inches at a time. All she could do was curl herself into a ball, lean against the bathtub and try not to draw attention to herself, like the drop of her body and the gun already would have done.
She had heard the sound of footsteps. The movement of someone else now upstairs. This was it and all she could do was sit there waiting…
A thud from the roof made her body wince tighter back into the ball. Vera wanted to scream. To cry out and release everything she was holding in but she bit her own tongue instead, willing herself to remain silent. It wasn’t fair. This wasn’t fair.
She didn’t even have a chance to find out if she really was this Delilah person or not…
It was the creaking of the hinges from the outside door that caused her to finally lift her head. No, she would not be a sitting duck waiting to die at the hands of whatever beast this was. If he wanted to harm her, he would go down with…
Vera?
Her hand released the gun she had reached to grab. That voice melted everything. Her fear, her anger, her pain. She couldn’t hold it in any longer when she heard him call out to her. “Isaac…” His name left her lips, barely a whisper as the tears fell freely now. She couldn’t stop them. She couldn’t stop her body from shaking so violently that she had to wrap her arms around herself and hold on tight else she feared she would fall over.
“Isaac…” She made out in a half hiccup, her head falling to her knees as she cried.
~~~
The knob turned quietly as Isaac stepped over the threshold into the bathroom. There she was, curled up into a tight ball on the other side of the room just beneath the faucet. Isaac’s heart ached seeing her in such a state of terror.
Not a word was spoken as he walked towards her; the damp souls of his shoes squeaking on the tile floor with each step until he reached the blue carpeted floor mat. In the dim light he could see her trembling form, despite the rain pounding against the window he could hear her quiet sobs and it broke him. Never had he seen her so scared, not like this. When he had found her in the woods Vera had seemed more wary and confused which was no different than when that succubus senshi tried to steal her energy. Both incidents carried their own dangers but neither could prepare her for what happened today.
If she was one of the soldiers under his command Isaac’s approach would have been shockingly different; but she was not a soldier, Vera was not trained to fight. She was a civilian, his roommate, his -... responsibility his mind filled in the blank only have his heart scold him for the thought.
~~~
After what felt like an eternity Isaac finally stepped over the lip of the tub, careful not to step on the weapon beside her, and took ahold of both of Vera’s wrists. “I’m here,” he reassured her as he lifted her arms up to wrap around his neck. “Let's get you out of here.” Isaac’s voice was calm and even despite his muscles still being taught with the adrenaline coursing through him.
Once he was sure that she wasn’t going to let go he put one arm behind her back and the other under her knees before lifting her out of the tub the same way he had carried her from where Vera had fallen in the woods all the way back to his makeshift camp until she awoke. Isaac could feel her body trembling against his chest as he held her close, carrying her from the iron cast tub back into the bedroom where he took a seat at the end of the bed.
With her seated on his lap Isaac wrapped his arms around her. “You’re safe now,” he whispered before pressing a kiss to the side of her head. Whether he chose to admit it outloud or act upon it in any other way, after tonight there truly was no denying that what he felt went beyond responsibility or just friendship. “You’re safe. I’m not going anywhere.”
~~~
With one arm around his neck, Vera brought her other one up to close the loop she made and pulled her head into his chest. He smelled of rain and wind and warmth. It was a comfort the cold tub hadn’t offered her and she wanted to crawl into that warmth and just stay there. To bury herself into it and never come out again.
“Isaac…” Her voice was barely above a whisper as she pulled herself closer to him. Her hands nearly wrapped all the way to her elbows so her head could bury itself into the crock of his shoulder and neck. “I...I was so scared…” More afraid than she ever had been. Waking up with no memory was shocking. Getting lost in a city was creepy. Meeting the family of the man protecting you every step of the way had been nerve wracking. But this? This was all of those feelings wrapped up together and increased a hundredfold.
“I’m so sorry…” She mumbled…”I...I tried to be brave...I tried to do it...I…” She was rambling her thoughts, shaking in his arms as she tried to bury herself into his body. “I thought...I thought I was going to die…”
~~~
In truth, had he not of got here when he did she very well could have been killed. The convict was not a small man by any measure. Yes, that shot gun would have dropped him dead but if she missed.. It was a thought Isaac would rather not contemplate.
Rather than pulling away to look Vera in the eyes, he instead tightened his hold around her lithe form, not only as reassurance for her but for himself as well. It was almost as if he was worried that she was but an illusion and would disappear completely if he were to let go.
“I know” he replied after some time.
~~~
Silence fell between them as Vera tried to calm her body and mind. Isaac was there. He was with her and would keep her safe. She knew that no matter how much she teased him or how much he rolled his eyes at her, for better or worse he had not nor would not abandon her.
Vera could only hope that one day she would be able to repay him for everything.
But that was neither here nor now. Now she needed his heart beat in her ear, his arms around her and his strength holding her. Now she was that woman he found in the woods all over again, scared and unsure of what tomorrow would bring.
How much time passed between his words and her lifting her head to finally gaze up at his face, Vera couldn’t be sure. She did not want to leave his warmth and the feeling of safety, especially as another jolt of thunder caused her to tense once more. It was several breaths and she extended her legs out onto his bed as she tried to work herself out of the panic she had been in for so long. “I….” Vera started, looking away from Isaac’s face before trying again to look up at it, a forced smile planted there though tears were still eating away at her eyes. “I am so glad I have you.”
~~~
Isaac’s expression softened considerably as he took in her tearstained face. Even in the low light he could tell how red her puffy eyes really were and as much as the soldiers under his charge would adamantly attest to how unaffected or calm he would be in this situation, Isaac knew it to be a lie. But that was the power Vera had over him and for one reason or another he didn’t begrudge begrudge her for making him feel this way.
Without thinking overmuch on his actions, Isaac’s arms loosened so she may sit more comfortably in his lap however one arm still remained around her lower back. His other hand, however, did not remain idle as he gently cupped her cheek with his calloused hand swiped his thumb over the salty trail of tears.
He paused for a moment, before leaning forward so their lips were only a hair's breadth away. “I will always protect you.” The vow he made was no louder than a whisper before he placed a chaste kiss upon her lips.
~~~
She wanted to tell him not yet. To ask him to keep her close and in that tight embrace just a while longer. If she could, until the power returned. However a logical part of her mind was breaking through the fear in her blood telling her that she couldn’t ask him to hold her until morning. Though the thunder threatened to silence that logic as quickly as it came.
Releasing the tension that came from the wince to the thunder, Vera felt herself relax more into the open air of the room. She expected him to slide her to his side. To move her so he could retrieve and put up the gun. That was the next step right? The first step in putting things back together. She would take care of herself and he would…
He would take care of her.
His hand against her face was rough with callouses of use but she didn’t care. Each of those callouses was proof of just how much hard work he put into everything he did. Just how truly he cared about all he did. They made him the Isaac she cared about.
Yet as she enjoyed his action of comfort, Vera couldn’t stop her breath from catching when she felt him lean forward. She couldn’t stop the sense of shock that rushed through body and wrapped around her heart as she felt his breath, his words on her lips. She couldn’t even close her eyes from the shock.
But what she wouldn’t stop herself from returning the kiss he placed on them. As soft and chaste as it was, it sealed those words into her heart.
~~~
When Isaac pulled away he rested his forehead against hers and looked into her ruby colored eyes ”Vera, I need you to trust me ok?”
He waited a moment before continuing.
“This is your home and I want you to be able to feel safe here. Which means I don’t want you to see downstairs.” It was a mess with broken glass blood and to be honest he wasn’t entirely sure that Stibnite had left yet or not. But with the broken sliding glass door he knew it was going to get even colder inside and with the rain he had no idea what state the living room would be in come morning. “I want to take you to my Aunt and Uncle’s house. The ones that hosted the BBQ.” They were the ones that lived the closest, a half hour at most; less if he called in a second favor which he hoped he wouldn’t have to do.
~~~
For a hair’s breath, Vera wasn’t sure if she had just dreamed the moment before. The heat was on her lips but it could have been a dream...right?
A single nod was her only response to his request. Her mind tried to process all the emotions going through her head at that single moment. Fear and hope. Anger and surprise. Everything seemed to be contradicting each other when once only darkness had covered her mind.
Isaac would protect her. No matter what. He would always be there. She knew that now. Every fear she had about being a burden on his life vanished. All that was there was a new hope. One that was trying to understand what he had said.
“Isaac, I…” I can take it. Those were the words she wanted to say. That she was strong enough to face whatever was down stairs. But he had asked her to trust him so instead she held that back knowing that in truth, deep down, she most likely couldn’t. There was no use in pretending that the idea of going back downstairs frightened her. Especially when she glanced over her shoulder at his bedroom window.
The hand print was gone now but that didn’t change anything.
“If I won’t be a burden, I think you are right.”
~~~
“I am sure it will be fine.” He would give them a call once he got her in the car. “I… I just want you to close your eyes please. I’ll carry you downstairs.”
“Trust me.” Isaac all but pleaded. There would be no unseeing the disaster that befell downstairs. What happened tonight would always remain with her but sounds were something that he hoped she would eventually be able to forget.
Sirene Naiads
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