The Protective Entity (A Buzzfeed Unsolved AU)

Epilogue - Ryan POV

I sat up in bed, trying to keep from waking Marie. She lay on her side, her face squished against her pillow and lightly breathing through her mouth. She was adorable and it filled me with comfort. I slowly inched my way off the bed and covered her with more of the blankets, and headed out to the kitchen.
I glanced at the clock in the dark. 3:45am.
These nightmares kept happening; and they weren't stopping. It was almost as if he was haunting me in my dreams.
I circled around the kitchen a few times and then walked into the bathroom. I flicked on the light and saw my tired face staring at me through the mirror. I ran a hand across the bruises on my face, my arms, and touched the cast around my leg.
This was me. I had been torn and broken.
2 weeks since I had been rescued, and I still had so much healing left.
I sat on the edge of the bathtub and tried to calm down.
Memories flashed across my vision. They seemed to linger inside the room with me.
I felt my heart pounding in my ears. I felt dizzy. This was Hell. I couldn't erase or move on what had happened to me.
It crushed me underneath like a boulder. I sunk down into the empty tub and closed my eyes.
Before long, I had fallen back asleep.

No dreams followed until the sun rose and I was awoken by Marie. She leaned over the tub and gently tapped my face.
I opened my eyes quickly and soon realized I was in the tub.
Marie giggled lightly, "Morning." she said.
"Oh, uh, morning..." I felt my face flush with embarrassment, "I couldn't sleep, thought drawing a bath might help, guess I forgot the water." I chuckled nervously.
I noticed my back was sore from sleeping awkwardly.
"Well, I was going to take a shower. Care to join?" she invited, knowing I couldn't turn it down.
"Alright. Let's go." I said with a light smirk.

After our shower, we stood in the kitchen with robes on and as she set up the tea kettle, I stared at the toaster waiting for the bread to pop up.
I felt myself zoning out while watching the beams inside of the toaster turn red, heating up. It put me in a sort of trance and I couldn't look away.
Until the bread popped right out of the slots.
I jumped a bit, holding my chest.
"Whoa, you okay?" Marie asked.
"Uh, yeah. Got kind of distracted." my tone was very unenthusiastic and short. I hadn't noticed I sounded a little pissed. I didn't want her to think I was mad.
Smiling and laughing was a challenge.
Feeling anything at all was a challenge.
"Well, thank you for waiting on it." she said, kissing me on the cheek.
I looked to her and leaned in, planting a kiss over her lips.
The embrace made the rest of the room disappear. I backed her into the counter and held her hand tenderly.
I didn't let go until I felt a bloom of relief in my chest.
When I backed away, her face was in awe.
"Wow..." she muttered.
"Uh, sorry, uh, uhm..." I thought I had made her uncomfortable.
"Sorry? Don't apologize baby. I loved it. You are amazing." she replied.
I blushed a little and felt like a teen after his first kiss all over again.

We finished our breakfast and I began the dishes. Marie was going to get ready for work.
I was supposed to remain home until I fully healed. My work wasn't too concerned about me coming back, they told me to take all the time I needed to feel whole again.
Marie opened the front door and waved.
"An officer will be by later to check up on you. I'll see you in a few hours, love." she said.
I wakes up to her and moved a few pieces of hair from her face.
"Thanks for everything this morning, it really helped me." I told her.
"Of course. Anytime." she grinned, shutting the door.
I stood before the door, feeling cemented into the floor. My eyes fixed onto the peephole. Everything surrounding it went blurry.
That's when everything inside the peephole turned into yellowing walls, fluorescent lights, and mildewed carpet.
I blinked in surprise, the vision going back to the normal red-and-white walls and carpet my apartment usually had.
That was when I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I quickly threw on a white t-shirt, a blue polo, jeans and sneakers. I combed my hair and brushed my teeth. This was the first time I had showered and brushed my teeth in the same day since I was taken. It was either one or the other or none at all.
I sat at my computer and began a pitch for what my future could be.
I wasn't feeling my life at Buzzfeed. I felt as if it weighed me down and it was the whole reason I was like this.
The Watcher was gone; but that didn't mean I was going to forget about him.
I was going to make him regret everything while he rotted in Hell.
I didn't know who or what he was, but whatever it was I wasn't going to let him get away with this. He took death and didn't face consequences. He hurt so many people, ruined so many lives, brainwashed so many people.
Watcher. We are Watcher.
The title hit my eyes and brought a little joy to my heart. I could be the new Watcher. Instead of hurting, I could help others heal.
Tell stories of others' experiences, explore new places and have control over my content. That was all I dreamed of.