New Beginnings: ZeyBar One-Shots

Tam Sırası

Hey, everyone! I felt robbed because they skipped right over Zeynep and Baris reuniting after the shooting, so I'm writing a short little one-shot giving us the reunion we probably won't get after the kidnapping. If you'd like to see a continuation of this, to see what happens after he takes her home, drop a comment and let me know and I'll write it for you. ;)

***

The shooting stopped suddenly, and it was finally quiet, an eerie calm settling over the yard. Zeynep looked around at all of the bodies lying lifeless, their limbs bent at unnatural angles, and she felt sick. She looked over at Nuh, and he met her eyes, trying his best to send her comfort though he was shaken, himself.

Mehdi was dead.

Mujgan was quiet in Zeynep's arms, as if she could feel the loss she was too young to understand. She would never know her father. Zeynep looked down at her innocent face, and she felt this immense sense of relief--relief that she was able to protect her, take care of her through the chaos they'd just survived.

She started sobbing. She couldn't control it. She couldn't get up. She held the baby like her life depended on it, and when Nuh tried to help her stand, she wouldn't move. She just stayed there kneeling in the grass next to Mehdi's lifeless body.

She wanted to feel alive. She wanted the person who made her feel alive. A name kept repeating in her mind over and over again. It started as a whisper, and she could barely hear it. But it became louder and louder.

Barış. Barış. Barış.

She started to vocalize it. She kept saying his name, and in that moment, she realized how much she needed him, how much she loved him. She needed him to come to her--to help her stand up, to hold her against his strong, solid, vital body. She needed to feel his calm and his love surrounding her.

As if she'd conjured him, she heard his voice calling her name, breaking through her consciousness.

"Zeynep! Zeynep!" He sounded frantic. She looked up and saw him running toward her, his expression panicked.

"Barış," she said, her voice breaking on his name. She said it again, this time louder. "Barış!" She held her arms out to him, and when he finally reached her, he fell onto his knees next to her and gathered her into his arms, baby Mujgan squeezed between them in the sling.

Zeynep's eyes were haunted. She was still seeing Mehdi standing in front of her, his body flailing with each bullet that hit him. Barış looked up at Nuh. "Benal is here. Take the baby to her, please."

Nuh nodded. "Of course."

Barış carefully pulled the sling over Zeynep's head and took the baby from her. Zeynep's body was limp, and she didn't move to help him remove the sling. Barış handed Mujgan to Nuh, and he walked away to find Benal, leaving them alone.

"Zeynep, iyi misin?" He held her head in his hands and let his gaze wander over her, pressing kisses all over her face, reassuring himself that she was alive, that she was unharmed. "You're not hurt, yavrum?"

Zeynep shook her head and clutched at his shirt with both fists. "Iyiyim. I just needed you. Don't let go of me, Barış. Don't leave me."

He kissed her hard and hugged her tightly. "I never will, Zeynep," he said into her ear. "Do you hear me? I never will."

She nodded against his chest. Her hands relaxed their grip on the front of his shirt and her palms slid under his arms, underneath his flannel, to spread out over his back and hold him to her. "I was so scared, Barış. I thought I wouldn't be able to protect her. I thought I was going to die without seeing you again." Her silent tears soaked the front of his T-shirt and he rubbed her back and stroked her hair, whispering words of love to her.

Barış kissed Zeynep's lips again, then he stood up and pulled her up with him. "Gel, birtanem. Gel. Let's go home."

She squeezed his hand. "You'll stay with me, won't you," she said, looking into his crystal blue eyes.

He gently pushed her hair out of her face with both hands and kissed her cheek. She reached up to wrap her fingers around his wrists, feeling his pulse beat against her fingertips. "I wouldn't leave you alone now even if you asked me to, Zeynep. My place is next to you. I told you, I'll love you so much that you'll be able to handle anything."

And suddenly a feeling of overwhelming peace came over Zeynep, and she knew everything would be okay. She was so tired of being scared all the time, of questioning her feelings, of being afraid of what people would think. With Barış, she knew she didn't have to worry. She knew he loved her no matter what, and she was so grateful for him. "Have I told you how much I love you?" she asked, sniffling.

Barış gave her a soft smile. "Is this the right time?" he teased, recalling their earlier conversation.

She grabbed his face and kissed him. She leaned her forehead against his. "It's exactly the right time, Barış. I don't ever want you to doubt my feelings for you. I love you so much. Iyi ki varsin, aşkım."