Ghost Towns

Thirty Four

The sun had set and the stars were out by the time the silhouette of Maria and Hugh's cabin became visible through the trees. Rye thought she could cry for joy at the sight of it, and if the sighs of relief from the others were any indication, they felt that way too. They had all walked long and hard today, briefly stopping a few times in the beginning. In the latter half of their journey, though, howls drew close to them at times, forcing them onward without rest.

"Finally," Jax murmured under his breath.

Rye squeezed his hand. Some time back, they had entangled their fingers together, and Rye was grateful for it. She needed the support to stay upright. The days of exertion and mental exhaustion had caught up to her at last.

Maria shuffled all of them into the house, one by one, as a final howl faded in the distance. Jax and Corey barred the door as Hugh lit the kitchen candles.

Rye blinked, seeing but not processing the things happening around her. Dust motes hung in the musty air, sparkling slightly in the shifting light. Jax took her by the arm, disturbing her dissociation, anchoring her to the ground again. Maria was pulling blankets from the linen closet by the kitchen, and Hugh was organizing their couches.

"Come, Rye," Jax said softly, "they're giving you the spare room," he began to lead her through the house, past the kitchen, to the room Rye had slept in that night Maria had mended her wounds. That day seemed so long ago.

"Where will Corey and Ellie go?" She asked, glancing backwards at the commotion in the sitting room. "Are they getting the couches?" A flicker of guilt lit her chest for a minute.

Jax shrugged. "You haven't had the chance to rest well yet, and they won't mind," at Rye's hesitation, he sighed and added, "you can swap with one of them tomorrow,"

He stepped into the room and set the lantern down on the bedside table, then stepped out again as Maria entered the room behind Rye.

She smiled warmly at Rye, extending her hands. Rye took the folded bundle gratefully. She had been wearing the same tattered clothes for so long now, she could barely remember what it's original color had been. With a sad smile, Rye realized that the dress she wore had also been Maria's. To pay back the kindly woman would take many many years.

"Thank you, Maria," she said quietly, sincerely. "For this and for the one I've ruined." She nodded down at the one she was wearing.

Maria only laughed fondly, "it served you will, and I am happy with that." And then she departed with a soft 'goodnight'.

Rye dressed quickly, tossing her dirty clothes into a corner, vowing to deal with it tomorrow. Another soft knock came at the door, just as she crawled into bed.

"Come in," she called, distracted.

The door squeaked a little as it swung open. Rye turned to see Jax there, leaning against the doorframe, his hands tucked into his pockets. It was stiff and awkward, feigned nonchalance. Rye felt a sudden burst of affection for him, seeing again the Jax she had first known- nervous and uncertain when facing something he was unsure about.

"Did you want something?" Rye asked, sweetly, seeing clearly on his face that he did.

Jax cast his eyes downward, "I came to say goodnight,"

Rye hummed, considering it. "Really? It's a long way from the sitting room, just for a word," it was something like fifteen steps. Not long at all.

"I would make a very long journey to tell you goodnight," he looked serious about it too.

Rye cocked her head, watching him. "Well," she said, "you've said it. Goodnight Jax,"

At that Jax deflated, his face dropping to his palms. He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. "Put me out of my misery, darling," he said, sighing dramatically.

Rye laughed and shifted over in the bed, holding up the covers in invitation. "Blow out the lantern on your way," his face lit up in relief.

He pushed off the wall. A moment later, the light went out and a weight dipped the bed beside Rye. The last image of his hair falling over his forehead as he leaned to extinguish the lantern burned in her mind.

Suddenly, Rye was very aware of him, more than just in passing. She could feel the warmth of him a few inches away, and sensed the weight of him and the realness of him. She was no longer very tired.

"You're not going to wake up and go frosty on me, are you?" The amusement in his voice was evident.

Rye smiled in the dark, "you mean the cave?" That had been the last time they slept side by side, she realized. And it had been very awkward.

Jax said nothing in response, but Rye heard his laughter, breathy and quiet.

"If you're worried about a repeat of that, maybe the incident in woods the next day was not rewarding enough to hope for,"

Rye lay still, flat on her back, listening to Jax shift in the darkness so that he was facing her. She wondered if those wolfish eyes of his could see her even without candle or moonlight. 

"I honestly do not remember what you're talking about," Jax said, his words dragging out playfully. Liar.

Rye had a stubbornness that matched his. It was almost comical, how the battle of their wits in the early days had never really gone away. It had only morphed from mistrust into something amusing.

"Alas," she told him, feigning dismissiveness.

She could feel him now, so close that his breath fanned over her cheeks, fluttering her eyelashes. Her shoulder was warm against him, and her mind was hazy. Jax was the entire world brought before her, he surrounded her with the smell of rain and a deep, steady sense of peace.

"Perhaps I should refresh my memory," he whispered. His fingers brushed wisps of curly hair back from her face.

"Perhaps you should," Rye whispered back, her own fingers trailing along his arms.

Her eyes fluttered closed when he kissed her, slowly and deeply, as if to make it last as long as possible, as if to hold onto it for as close to forever as he could. There was a sweet ache in it, and once again Rye felt keenly how horrible and cruel their separation had been. Jax's hands, always calloused and rough, held Rye so gently that it brought tears to her eyes. She blinked rapidly as he pulled back, just enough to breathe the same air as was hers.

Blindly, Rye's fingers traced the outline of his brows and his hairline, his cheekbones and his lips, and finally his ever-so-slightly crooked nose. It may be true that no one is perfect, but Jax Griffiths was the closest approximation to perfection that Rye had ever known. Whether or not she was biased in her opinion, she did not care. All she had ever wanted was this intimate sort of familiarity, and at that moment, Rye felt as though she had known him all her life. Maybe even longer than that.

"Jax," Rye whispered, nearly reverently, holding his cheeks in her palms, "I have known this for some time now and I can't keep it a secret any longer. And why should I? You are my mate; I will follow you anywhere and die one day at your side. I love you, Jax."

She was so close to him at that moment, and so aware of him, that she actually heard the sharp intake of breath he took. And against her own skin, she felt the swift elated heartbeat spike in his chest.

Rye felt him grinning.

His voice, came out half laughing, "you love me? What a terrible decision,"

Rye smacked him lightly on the shoulder and then he really did laugh, the sound of it enveloping her like a warm, comforting blanket.

"Rye," he whispered, when the most blinding part of his joy faded to a glow, "If I died tomorrow I'd consider myself well accomplished. You are what gives me the strength to go on. I love you, I love you, I love you," and each declaration was followed by a rain of kisses to her cheeks and her forehead and her nose, a punctuation to a point he did not need to try hard to argue.

Too emotional for words, Rye crawled into his arms properly, and gripped him tight, her cheek pressed close against his chest.

They fell asleep like that, satisfied with everything in the universe.

***

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this one!!

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