Capturing Ella

Chapter 37 - Joe

'You... mean it?' Ella whispered. She lay in her bed, the bed we shared last night, tucked under the duvets. After her bad dream, I tried to wake her up to calm her down, but the second she was aware of what was happening she just jumped up and ran to the window. Slowly I walked over to coax her calm again. I told her I had seen everything – the crash she was in when she was little I saw like she saw it. Her attempted suicide and her talking to Michael when she was a teenager and then the plane crash. I saw it all. It brought me to the edge of tears. When I told her I saw everything she completely panicked and ran back into the bed, under the sheet. I told her I cared, but it didn't change the way I saw her. Well, that was a lie. I didn't know she had that much strength in her. She attempted suicide but eventually pushed back into existence and thankfully into my life.

Currently he was lying in the bed, duvet pulled down slightly. I was sitting down on the side my hand over her stomach. I nodded; surprised that she would even question that. I guess she kept her past to herself; much like Savant's had to keep their gifts to themselves. I guess that she had to hide it because it made people change their opinion on her. Not me, though. I still liked her so much that it hurt to see her upset.

She flung herself at me, her arms wrapping tight around my neck as I put my arms around her tiny waist, hugging her tightly. She started to cry again, her head buried in my shoulders. I could feel the damp of her tears as she struggled to breathe.

'Ella, it's okay.' I mumbled and she just shook her head in my shoulder. 'No, Ella, it will be fine. I promise you, we'll work something out.' I said, pulling her to sit on my lap hugging her tight. It took another ten or so minutes of me gently coaxing Ella to try and calm down before she finally stopped sobbing.

She sat on my lap, arms still around my neck head draped on my shoulder. I had one arm around her waist, the other on her upper thigh.

'Sorry,' She whispered.

'Don't apologise for having feelings, hun.' I told her, gently touching her face as she smiled slightly

'You really don't care?' She asked me.

'No, Ella, I do are. That's the thing – of course I care. I care for you and I care about you. I just desperately want to know you're okay and you'll always be okay. Of course I care about your past, the crash and your...' I couldn't say it. I couldn't. I couldn't imagine the pain and the mental torture she must have been under for her to do something like that. She flinched when I mentioned the crash and again knowing I would mention her attempted suicide. 'I see what you mean about the plane – you recognised the man, didn't you?'

'Yeah,'

'How?'

'When I was on holiday down here with the girls, I went to this tiny isolated island. He was there, with someone else. They were carrying all kinds of crap in bags. I think I mentioned them yesterday?' She mumbled.

'I think so,'

'If it is we're in shit.'

'Why?'

'That island you can see from the beach? That's the island.' Ella said and I swore under my breath. 'I'll go check it out now,' She offered.

'Hell no you're not. Not when you're like this – cold and tired. It can wait.' I said and she went to protest. I cut off her sentence with a gentle kiss. 'No – I'm not letting you hurt yourself... alright?'

'Mmm... maybe.' She just grinned.

'No, You're not projecting there until tonight, at the best.' I told her and she rolled her eyes.