Trust (Sequel to Fire and Ice)

Chapter Eleven

"He should take it easy for the next few days, but he should be okay." Lexi says after she looks over Emmett.  We're gathered in his apartment.  Connor and Brett are in the kitchen while Lexi, Emmett, and I are in his bedroom.  He's lying in bed, fast asleep.  I'm sitting in a chair next to his bed, holding his hand.  I know that he's perfectly okay, but I just don't want to leave him yet in fear that he'll somehow disappear on me.  

"Thanks, Lexi." I whisper, not wanting to wake him up.  

"He's not the only one who should be getting some rest."  

"I think I'm gonna stay here for a while." I answer, even though she's right.  I'm exhausted, and I can barely keep my eyes open, but I'm not leaving him.  I at least want to be here when he wakes up.  She sighs.

"Okay." she says.  "I'm gonna head home then.  Just try to get some sleep at some point tonight.  I'm pretty sure he wouldn't want you to pass out from exhaustion."  I laugh.

"Don't worry, I will."  She leaves the room, and I'm left alone with Emmett.  I hope he isn't having any nightmares right now, because he really needs his rest.  I don't think he is because right now he looks peaceful.  I can feel my eyelids becoming heavier.

"Hey." Emmett says softly as I'm about to fall asleep.  I quickly open my eyes when I realize he's awake.  "Sorry, I didn't want to wake you up, but I figured you might want to sleep somewhere comfier than a chair." He moves over in the bed and pats the space next to him.  I get in, laying my head on his chest.  

"Lexi said that you need to take it easy for the next couple of days, but you're gonna be okay." I say quietly.  

"I told you that I'd be okay."

"But are you okay?" I ask.

"You just said that Lexi said that I'm fine."  he answers.

"You know that's not what I meant." I reply.  "Do you want to talk about what they did to you?" He sighs.  

"Not particularly." he says.  "But I might as some point.  Just not right now.  Right now, I just want to lay here with you."  I smile at the last part and kiss him on the cheek.

"I'm here when you want to talk about it."  I go back to laying on is chest, just happy to have him here, alive, with me.  I know he was only gone for about a day, but it felt like a week to me.  "I'm sorry." I say.  He looks at me in confusion.

"What for?"

"It's all my fault." I whisper.  "It was my plan that got you kidnapped.  I screwed up.  I thought that I would be the one in danger, not you guys."  He starts shaking his head before I"m even done speaking.

"Please don't do this to yourself."  I don't look at him.  "Hey." He gently tilts my chin up so I'm looking at him.  "This isn't your fault.  You can't torture yourself over this.  It was a good plan, except for the fact that you were in danger.  Things happened that we just didn't expect, that's all."

"You could have died." I exclaim.

"But I didn't though."  He says.  "I'm fine.  This isn't your fault, okay?"  I just nod my head in reply.  

"I love you." I say after a minute of silence.  He looks at me, shocked, because neither have us has said this to the other before.  I feel my face heat up because I feel awkward now.  "Just after you were taken,  I could barely function at first.  I was so worried that you were dead or something, and I wouldn't get more time with you to tell you that."  He stays silent.  "You don't have to say it back or anything, I just wanted you to know-"

He interrupts my rambling by kissing me passionately on the lips.  When we finally pull apart, he looks down at me, grinning.  "In case you couldn't tell already, I love you too." I laugh out of relief.  "I'm just surprised that you said it first."  I hit his arm playfully.  

"I'm not sure if I sure be offended or not." I joke.  I close my eyes getting ready to fall asleep.  "Can you tell me a story?" I ask him sleepily.

"Okay." He says.  Even though my eyes are closed, I can tell that he's smiling.  "Once upon a time, there was a boy.  For the most part, his life was ordinary.  Until, one day, he was in a fire.  He should have died.  But for some reason, he healed quickly, faster than the average human.  He discovered he had new abilities.  He wanted to use them to help people, so he moved to Flash City.  He didn't know that there was already a superhero there.  When he first meets her, she's stubborn as hell, especially when it came to protecting her friend." I laugh at this.  "But they work together to help save people.  At one point, she gets taken because she's protecting the boy.  While he is rescuing her, she gets stabbed.  She nearly dies, but is saved by a serum made by the people who took her."  He takes a deep breath.  "In that moment that she was saved, he realized that he couldn't live without her.  He realized that he found something that kept him fighting-her."

He kisses the top of my head and I'm asleep within seconds.