Fix You

Part 17

Owen woke up first in the morning, studying her profile as she was still asleep. He loved her. It hit him square in the stomach, he loved her so much.

He kissed her temple before easing out of bed, getting dressed quietly and heading downstairs to make coffee to go with the cinnamon rolls they'd picked up for breakfast. He also spent a few moments picking up after himself as he straightened the area that he normally sat in each day. He managed to drink most of a cup of coffee before he glanced at the clock and headed upstairs to check on her.

Sang looked up and smiled. "Morning." She said, dressed already for the road trip home in a pair of soft gray leggings with polka dots. She'd paired it with a soft pink sweater that hung down over her hips. She finished packing her things into the bag.

"Good morning." He came into the room and paused by her to kiss her lightly. "Sleep well?" he inquired, eyes shimmering a molten silver as he peered into her eyes.

"Very well." She nodded. "You did too, right?"

"I did." He inclined his head in a slight nod. "I'm just going to pack up my things as well, coffee's made downstairs if you're so inclined to try it." He smiled. "Or there's one of those bottled coffees still in the fridge."

She chuckled. "I might try regular coffee. While you're up here packing, you won't be there to see all the faces I'll be making while I try to fix it for myself."

He laughed at that. "I'll tell you the secret...it's actually how Sean and I used to drink coffee at first." He said.

She tilted her head. "Really....?"

"Yes. Before he decided he really didn't like coffee and I graduated to drinking it with just a little cream and sugar." Owen said. "The trick is to use a packet of hot chocolate mix. Use a little coffee to mix that up, add a little bit of extra sugar and some cream and then fill up the rest of the way with coffee."

"Oh that sounds like it might work out pretty well." She said. "I want to try it because I could save the bottled coffee for later." She leaned in and kissed him lightly. "See you downstairs over cinnamon rolls."

"Yes." He smiled as she walked away from him. "I won't be long." He said.

"Okay."

He hurried through the packing, taking all of their bags out and putting them in the trunk of the car before they ate breakfast, watching the waves crash along the beach as they ate and drank coffee. "Want to take one final trip down to the water before we go?" He asked.

She turned to study him. "No, I'm actually ok." She said. "Now that we're heading home, I'll admit to feeling a bit anxious because I'd like to see the rest of the family." She said. "Not that you aren't wonderful and I love the individual attention..." she said, worried that she might have hurt his feelings.

"No harm done." He said with a chuckle. "I am feeling the same anxiety. It's rare for me to leave Sean in charge for so long." He said as they finished up and took care of their dishes. He snagged her hand as they went out the front door to leave. He drew her close to his side as he locked up. He turned to her, reaching up a hand and gently caressing her cheek.

Sang's eyes closed and she drew a ragged breath. "Owen..." she murmured.

"Sang..." He said softly, leaning in closer to her. "Open your eyes." He breathed.

Her eyes opened and she studied him for a moment before her eyes met his. "What?" she murmured, his hand still on her face as he watched her.

"Before we came to this place, you said it feels like we're all trying to fix you and you didn't think it would work when it came time for us to convince the Academy that this was the right thing for our family."

She nodded. "True." She whispered, unable to look away from the silvery glint of his eyes.

"Well, I assure you that you have my promise to not let that happen anymore. You have to let me know if they try to fix you up again." He said.

She reached up a hand and rested it on his cheek as she kept looking at him. "I will let you know. But I was sort of thinking at least for you and me, maybe we should just agree that we can manage to fix each other."

He considered her words for a long moment. "So, we don't let the boys try to fix you but you and I, by the simple act of grabbing time together each week... would allow each other enough trust and access to our pasts to try to work together and fix each other?"

"Pretty much." She said, earning a slight smile from him and a quick nod of agreement. She leaned in to kiss him, a soft moan escaping her as he kissed her back, his hands sliding to the back of her head and his fingers tangled in the hair at the base of her neck, holding her in place as he kissed her.

He smiled at her when they finally broke apart and he drew her to his side, his arm around her as they walked to the car and he opened her door for her. "I completely enjoyed being grounded to you this week."

She smiled. "Hmm, I'm not sure that you were meant to enjoy being grounded." She teased, slipping into her seat and putting on her seatbelt as he watched her. His eyebrow quirked up in a question. "I thought you would have groveled more."

He chuckled and shut the door before going around and getting in behind the wheel. "I suppose we have several hours to drive..." He mused, starting the car as he put on his seatbelt. "I might find some time to grovel..."

Sang laughed at the look on his face. "Never mind." She said. "We can just pick up next week on Tuesday night where we left off. I doubt I'll get much alone time with you before then."

"True." He agreed as they started off towards the freeway and back to life in Charleston. "I don't like the sound of that already." He admitted, reaching for her hand and brushing a kiss to her knuckles as he drove. "But... it does give me something to look forward too." He admitted with a sideways glance at her.

Her face lit up and she gave his hand a squeeze. "I think that's one of the nicest things I've heard you ever admit to." She said.

"It's only the truth." He said, studying her at a stop light.

""I know." She said softly. "Just can't wait for school to be over in a couple months so we won't have to limit our time together."

"Agreed." He nodded, focusing on the driving. "Relax." He encouraged her. "We've got quite a bit of a drive today to get home."

"Okay." She said, reaching for the radio and turning it on as they fell into a companionable silence, punctuated by brief moments of conversation as they made their way home, following the taillights in front of them.

Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones

And I will try to fix you

(The End...)