The Family

Broken...

"N-Nicolas, I'm burning up. I think I may faint!" Arabella sniffled.

Nicolas gripped his shoulder and walked over to Arabella. Arabella lay in a bed and gripped the sheets.

"Miss Arabella, you were only pushed to the ground when the building collapsed. Maurius did push you through the exit so that you didn't feel the impact of the walls , so you didn't sustain any major injuries besides a cut or two." Nicolas calmly explained.

Arabella burst out in tears.

"BUT THE CUTS ARE BURNING NOW!" She whimpered.

"But you said it was stinging before." Nicolas pondered.

"It's burning because of the stinging...oh nevermind...could you be a dear and fetch me some ointment." She batted her eyelashes.

"Of course." He sighed as he left the room. As he made his way through the hallway, he secretly stopped by the room that Valentine was in.

"Valentine?" He whispered into the warm, dark room. No reply.

He snuck into the room and flipped the light on. Then he pushed a chair so it stood next to the bed. He plucked the wet cloth that lay on her forehead and dropped it into a small bowl.

The clear water changed to a deep crimson as the blood soaked cloth fell into the bowl.

He wrung the cloth out and started cleaning the various deep wounds.

First he started with her forehead that had a deep cut that appeared after the building collapsed. He cleaned the wound and wrapped a bandage over the wound.

Then Nicolas continued but stopped when he took her hand into his own..."These small, fragile hands have been wounded by me." He muttered

He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, a guilt stricken expression on his face.

He gently placed a kiss on her hand...until he felt the twitching and flexing of her hands.

Nicolas looked up into frightened eyes. Her eyes filled with terror and tears.

Those eyes were windows to how she was feeling. She had the eyes of an innocent child who was lost in the big bad world.

He was mesmerized as she looked into his own blue eyes.

Tears threatened to spill as she looked at his shoulder with fright. She reached out and touched the sensitive wound before he gently pushed it away.

"It's a bit painful." He whispered.

As the words left his mouth, a tear journeyed down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry." She whimpered in a hoarse voice. He shook his head and was about to pull her into a tight hug before a high pitched voice broke through the tension.

"Nicolas? NICOLAS!? NICOLAS MY ARM HURTS!" She whined. Nicolas growled at the interruption before giving Valentine a look of disdain.

"I need to-" he began but was cut off by the hoarse voice Valentine.

"It's fine."

He petted her head and slipped out of the room, ready to handle Arabella.

After an afternoon of Arabella's whining and complaining she had finally settled down for the night.

Nicolas breathed a sigh of relief as he thought about how he could now finally turn all his attention to Valentine.

He turned the corner to her room but stopped when he heard unfamiliar voices coming from the room. He paused and listened..."Listen, Valentines, your little incident made headlines on the paper and the boss ain't happy. He ain't in the merciful mood." An unfamiliar voice warned.

"I-I understand." Valentine said as her voice cracked.

"Listen, the boss sent me to tell you that by sunset tomorrow you gotta be in his office. He wants to talk." Another voice said.

There was silence at that last comment before two men exited through the door. Nicolas quickly hid behind the corner before the two men shuffled out the room.

After a few minutes of waiting, to make sure it was safe, Nicolas entered the room and saw Valentine looking out the window with tears in her eyes.

She didn't seem to notice his entrance as he snuck into the room. As the door squeaked she was snapped out of her trance.

Her gaze turned to meet his and she immediately averted her eyes to her hands.

More tears streamed down her face.

"Wanna talk?" He said with a soft smile on my face.

After Nicolas left the room and made them some tea, he returned and settled down in the seat next to her bed. She graciously accepted the warm drink.

"Who were those guys earlier?" He asked in a soft voice. She chuckled softly.

"They're just one of my father's goons." She whispered.

"What were they doing here?" He questioned further.

She began playing with her fingers as she tried to find an answer.

"Just to warn me." She mumbled.

"Warn you about what?" He pressed on.

"My father." She snapped before taking in a deep breathe.

"Look, I messed up with the whole incident and you almost got killed which was the one thing my father told me to watch out for. I got sloppy and now I need to face the consequences." She mumbled as her voice cracked on the last part.

"But it wasn't your fault!" He protested.

"My father don't care." She ended flatly.

"But fathers are supposed to care about what happens to their children! And you got seriously injured in the process. That has to count for something!" He argued.

She simply shrugged.

"Well, why don't you forget about him for now. The stress is bad for your recovery." He cheerfully said as he patted her head.

"Well the only reason I ain't breaking your hand right now is because it hurts anytime I move." She grumbled as he swiftly pulled his hand away.

Nicolas rejoiced as Valentine returned to her usual mood.

"Noted." He said with a smile, "Now, do you need something?" He asked.

She shook her head and grumbled something incoherent.

For the rest of the evening Nicolas asked his servants to make a feast for them two. He constantly changed her bandages and gave her a fresh cloth for her forehead. He gladly payed heed to any need she had and didn't mind any of her requests.

Valentine fell asleep with Nicolas clutching her hand in a supportive manner...

"My trésor..." He whispered to her peaceful face...