Beyond the walls (Ruby Rose)

°14°

"Oh thank goodness! I was worried sick about you, Evangeline! And then Ruby left to go find you and you took too long to return, I thought something terrible had happened! I don't kn-"

I just bring Pepper into a hug which stops her panicked and worry-filled rant midway. She breaths out a sigh of relief and returns the hug.

"I'm really sorry for causing such a scene and making everyone worry. I promise it will never happen again." I say as I pull away slightly.

"It's quite alright dearie. Just as long as you are safe and sound." She pulls back and looks at Ruby and me still quite relieved. "How about I dish up your dinner, you must be starving after being kept hostage by that demon!" She says sounding bitter about the previous events.

"Actually, my stay there wasn't so bad. And Lucian was kind enough to feed us before we left. You don't need to worry, he's quite a nice man."

She looks at me sceptical of my words before glancing at Ruby who just nods softly to confirm my words. I bet she didn't expect such a positive reaction from my kidnapping.

"Very well then, I'll just bring you two some tea and biscuits to have in the study. Then I want you both to rest up." With a nod, she walks away expecting us to obey. Of course, we do as told, it's been an exhausting day and some tea would be lovely.

Sitting down on the couch in the study, I finally take a breath. All the things we discussed with Lucian mere hours ago only sink in now. In the moment, it felt unreal. All the information just made me feel like I was in some sort of maze and I had to find a way out before time runs out. This whole ordeal is quite insane.

I hear Ruby sit by her desk as she lets out a tired sigh. I can see all the stress of the situation weighing on her and I wish I could make her feel better, maybe even forget about it just for the evening.

I walk up to her, standing behind her before bending over to wrap my arms around her shoulders. Her body is tense and stiff but relaxes as soon as I hug her.

"My love, I know that all of this news concerning Lord Garret and the hunter is awful, and maybe even terrifying, but now that we know what he's planning, we can use that to our advantage. As Lucian said, you can make a lot of change and stop people like that idiotic man Lord Garret."

She sighs again, taking my hands and pulling me to sit on her lap. She looks at me with a tired smile and lots of worry.

"It's just too much, all I want to do is fix Solris and live my life with you. Do you really think I'd be capable of being the big change that Lucian thinks I am? I knew things would be hard, but not this complicated."

She wraps her arms around my waist and she nuzzles her face in my neck. Her voice is filled with so much doubt, something I never thought I'd see her experience. I never would have associated doubt with Ruby. I guess this is really taking a toll on her, more than I initially thought.

"Hey, how about we just not think about this right now. We've had a very eventful day and I for one am in need of a bit of relaxation." I say rubbing her shoulders and kissing her forehead. "We'll have some tea and a bath then sleep, we'll start thinking about this tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"I'd love that, very much."

She looks up at me with a grateful smile. I'm glad I cheered her up, even if it's by a small amount.

Right on cue, Pepper enters with a tray of tea and biscuits as promised. She sets it down by the couch before looking at us with a slight smirk at our sitting position. Ruby blushes but still pulls me closer to her while I'm on her lap.

"You two enjoy your night, just make sure to get some sleep."

And with a wink, she leaves the room. I look at Ruby and I see her still blushing. It's cute when she does. I giggle and kiss her cheek.

"Let's have our tea before it gets cold."

~~~~~~~

After we had our tea, Ruby and I went up to our room to have a very much needed bath. I poured in oils and salts that smell like lavender and jasmine to help calm Ruby down. And seems that it works as she sits here in my arms laying on my chest in bed.

She has her eyes closed, and I'd believe that she was asleep if it wasn't for the feeling of her fingers softly trailing along my side. Even though I've been gone for just a night, I'd missed this so very much.

"My love," she says so softly that I almost miss it. "I realized something when you were away from me."

She moves up slowly, leaning her head onto her hand to look at me. She smiles and I can see her eyes sparkle at whatever blissful thought she has filled her mind. Lifting her free hand from my side, she places it gently on my cheek making me smile more leaning into her touch.

"I realized that in the few weeks we were together, you've managed to become the most important part of my life. And when you were gone, I felt like I was missing a piece of my heart. I couldn't bare the thought of you not being with me, I don't ever want that to be a reality."

My heart accelerates at her words, the way they warm me up and bring me so much happiness, I can't believe it's real.

"Eva, I want to tell you that I love you and that I'd do anything for you, to keep you safe and happy. You are the love I've been waiting for."

My eyes water slightly as I smile wider then I have before. She loves me.

"I love you too Ruby."

I pull her closer to me, kissing her so softly and gently to match the sweet moment.

The moment lasts for a few minutes although it feels like years for us as if time had stopped just for us.

"Let's go to sleep, we have so much to do tomorrow."

With one last kiss, we fall into a peaceful rest, the confession of our love providing us comfort and new hope for the threat that's coming our way.