*Obvious disclaimer: While I created the characters of Azurite Lazuli and Chrysocolla Paz, all other characters in this story are property of the amazing Rebecca Sugar and the Crewniverse*

Maybe I'm not alone

Chapter 1:

There was a knocking in her head. Azu groaned and rolled over to look at the clock. It was nearly 2am. Then she heard the knocking again and realized it wasn't in her head, it was at the front door. With a sigh, she climbed out of bed and shuffled to the door, pulling the curtain aside as she flipped on the porch light. With surprise she saw that it was Chrys! As she opened the door Chrys stepped in quickly, followed by a strong gust of freezing air and bits of frozen sleet. Azu quickly closed the door behind her.

"Chrys, what's going on? It's so late! Are you okay?"

Chrys drew a shaky breath before replying. "Nothing's wrong really. I had a huge fight with Aqua and just had to leave. Do you think I could stay here tonight? I know it's a lot to ask, especially so late at night, but… I don't know where else to go… I would sleep in the car, but it's just so cold out."

"Of course you can stay here tonight!" Azu said. "Come on, you're all wet from the sleet, let's go get you some dry clothes."

With that Azu stepped away, walking towards her bedroom with Chrys following behind. "Sorry it's kinda chilly in here too. This old house is so drafty that it's hard to keep it as warm as I'd like when it's this cold out," she said.

"No worries, it's way better in here than it is outside. Thanks for taking me in tonight."

"It's no problem at all, really. I'm just glad I heard you knocking," Azu replied as she opened her bedroom door and stepped in.

Chrys stepped in behind her and was struck by how cozy the room was. She had a thick, warm looking dark blue comforter on the bed, curtains that let in just the barest amount of light through their soft but heavy looking material, a thick throw rug next to the bed that matched the comforter, cherry wood side tables on either side of the bed that matched both of her dressers, the headboard, and the bookshelf packed with books, and a dark grey oval shaped armchair that looked big enough to fit two people in the corner with a fluffy dark blue blanket draped over the back. The walls were painted a soft shade of blue with grey accents, and there were a handful of framed prints from various Studio Ghibili movies adorning the walls.

"Would you rather sleep in shorts or pants tonight? I have several options for either," Azu said as she pulled open a dresser drawer.

"Um… normally I wear shorts to bed. Do you think that will that be warm enough for the front room?"

"What do mean?"

"Aren't I sleeping on the couch? I didn't think you had a guest room."

"Don't be silly. I have a queen size bed with a heated blanket and this is the warmest room in the house. You can sleep in here with me. Unless that would just be too weird for you."

"Oh… No, I guess that's okay" Chrys replied, her mind drifting back to the fight with Aqua earlier where they'd argued about her friendship with Azu.

"Okay then. Here, will these be alright for the night?" Azu said, handing her a pair of shorts that were dark blue with small coffee cups all over them, and a matching shirt of the same color with the graphic on it that said, 'Coffee Is Never a Bad Idea!'

Chrys smiled at the pajamas and then up at Azu. "They're perfect."

Azu smiled back. "Alright, I'll step out, so you can change. Just toss your clothes next to the door and I'll grab them and toss them in the dryer before we go to sleep." And with that she left the room. Chrys quickly changed and climbed into the bed, which felt like heaven as she slipped her legs under the blankets. It was soft and warm, and she realized with a jolt that the blankets smelled like Azu. They smelled faintly of honeysuckle, just the way Azu always did when she drifted close. Chrys wondered if it was a perfume that she wore, or if it was a type of soap or fabric softener that she'd never seen before.

Azu returned about 10 minutes later, carrying a small tray. She walked over and sat it on the side table closest to Chrys. On it there was a small bowl with blueberries and grapes, a mug, and a phone charger. Azu picked up the mug and handed it to Chrys. It was warm in her hands and smelled wonderful. "It's lemon and lavender tea. I thought you might like a small snack and something warm to help calm your nerves before you went to sleep. Also, give me your phone and I'll get it plugged in for you."

Chrys handed her the phone, and then sipped her tea while she watched Azu set up the charging port and plugged it in behind the side table. "Thanks Azu." "No problem hun. I'll be right back, I'm gonna go take care of your clothes real quick," she replied and left the room with the pile of damp clothing.

By the time Azu returned, Chrys had finished the tea and fruit. Azu noticed this with a small smile as she walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed under the blankets. "Ready?" Azu asked reaching for the light. "Definitely," Chrys replied sinking into her pillow. She noticed that it smelled of honeysuckle as well and let out a small sigh of contentment as she snuggled her head into it.

She lay there for a while listening to Azu's breathing slow and deepen as she fell asleep. Suddenly her phone lit up. Reaching over she saw that it was a text from Aqua demanding to know where she was. With a grimace she shut the screen off, deciding it was better not to reply. It wasn't long before it lit up again. And then again. And then again. Finally, she picked it up, flicking the screen on. There were five new messages from Aqua. With each one, the message's got meaner and angrier. The last one was simply cruel. With tears in her eyes, she put the phone on the table with the screen facing down and laid back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling and noticing how just the barest hint of moonlight filtered through the curtains and illuminated the room. Before long she began to cry quietly to herself. She only noticed that Azu was awake when she rolled over, held out her arms, and said "come here."

Chrys scooted across the bed and into her waiting arms, burying her face into Azu's chest, and clutched her shirt in both hands. She felt Azu's arms wrap around her, holding her tightly. Before she could stop it, she felt all her sadness, anger, and hopelessness pouring out of her as her tears turned into sobs.

Azu began to stroke Chrys's hair as she listened to the soul rending sobs that Chrys was letting out, knowing that she needed to cry out whatever was going on within her. With a flare of anger, she remembered the scared and hopeless look on Chrys's face when she'd opened the front door earlier in the night, and Azu wondered if Aqua had hurt Chrys with more then her words when they'd fought. "So help me, if she did…" Azu thought.

When Chrys's tears began to subside, she kept her face pressed into Azu's wet shirt, inhaling Azu's sweet scent and just let herself enjoy being held so tenderly for the first-time a in a long time. She felt so unexpectedly safe in that moment.

"Feeling a little better now?" Azu asked softly before kissing the top of Chrys's head.

"Yeah," Chrys mumbled. The top of her head tingled where Azu had kissed it. How could a person be so sweet and kind to someone she barely knew? "Sorry about your shirt" she said as she finally moved her face away from Azu's chest but didn't leave her arms. She felt vulnerable and needed the physical contact the embrace gave her.

"No worries," Azu said softly. Soon, Azu heard Chrys's breathing change and smiled to herself knowing that Chrys was finally sleeping, and that she needed the rest. Soon, Azu joined her in slumber.

Sometime later in the night, Azu woke and realized that Chrys was pressed against her back with her arm wrapped around her waist. It felt so nice. Why, oh why, did she have to have such strong feelings for Chrys? It wasn't right, Chrys was in a relationship and despite her suspicions about Aqua and how she treated Chrys when no one else was around, she didn't want to end up coming between their relationship unjustly. What if she was wrong? She didn't want to ruin everything. This budding friendship with Chrys was so great and she didn't want to lose it. With a sigh, she closed her eyes knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep anymore that night, but refused to move away from Chrys's warm arms.

The Next Morning

Chrys woke slowly, and for a minute was confused about where she was. Then the events of the night before came flooding back; the fight, driving around aimlessly before ending up at Azu's, the crying, falling asleep in Azu's arms. Sitting up, she noticed Azu was gone. Then she realized the air was filled with the smell of bacon and coffee. Looking around the room she saw a robe lying on the armchair with a note sitting on top of it. She got out of bed to look. It read: Feel free to wear this and come on out for breakfast whenever you're ready. With a chuckle, she slipped the robe on and left the bedroom without even bothering to glance in the direction of her phone. She would have to deal with Aqua and her anger soon enough, but for right now she just wanted to ignore it for a while longer.

As she stepped out of the room, she admired the Christmas tree and the simple holiday decorations that adorned the house. As she stepped further into the house, she heard quiet singing and followed it to the kitchen. Azu stood in front of the stove, flipping eggs and singing quietly to herself. Chrys moved into the room quietly, listening, and holding her breath as Azu sang,

"…Then I see the colors fading
Gentleness of light escaping
Shadows of my fears invading
Have I seen this all before?
I know that there's something residing
A terror deep inside me
I couldn't understand how you could be so bold
Maybe I'd find myself smiling on that distant shore
Maybe I'm not alone."

When Azu turned with a tray of eggs in her hand and saw Chrys, she stopped singing and her face flushed bright red. "Chrys! I'm sorry, I hope I didn't wake you."

"You didn't. But why are you apologizing, that was beautiful! I'd love to hear the whole song someday."

"I don't know about that, I'm really not that great of a singer." Quickly changing subjects, she moved towards the dining table and said "Breakfast is ready. I hope you're hungry! I made bacon, eggs, and toast. I also have coffee, milk, or pineapple juice to drink."

Chrys smiled as she sat. "That sounds amazing! I'd love some coffee."

Azu put a cup down in front of Chrys, took a seat opposite her, and began to serve herself from the small trays of food between them. "Feel free to dig in Chrys!" As Chrys filled her plate, she felt the faint stirrings of happiness blooming in her chest. It had been so long since someone had thought about what she might want and treated her the way Azu did. She never wanted to leave this house, even though she knew in the back of her mind that she would have to before the day was over. She began to think about what to do after breakfast and how the day would go.

As if she was reading her mind, Azu asked "So, do you have any plans today? I was planning to do some shopping and was curious if you might wanna come with?"

"I would love to, but I should probably head home before to much longer. I have some homework I need to get caught up on that's due next week."

"Ah, gotcha. I gotta say, I don't miss those days. Being a writer is stressful enough when I have publisher deadlines to worry about. I don't think I'd ever wanna deal with college or homework again!" Azu said with a laugh.

Chrys laughed along and then a comfortable silence settled between them as they ate. After breakfast was done, Chrys went into the bathroom to get dressed. As she changed, she caught a glimpse of her body in the mirror and saw that she had a few small bruises on her chest and stomach where Aqua had hit her the night before. With a grimace she turned away from her reflection and finished dressing. When she stepped out, she saw that Azu was dressed for the day also and was finishing up the breakfast dishes. "About ready to head out?" Azu asked, drying her hands on a towel.

"Yeah, I think so. I just need to grab my phone from the bedroom and I should be all set. I don't know how I can ever thank you enough for last night."

"You don't have to. I'm just glad I could be here for you. If you ever need my help again, just ask and I'll be there," Azu said before moving away to get her coat off the coatrack by the door.

Chrys felt herself blush as she moved into the bedroom. When she picked up her phone and flicked the screen on, she saw that there were several messages and missed calls from Aqua. She sighed and knew that it was definitely not going to be a good day.

She walked to the front door and stepped out with Azu. On the porch, they embraced in a tight hug. "Remember what I said," Azu reminded her as she stepped away. "I will," Chrys responded before stepping off the porch and heading for her car. Azu stood on the porch and waved as Chrys drove away. When Chrys was out of sight, Azu sighed and headed for her own car, her mind swirling with thoughts about Chrys and the previous night.