"Michael?" Fiona's voice was scarcely above a whisper in the darkness of the loft.

"I don't want to talk about it, Fi. I told you that earlier," he replied turning over so his back was to her in bed. "Go back to sleep."

Fiona chewed her lip for a moment while she considered her options. She could do as he said and forget about the whole thing for now and go to sleep, or… "I know you don't want to talk about it, but I do, so you're just going to listen, okay?"

He didn't reply, but from the tension in his shoulders, she could tell he was still awake and paying attention.

"Your father was an abusive bastard. I know, I talked to Maddie before coming over here. I also know that you tried your damn hardest to protect her and your brother. And I know how he repaid you for that. Today you hit your mother. You had to play the monster and I think that scared the shit out of you. Hell, it scared me half to death. I can't imagine how your mother felt."

Fiona paused and scooted closer to Michael, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But more than all that, I know that that isn't who you are; you're not your dad. Never forget that."

Michael shrugged away from her touch.

Fi sighed and moved back to her previous position, whispering "You're not, but I'm sorry you felt like it today."

Michael finally turned his head to look at her, "No."

Fiona frowned, "Pardon?" She was confused.

"Don't be sorry, Fi. None of this is your fault…"

Fiona cut him off, "I'll be sorry if I damn well feel like it," she hissed. "I don't care about what is and isn't my fault. I care about you. And you're hurting, and for that, I'm sorry. I just hope that one day you'll be able to tell me about it yourself," she retorted, rolling away from him and forcefully pulling the sheet up to her chin.

Now lying on his back, Michael sighed and ran a hand through his hair. About twenty minutes later, Fiona seemed to be asleep and Michael had been staring blankly at the ceiling, considering her words.

"One day, Fi, I promise. One day," Michael murmured to the still room. If he had been looking, he would have seen a small smile lift the corners of Fiona's mouth as she 'unconsciously' snuggled closer to his side.

As it was, he simply lifted his arm and pulled her close, whispering "one day" once more into her hair.