AN: hello everybody! Welcome to my latest fanfiction! Thank you for taking a look! I wrote this a while back and just decided to revamp it and post it! I owe my beta reader a huge thanks, for without him, this story would not be, and there would be no FitZ! (that would be really sad. D: ) I also would like to say that I do not own tiger and bunny or any of its characters. Welp, read, enjoy, and remember that review make Miss Echo very happy, so be sure to drop a few of those!

I should also explain that this takes place after the series, I apologize if that is unclear. (Which I realize it is.)

Thanks, and thanks again!

Valeriya turned over in the king size bed she shared with her fiancé. This time however, when she rolled over, her hands roamed the cold white sheets and she found there was nothing there. Sitting up, she clicked on the small lamp on her nightstand. Sure enough, Barnaby's side of the bed was empty. She took a moment to let her eyes adjust before glancing at the red light of the alarm clock. 3 am, still early.

'That's strange, where could he have gone?' she wondered to herself. Slipping out of the silky sheets, she grabbed up her red silk robe and threw it over her shoulders. Next, she slid her feet into the two red bunny slippers beside her side of the bed.

Because of all that he had been through in his childhood, Barnaby would sometimes suffer from nightmares or flash backs. When these woke him, he would throw on his robe and watch TV in the living room of their luxurious apartment. But tonight, when she flipped on the light to the spacious living area and looked around he was nowhere to be found.

Val began to get worried, since they had been together he had been having fewer attacks, but there was occasionally one that was far worse than the rest.

Whipping her head back and forth, her long raven hair swished behind her. She ran into all of the rooms, flipping on the lights and shouting his name in a frantic manner.

"Barnaby? Barnaby?! Barnaby where are you?!" the last room she entered was the kitchen. He wasn't there either. She grew increasingly nervous. Gathering her long locks over her shoulder and grasping it tightly as she always did when she was nervous, she could feel the sting of hot tears at her eyes.

Still whipping her head around she finally spotted something she had missed before, the balcony light was on. How had she missed that?

She rushed to the glass doors, throwing them open and running out into the cold wind of the early morning. A gust of wind blew and she closed her eyes, holding her robe closed with her hands.

When she opened her eyes, she saw him. Sitting hunched over in a plush chair, he held his head in his hands, in nothing but his flannel pajama pants and an open robe. She could see the steady streams of tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Barnaby!" she shouted, running to him and throwing her arms around his neck as he sat bolt upright at the sound of her frantic voice.

"I thought you had gone!" Her own tears now falling from her chocolate brown eyes. "What happened, why are you out here?" she asked, clutching tightly to him. She feared that if she let go, he may disappear again.

"Just…another nightmare." He said just above a whisper. He finally wrapped his arms around her hips.

She stood straight and cradled his head between her arms, pressing it firmly to her chest.

"How long have you been out here? You're freezing!" Her hand smoothed over his blonde locks, stroking his head repeatedly. She craned her neck down to place a loving kiss on the top of his head, her lush lips connecting with his soft hair.

"Dunno, a while." He sounded distant. Barnaby let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes, letting his head rest against her cushioned chest. He focused on the beating of her heart which was finally beginning to slow down. She let him stay in this way for a few minutes more before she felt a round of shivers run through his body.

Val gently took the sides of his face in her hands and moved him to look up at her.

"Love, let's get you inside, you're chilled." She said with a loving smile. She moved her hands to grasp his and she pulled him up from his seat, guiding him in through the glass doors and closing them behind her. She led him to the plush couch and pushed firmly on his exposed chest, letting him know she wanted for him to sit.

"Wait right here." She motioned to him as she sped into the bedroom and reappeared with a large fluffy blanket. She wrapped it around his broad shoulders and sat down a few feet beside him on the couch.

The room was filled with an immense silence as Val observed him staring at the floor in a trance like state. She had to break the silence.

"Honey?" she asked softly. The cold had chilled her too, but she was too worried about Barnaby to grab a blanket for herself. She clutched the robe tighter as a round of shivers went through her spine.

He turned to look at her and their eyes connected. He opened one side of the blanket and patted the spot next to him. She knew what he was asking and crawled over to sit with him under the blanket. He wrapped his arm and the blanket around her as she plastered herself to his side. Placing a hand on his toned chest, she laid her head on the firm muscles.

"Do you wanna talk about it? What was it about?" she quietly whispered.

"Same thing as always, the night I lost my parents, Maverick, the tattoo." His head turned to the side to hide his tears from his fiancé.

She noticed and lifted her head, using one hand to turn his face back towards her.

"You don't need to hide from me, I'm here for you. I understand your frustration, your sadness, longing, drive, and I'm here to help you through it all. I love you Barnaby. I'll always be here."

A new stream of tears ran down his cheeks as he leaned down and kissed her passionately.

"I love you too Valeriya." She was glad to see the distant look finally fading from his eyes. She craned her neck up and pecked him on the cheek before placing her head back down on his chest and slowly ran her lithe hand up and down his torso before letting it stop just above his heart. She did as he had done earlier and listened to his heartbeat. The soft beating comforted her. He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. She noticed his breathing slowing and his heart returning to its normal pattern and let her eyes drop closed.

He did the same, and soon, both were asleep.

When she woke in the morning she was still wrapped tightly around her lover, who was still sleeping softly.

She gently pried his arm from around her and moved out from under the blankets with creeping movements. Her steps were drawn out and slow to keep them quiet. She went back into their bedroom and fished through her purse to find her phone. Once she had the white iphone in her hand, she flipped through the contacts list and found the number she was looking for: Fitz.

She hit the green button and his picture popped up on the screen. She held it to her ear, waiting for him to pick up.

"Hello?" a groggy voice asked on the other end.

"Fitz! Good morning, I'm sorry, I hope I didn't wake you up." She said a bit above a whisper.

"No, it's fine, what's up?" he asked and she heard some rustling from his end of the line.

"Listen, I know the four of us were supposed to have lunch today, but we're not gonna be able to make it, can we change it to dinner? At Romanos? Around 8 ish?"

"Yeah, that's cool, long night?" Fitz yawned into the phone.

"yeah, but not in the sexual way, Barnaby had another episode last night, I found him out on the balcony." Valeriya peeked around the doorway to make sure her lover was still asleep.

"I thought you were sure he was done with those."

With her degree in psychology, Val had once diagnosed Barnaby with post traumatic stress disorder in a mild amount. She also thought that his attacks were beginning to leave him, and for a time she was right. He had gone seven months without one until tonight.

"I thought they were, but there is always a chance for another attack. I want him to sleep in and rest up, and I'm pretty tired myself, I wore myself out running around and searching for him."

"That sounds good, well sleep well, and I'll see you around 8?"

"Yes, perfect, sounds like a plan, thanks Fitz!" She said and hit the end button on the white phone. Val sneaked back up to the couch and sat down. The shift of the furniture made Barnaby's eyes flutter open and look at her with half lidded eyes. He sat up, letting the blanket fall to his lap.

"Morning sleeping beauty" she giggled and crawled over to kiss him lightly.

"Morning." He muttered.

"I called Fitz and moved our lunch to dinner instead at 8 o'clock."

He groaned and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. With her pressed tightly against him, he leaned back so he lay on the couch and she lay on top of him. She smiled and placed both hands on his chest.

"We should go back to sleep," she unlocked her phone to look at the time "it's only 8 am, and you need to rest "She closed her eyes and listened to his breathing. After a few minutes, she knew he was asleep and got comfortable, letting herself fall back into sleep as well.

Six more hours passed and the couple on the couch woke and sat up, trying to rub the sleep from their eyes.

"Morning again, how are you feeling?" she smiled up at the blonde man beneath her.

"Much better, thank you. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you worry." For the first time that night, he beamed a warm smile at her.

He embraced her and they held onto each other for a few minutes before letting go. Val reached for the remote and switched on the TV.

Barnaby and Valeriya shared coffee and cuddles on the couch before showering and getting ready for their double dinner date.

"Are you ready honey?" Val asked Barnaby as she stood in the doorway of their apartment. She was clad in a short black dress; it hugged her figure and stopped just before her knees. Her red heels clicked on the marble flooring.

"Yes, just let me grab my keys." He said grabbing up his car keys.

They locked the door and walked down to the parking lot, climbing into the red convertible.

Stopping and parking at Romanos, Barnaby exited the car first and walked around the vehicle, opening the door for her.

"Thank you." She beamed at him.

"Don't mention it." He returned her smile and offered her an arm, which she looped her own through. Passing through the front doors of the restaurant, they searched the tables and spotted the second couple at a table near a large window.

"Fitz, Kotetsu!" Valeriya said happily walking to them and hugging them as they rose to greet her.

"Oh my god, it's so good to see you! How are you?" she said as Barnaby pushed her chair in for her and sat down beside her.

"Good, works been interesting, but good." Fitz answered.

"Yeah, it's been a good time so far." Kotetsu grinned and turned to Fitz before looking back to Val.

"How are you guys?" Kotetsu asked.

"We're great! Just trying to get everything around for the wedding, you know?" she sighed and Barnaby chuckled beside her.

"Oh yeah, how is that coming?" inquired Fitz, who was sincerely curious.

"Very well actually, we just need a few more things at this point, my dress, the cake, and flowers, and I believe that's it." The smile on her face was wide and bright.

"That's great Val, where are you guys planning to honeymoon?" Kotetsu spoke up with a childish grin.

Vals face turned a deep crimson colour and she tilted her head down in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Burnaby just sat and smiled before answering.

"We haven't decided on that yet." His smile was wide as well.

The moonlight shown on the four people as they laughed and dined, sharing the time with their friends. All members at the table had a great time just being with each other.

AN: theres the first chapter! Hope everyone enjoyed! Poor Barnaby, he has a lot on his mind. What will be in store next for the pair? I hope to see you in the next chapter! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!