With trembling hands, he reached for her. He stumbled forward, that dangerous darkness that coated him disappearing. It gave way to the light hues of emotion that surrounded her - cutting deep into his killer indifference. He fell to his knees before her, hesitantly reaching for her, but when his fingers grazed the dirty, ragged fabric of a once soft blouse, he crashed his forehead to her stomach and wrapped his thick arms around her. The steel of his determination and strength faded as he felt her whole.
At first, she stood a little shocked, but as the shadows made way for the light she saw in him and his skin returned to the tanned, firm muscle she loved, she placed her hands on his head. Holding him close as sudden relief burst through her dam of uncertainty, stuck together by muddied fears. Her fingernails cut deep into his scalp to draw him closer and her head bowed low to tickle her nose with the finest masculine scent: hot coal and moist earth just after rainfall.
They were okay.
