Aftermath

Diana sat sipping her tea waiting for Matthew to come back in the room. Baldwin had left a while ago which meant Matthew was less tense. Obviously the Brothers had not been close and she hated to see the stress it brought to Matthew. She wasn't sure that there was a spot on her body that wasn't sore. Although she was grateful that Baldwin had been there to help Matthew, at least in providing the transport of a helicopter if nothing else.

She had known he would come for her. Even when she was screaming in agony, she knew Matthew would leave no stone unturned until he found her. In the worst of it, all she needed to do was hold on long enough for him to reach her. Never had she doubted that he would.

The feeling of ice pickling her skin alerted her to Matthew's presence. "I need to get clean." She knew she wouldn't be able to stand the water too hot, but she felt as though she had dirt embedded into skin. And she knew Matthew would be able to smell every creature that had touched her.

"I'll run a bath for you." Matthew moved into the adjoining bathroom. "Would you like to wash your hair?" He knew she would need some help but waited for her to ask. He would not be another person trying to control her.

"Yes, but I'll need your help." Diana stood shakily. She was starting to feel her body fully comprehending what she had been through.

Matthew was at her side in a second. "I've got you. We'll take it slowly." He let her set the pace when every instinct in him wanted to sweep her into his arms and carry her wherever she needed to go. To wrap her in cotton wool and protect her.

Diana managed a weak smile. "That'll be a first for us." She sighed with relief when they reached the bathtub. Those few steps had seemed to take a lifetime of effort. "I can't lift my top over my head." She knew Matthew was just waiting for permission to help her.

The water was the perfect temperature but it still stung when Matthew helped her lower herself into the bath once he had assisted her in getting undressed. He was so gentle with her as he washed her hair, cautious of any bumps, bruises or cuts she might have on her head. He had found some unscented soap so it wouldn't aggravate her injuries.

"Thank you." Her voice was so quiet he would have missed it had it not been for his vampire hearing.

"For what?" He grabbed the softest towels he could find and wrapped one around her wet hair, before helping her stand and wrapping the second towel around her body.

Typical that Matthew would feel it was his duty to help and therefore didn't require thanks. "For standing up against your Brother for me. For coming to get me in the first place. For helping me take a bath and washing my hair."

Matthew helped her step out of the bath and pulled the plug. "There's no need to thank me. Without you, my life is over. Now let's find you something comfortable to wear and get you into bed. You must be exhausted."

It had been a long terrifying day but the last thing Diana wanted to do was sleep. She didn't want to close her eyes and find herself back in the Oubliette. She had never been afraid of the dark before and now she wondered if there would ever be a time she would get to bask in the light with Peter Knox, Gerbert and Satu after her power. A power she didn't know how to use or understand.

It was as though Matthew sensed her hesitation. "Why don't we read until you able to sleep?" With the branding on her back, Diana would most likely only be comfortable sleeping on her front.

"That sounds good. No scary stories." She let Matthew help her into bed before curling into his side. She had never appreciated his icy temperature as much as she did tonight with her body covered in bruises.

"How about some Shakespeare?" Matthew waited until Diana was comfortable before reading some of the sonnets.

"Did you know Shakespeare?' It was highly possible considering how long Matthew had been alive.

"I had a passing acquaintance with him." Matthew frowned as Diana began to shake. "Am I making you cold?" He reached for another blanket to wrap around her regardless. Although he suspected it was more shock than his body temperature.

"No I'm fine. Keep reading." She loved his voice. She loved the rest of him as well. It had been some time since anyone had made her feel loved and cared for. It only took another couple of sonnets before she drifted off to sleep.

Matthew watched over her as she slept. He had come too close to losing her. Even now he wasn't certain how long Baldwin could keep the congregation away from them. He wished he hadn't promised her that he wouldn't go after Satu. He wanted to tear the witch apart for what she had done to Diana, but he admired her strength and determination to deal with her tormentor herself.

He was amazed that she wasn't showing more signs of shock. The fact that she now bore his insignia on her back was like a taunt. How the witches could do this to one of their own, he would never know. He didn't need Diana's body to be marked to show she was his, and he was hers. All it would take was one look at the two of them together and it was obvious.

Her quiet whimpers alerted him to her stress even in her sleep. Cautiously he put his hand on her uninjured shoulder. "It's alright ma lionne. You're safe now." She did not wake but seemed to settle. This happened on and off during the night, but Diana always seemed to settle once he assured her that she was safe and he was near.

After Diana had tried to turn onto her back in her sleep, Matthew had surrounded her with pillows. She seemed most comfortable curled up to him though. Perhaps his cold touch was soothing to her battered body. That thought alone made his guilt seep away a little.

He had been so certain that Sept-Tours would be the safest place for Diana. That no witch would dare set foot on their land and that with Isabeau's feeling about witches, he would never think of taking her there in the first place. He had never considered that they would fly in. Had he been arrogant? Or just misguided. Either way, he would not lose Diana.

"You're thinking too loud." Diana mumbled. "None of this was your fault. Stop feeling guilty about it."

"I didn't mean to wake you." Matthew settled further into the bed. He would not be sleeping tonight nor would he leave her side. "Are you in pain?"

"No." She snuggled closer. "I think you're taking away the worst of the bruising. My back stings but apart from that I'm fine."

He wasn't. Nobody would ever get the chance again to take Diana from him. But right now he needed a plan and time was not on their side. Perhaps taking her back to Madison to her Aunts was the best way to go.