Trust
He turned his head to look at the beauty sleeping next to him. She had come to him with tears in her eyes and he had soothed her in one of the only ways she would allow. Now, as she slept, he recognized the gift of trust she was giving him. There was a time when she would have left as quickly as she had arrived. Not trusting anyone to be near her when she was vulnerable. But that was the old Dutch. She was changing and only time would tell if it would be for the better. While he loved seeing a softer side of her, he realized it made her more vulnerable to the hurts that life could dish out. In his opinion, she had already experienced enough hurts to last a lifetime and he didn't even know the whole story of her life. Just bits and pieces she had shared during the course of their on again, off again relationship. When she and Johnny had showed up in Old Town it was like she had decided that her life had just started on that day. She didn't like to talk about the past. Yet everyone could see the glimpses of pain in her eyes and the protectiveness that pain triggered in her partner. Now as they all pursued the truth she was seeking, he wondered if it would unleash an avalanche of years of suppressed feelings. While he was happy to see that she was beginning to explore her more emotional side, he wondered if the small changes she was making would be enough to see her through the times ahead. In his head he knew they would be tough. Tough on her, tough on him, and tough on both her partner and her former lover. With a gentle touch he stroked the hair away from her cheek and silently vowed to see her through the coming days and weeks. Regardless of whether it took gentleness, redirection, or the downright refusal to allow her to risk herself, he would do his best to make sure she survived physically, mentally, and emotionally intact. He would prove himself worthy of her gift of trust.