A/N: I had to write this - it was niggling at me ever since I first heard the song. it's basically just how Michael feels about Jac and how he feels about what her mother did to her.

The song is "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars.

Sarah x

I remember tears streaming down your face
When I said, "I'll never let you go."
When all those shadows almost killed your light
I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone."
But all that's dead and gone and past tonight

Seeing her cry was the most haunting memory Michael had of Jac. Seeing her walk out of that house in tears, doubled over in pain, too weak to stand, was one of his most horrible memories. So when he took her fragile body in her arms, he said nothing to her, but by doing so, by taking her there against his better judgement, he was telling her he wouldn't ever let her go.

She didn't really say anything to him, either. Just that she wanted nothing to do with her mother or her half-sister. But she cried. And that, in Jac's own way, was her begging Michael not to abandon her. And he wouldn't do that to her. He'd always seen her as full of life, even though it made her arrogant and aggressive and a pain to work with. But the darkness of this journey had swallowed her up, and the light in her eyes was gone.

It was over now, though. It was just another part of her past that she resented, and another chapter in her story that had come to an end. Another part of her that died. To be betrayed a second time, after learning to trust her mother, had broken her, and he could see it in her face. He remembered her deathly whitened face, the dullness of the eyes behind the tears, and it wasn't just the infection doing that to her.

Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I'll be safe and sound

As she fell asleep, the day turned slowly into night. He could tell she was exhausted from her ordeal, but he knew she would put it behind her. Whether she dealt with the consequences of it or not, she would ignore it and move forward. But it would always be there behind her, waiting to creep up on her. She would be alright, as long as she ran fast enough. As long as it never caught her.

He remembered making the promise to himself to never let someone do this to her again. He could recall thinking to himself, "If that woman comes near Holby City Hospital ever again, I'll keep her the hell away from Jac." It was a promise he intended to keep, no matter what happened between him and Jac in the future. Whether they fell out, whether they became rivals, whether they became mortal enemies, it made no difference; once she recovered from this, it was never going to happen again. He would never let Paula near her again.

When she woke up in the morning, he watched over her, and it was killing him to see her like that. She didn't believe it, but he was going to keep her safe from her mother.

Don't you dare look out your window darling
Everything's on fire
The war outside our door keeps raging on
Hold on to this lullaby
Even when the music's gone

He didn't want her to wake up that morning. He wanted her to sleep just a little longer, so she couldn't feel the searing pain from what happened outside that hospital room. He wanted her to stay in a cool, quiet hospital room, so she could remember who she was before her mother set fire to her heart. That was the way he saw it. He believed that Paula took her daughter, took her trust and her generosity and forgiveness and then grabbed her heart, ripped it apart and set fire to it. He could almost see it.

She was safe in this room. The bland walls protected her from the storm outside, protected her from the past. He knew that, if she could, she would battle with it at every turn, but she didn't have the energy anymore. It had made her who she was, shaped her very personality. She was tough as nails because of what she'd been put through, even if she was cold.

That was why he wanted her to hold on to it, even if it hurt her. He didn't want her to have to wake up and face it, but he wanted her to keep the memories. He knew it would make her even stronger, to know that she lived through that. It would remind her never to trust her mother again, for as long as she lived. As long as she kept this in her mind, even once this was over and done with, she would never make that mistake again.

Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I'll be safe and sound

He could recall her crying herself silently to sleep while he sneaked glances at her from behind a newspaper. He could recollect wishing she would be able to just drop off and close her eyes and sleep until the sun rose in the morning. But it was hours before she finally managed it. Sunset. She spent hours torturing herself before she was able to sleep when the sun set.

He had resisted the urge to kiss her forehead and tell her she would be alright. It was mainly because he knew there was no way she could be alright. This was going to keep stabbing at her for a while, and she would still wonder why her mother didn't care about her enough to stay, even if she knew deep down that her mother was the one that had a problem, not her.

But for now, while she slept, nobody could hurt her. He could see from her face that there were painful memories weaving into her dreams, though. But they'd already hurt her, and she was only remembering the pain in her dreams. No-one would do her wrong while she slept; he wouldn't let them. He would shield her for as long as she would let him, and do his best from a distance when she pushed him out.

That was how he had known that she wouldn't be OK when morning broke and she woke up. She wouldn't turn and face what had just happened to her. She would start running. He knew her well enough to know that she would take a lesson from it and then start running away. She would let it add another layer of armour to her heart and then run as fast as was humanly possible. That was not a normal person's definition of the would "fine," and he knew that would be the word she would use when he asked her how she was.

Just close your eyes
You'll be alright
Come morning light,
You and I'll be safe and sound...

So, as he watched her walk away from him, after another dispute, he remembered the promise he had made to both her and himself that day – he would keep her safe and sound.

Hope it was OK!

Please leave a review and tell me what you think!

Sarah x