Death and Darkness

Aylee!?

She awakens with a loud cry, sweat dripping from her forehead causing her sheets to feel slightly sticky to the touch, her mouth heaving out a big breath, trying to regain control of her body before she begins to sob. She tried to be as quiet as possible,not wanting to wake Bash who was sleeping nearby on the opposite side of the room.

He lay peacefully on a pile of blankets folded together on the floor, using his arm as a make shift pillow, they had argued about who got the bed but it was settled when he simply stated that she is a Queen and a lady, therefore deserves the bed. To try and ease her discomfort he had put a hand over his heart and made a face of mock horror "What kind of gentlemen would I be if a let a lady sleep on the floor?" He said dramatically.

She smiled gently at that, she knew what he was doing, trying to make her feel better, ease her wondering thoughts. And he was right, every time I close my eyes or give myself a moment of peace my thoughts inevitably drift to the events that occurred yesterday. Francis,the alliance and... Aylee. Trying hard not to think about it because it wasn't helping her focus and she needed to be focused if they wanted to survive.

She had done well most of the day. Not letting herself dwell on it and that which she cannot change but as she lay in bed, the room dark and the air around her quiet, it was becoming difficult to ignore her thoughts. The blood. So much blood, it smeared all over the tile floors and in her beautiful blonde hair. There was blood on Mary's dress and hands, it was everywhere! SO MUCH BLOOD!

Aylee!?

That is the image that had woke her up with a piercing screech, the reason her body is now trembling as she puts her arms around her knees in an almost childlike position. She isn't really sure of how long she sat there crying into her nightgown before she feels a set of large arms wrap around her. They are warm and comforting, and she doesn't have the strength to pretend she is okay. She lets him hold her gently, doesn't look up at him and he doesn't speak, because they both know that is not what she needs right now. She seeks silent comfort and in true Bash form he gives her what she needs.

When she gets flash images of Aylee's corpse and starts to cry harder he pulls her tighter, assuring her that he is there for her. It sort of feels like he thinks that if he holds her tight enough he might just be able to keep the pieces of her heart together.

So much had been lost in such a short time and Mary was handling it the best she could. But it was inevitable that she would break, like a slow crack in the foundation, getting larger and larger until it bursts open and all the pain flows straight through her. Overwhelming guilt, she was my lady and my friend; I should have protected her better. Mary knew blaming herself was pointless but she couldn't help but think back to Francis' words "Every where you go you leave destruction in your wake!"

He was right.

She never wanted any of this. It is the last thing she ever wanted! Yet here they are and she can't help but think about all the people she has hurt... Francis, her country, everyone.

She had stopped crying and now that the shaking had minimized drastically she could concentrate on his steady breathing behind her, the warm air ghosting over her shoulder each time he takes a breath. It was relaxing and safe.

As her mind slowly comes back to her she takes in their position; He is sitting with his back against the headboard of the bed, his legs are splayed open and she is in-between them. His legs line hers perfectly stopping at the edge of the mattress just a little closer than hers since his legs are longer. She couldn't actually recall the moment her legs are edged down beside his having been too caught up in her inner turmoil to notice.

His left arm wrapped around her and his hand was just above her hip resting lightly as he traced little indecipherable patterns against the fabric of her nightwear; his right arm is crossed over her chest, as he uses this hand to play with little tendrils of hair. Curling them around his fingers, pulling on the gently and threading his fingers through it, the gesture is oddly relaxing.

The whole situation from an outsider's point of view might look very intimate and familiar but for them it was just natural.

There was no tension or weirdness, no awkward stares or odd feelings of discomfort; it comes to no surprise though. Mary always marveled at how easy it was to be in Bash's presence, they could talk about anything and it always felt like the most normal thing, it felt like being home after many years at sea...

Home.

This thought was crazy, a child's dream really. Her whole life had proved that she has never had a proper home, a sense of security. At least not in a long time. The nuns were great and cared for her in their own way, but there was always that certainty that she would have to leave one day so she tried not to get attached to them.

Just for a second. An instant. She felt at home, throughout all the chaos, the pain and the loss she allowed herself to relax.

He must have felt her ease because after hours of laying there in silence he spoke.

"The loss of a loved one is like the loss of a part of oneself; an arm or a leg. At first, the pain is so physical that it is hard to ignore. The trauma is so intense that the mind finds it hard to cope with the loss. With time the pain eases, the body recovers and the brain figures out new ways to go on."

She thought about this for a second, mulling it over in her head the body recovers and the brain figure out new ways to go on ... A new way to go on? Right now it doesn't really feel possible, like she will eventually just find away to forget everything that happened.

But she figures that is just the grieving talking.

She doesn't reply, not really sure what to say... So they lay there in a peaceful serenity until her eyelids grow heavy and the last thing she remembers as her world fades away is his soft lips lightly grazing the top of her head and kissing her hair and then she drifts of into a calming and much needed sleep...

I am dedicating this chapter to AlwaysSlytherin who wrote a lovely review that absolutely made my day!

"You are going to be my life source till Reign comes back. So please pretty pretty please update soon and fast and long chapters I'm going to die with out it. So please excuse my over dramatically need to ask for an update so no pressure well pressure."

I hope you don't die darling, we cannot have that! So I got started on this chapter and finished it in 2 hours ;) Just for you and you're awesomeness I made it double the length of the first chapter! Reviews honestly make my day and also motivate me to write more! Writing my fics is going to be my life source until Reign returns! I am glad you pressured me because I hadn't written a single word in five days towards any of my fics :/ So this motivated me beautifully!

I really wanted to write some Sebastian/Mary comfort anyway so i kind of threw it in here... Plus I feel like Mary should acknowledge Aylee's death a little. Not much Mabastian interaction I know! But this is sort of a filler chapter about what they are dealing with right now, and where her emotional state is, also let me know what you think of Mary's POV (Point of View). I am never sure if I am writing a character right. :P

I also wanted to add a big thank you for the follow/favs and the reviews I have gotten thus far!

*Penguin kisses for all*