A/N: please review the last chapter, I would love to hear general comments on the story, what you thought of the plot, the characters, etc. And thank you to all of the wonderful people who have added this story to their alerts and favorites, you're making me blush. More comments at the end. ps. sorry for the long wait, shit was crazy ^^;

*~Equilibrium~*

Amon sighed inwardly as the early spring breeze swept gently over his face, marvelling at how peaceful he suddenly felt. After so many months of constant stress, he could hardly believe he was enjoying such tranquillity today.

Feeling his arm starting to tire, he finally put down the book he'd given up on pretending to read long ago in order to focus his attention on the scenery before him.

From where he sat, under the shade at the edge of the forest, he had a pretty good view of the glimmering aquamarine lake, its surface catching the sun rays and turning them into a living mosaic as the rippling water reflected them back in a thousand different directions.

The weather had turned much warmer in the past two days, and since the new accommodations he had arranged would not be ready for another day, he had agreed to let Robin come for another swim before they left.

He'd told her he'd come with her rather than offered it. He'd assured her that it was a precaution, against the possibility of an attack, and told her he would occupy himself with his reading when her face reddened instantly at the idea of Amon watching her bathe. Better to be overly-cautious than risk an incident, he'd said, if Hunters caught up to them here, then the lake would be the perfect place for an ambush. If Robin was attacked there she would literally be out of her element and completely defenseless, he told her.

He told himself the same thing. But with his gun tucked snugly in its holster and the book he'd been holding up to his face for half an hour still on the first page, Amon had to admit to himself that maybe providing security hadn't really been his only motivation for accompanying Robin.

As he mused over motivations, the previously calm lake surface broke as Robin emerged graceful from her rather long dive. Her golden hair shimmered brightly as it fanned out over the water, catching and reflecting the sunlight. She'd stayed closer to the shore this time, so Amon could make out the smile on her face from his viewing spot. She looked...radiant, he thought. There she was again; the beautiful goddess he'd seen a few nights ago, powerful and confident and happy. She waved her arms beneath the surface so her head and shoulders stood above the water, before her body straightened out to float gently on the surface. This time, she had added a pair of shorts to the black shirt she had worn two nights before since she lacked a proper bathing suit. Maybe something to consider purchasing for future use, Amon thought to himself with a guilty smile.

As Robin settled into floating gently on the water, eyes closed and smile firmly in place, just like he'd first seen her out there, Amon's mind wandered back that night. After their confrontation and Amon's unexpected apology, the two of them had stood in the living room of the small cottage for a long while, both drained from the emotional heights the night had brought on and reluctant to break the comfort of each other's embrace. Amon held her close for a long while after they'd both let out the frustrations that had plagued them since their escape from Japan. As nerves calmed down and the tranquillity of mind began to set in, Amon slowly became aware of Robin's body shaking in his arms.

At first, he thought she was still crying, but a quick glance at her face showed a content smile in place. Feeling drunk on the pleasant haze of this new closeness, Amon's mind was too distracted to come up with an answer.

"Robin, why are you shaking?"

"I'm cold," she said as if the answer should have been obvious to Amon.

Amon's mind quickly snapped out of its reverie, remembering the state they were both in and he pulled gently away from Robin, holding her at arm's length.

His tired mind had forgotten the fact that both he and Robin were soaked, and now the nighttime temperature had significantly dropped. His body hadn't been bothered by it too much since he'd been in the water for scant minutes, and the adrenaline that had surged through him at the moment blocked out other discomforts. But Robin had been in the water far longer than he; her body had felt icy-cold as he pulled her out of the water.

He looked down almost meekly at his sopping wet clothes; he'd failed to take even his shirt off in his frantic rush to get to Robin when he'd jumped in the water, and now the entire living room floor was flooded from the dripping off of his clothes.

He turned his attention to Robin and he was suddenly painfully aware of her near nakedness. The thin material of her cotton shirt was the only barrier between his hands and her skin, and it would not be hard to imagine what that would feel like when her wet shirt clung so tightly to her body, emphasizing the subtle curves of her petite form.

Feeling a rush of blood to his head, Amon let go of Robin altogether, trying not to seem too abrupt about it though it seemed Robin had also just noticed her state of undress, as her arms shot to wrap around her chest and a crimson blush took over her face. Amon didn't have to worry about Robin catching the brief flustered expression that crossed his features, as Robin's gaze shot resolutely to the floor space between them and stayed there, whether it was an attempt to hide her blushing face or an attempt to forget that her guardian had just seen her in nothing but a t-shirt, Amon didn't know, but he took the opportunity to reach behind him to grab the throw blanket which sat on the back of the living room couch next to him. The old knitted blanket left there by previous occupants for decoration purposes would do for improvised cover. Robin flinched slightly as she felt Amon's arms encircling her, but then retreat from her gently. She looked to her shoulder to find a soft, worn blanket wrapped securely around her shoulders and the man who had placed it there standing in the same spot as before, but with his back turned to her.

At a loss for words, Robin could do no more than tighten the blanket around herself, both to cover her body and to try and regain some heat. After a few seconds more of silence, Amon finally cleared his throat and spoke with his usual composed authoritative tone, though it was softer and carried less command than usual. "You've been out in the water for too long and your body temperature is way too low. You could've caught pneumonia staying out in the cold like that. You need to take a hot shower and go to bed already, its far too late for you to be up still." At the slightly scolding words, Robin felt some of her elation leave her, but just as she turned to go upstairs and do as Amon said, he added over his shoulder, "We'll find a place where you can take a warm bath soon enough, for now you'll just have to make do with a shower."

With his back turned to her, he couldn't see the expression on Robin's face, but Amon could almost sense the gentle smile back on her lips and the warmth in her eyes. He had expected her to go upstairs as soon as he was done talking, but he didn't hear a word of reply or retreating footsteps from behind, so Amon hazarded a glance over his shoulder to find the warmth he'd imagined in her eyes but a frown of concern instead of her smile. "What is it?"

"What about you, Amon? You should get a hot shower as well, you're completely soaked."

The words had been spoken in innocent concern, but to Amon's frazzled mind at the moment her gentle words sounded like an invitation to join her. He knew she meant that her using the hot water in her bathroom would mean he would have to wait until she was done so he could use hot water in his. He cleared his throat again, a little more loudly than he'd intended, to dispel unwanted images from his head, "I'll be alright, but you need to warm up now. Go upstairs and take your shower, then go to bed. We can talk in the morning."

"Thank you, Amon," she whispered in reply before Amon heard the soft thudding of bare feet lightly heading upstairs.

He had stayed awake in his room long after the sound of running water and footsteps had stopped in the room across the hall, wondering whether he should feel fortunate that the night's events had caused him to reflect not just about his attitude towards Robin up to that point, but also about the reality of his feelings for her. Though Amon couldn't say with certainty that he had come to terms with them, he had to admit that some of the heaviness had eased off his conscience, that he could begin to allow himself to appreciate his affection towards Robin rather than chastise himself for feeling the way he did. Looking at the picture of beauty and quiet contentment before him now, he thought to himself that fortunate was definitely the right word to describe himself.

Robin's body disappeared below the water again, and when she surfaced again, she was at the water's edge, climbing up onto the rocky shore and reaching for her towel. She had come prepared this time, and she slipped her long black coat on before folding the now-damp towel back neatly and starting up the path towards him.

Hidden from her line of sight as he was, Amon opened his book and pretended to be deeply absorbed by as Robin approached him. She finally came to stand next to him, a few feet away, patiently waiting for him to knowledge her presence. Coming to the end of an imaginary paragraph in his book, Amon put the book down on his lap and glanced up at Robin.

The warmth in her eyes that had been born two nights before was still there now, inviting and pleasant. "Have you had enough swimming for one day?" Robin's only reply was a soft smile and a nod. Amon stood up and brushed the dirt off his trousers before turning back to Robin, and as he looked at her he was rather shocked to see before him the same goddess she had been in the water, confident and content, instead of the insecure girl waiting for his command. She was waiting for him because she wanted to, not because she felt she had to out of some sense of deference for her guardian. Amon was surprised to note how in just a couple of days, his perception of Robin had changed so much.

Maybe it wasn't just his perception, but Robin who had begun to assert her maturity now that she had been given the chance to do so, no longer feeling the need to hide herself and obey quietly. Amon was inwardly pleased with the slight change, and he let just the smallest of smiles to curl the corners of his lips. "Shall we go, then?" he said. As they made their way up the path they walked in silence, enjoying the sounds of birds chirping on the tree tops and the gentle breeze blowing from the lake. It was such a complete contrast to the first trip they'd made from the lake towards the cabin, Amon was definitely starting to think 'fortunate' was the word to describe the events that led them here.

"Amon?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think we can come again tomorrow? Just for one last swim before we leave?"

"I suppose, it'll give me chance to get some more reading done. It's a very interesting book, you know?" Amon said, hiding a small mischievous smirk from Robin with some well placed locks of black hair.

"Good, I'm glad you didn't get too bored" Robin said.

"Not at all."

Fortunate was the right word indeed.

*~The End~*

Author's notes:

So, out of characterness was far too abundant in this chapter, I feel. I honestly read back from the beginning and thought, Oh god, this is terrible, but I think it was a good first fic ever, and thought the content wasn't something that is really pertinent to WHR, the thought came to my head and for whatever reason, I wrote it down out of the millions of other thoughts that came to my head. I'm only beginning to clumsily explore the world of writing, and I guess its impossible to be a good writer right away, so thanks to all the people who provided reviews, constructive criticism and encouragement. Special shout out to my betta reader, who is just the awesomest betta reader ever. Catherine Grissom, I wouldn't have finished this without you :)