Super Duper Sorry! My Wi-Fi crashed, them my computer crashed, and now I'm sick. I swear the universe is conspiring against us. Grrrrr. Anyways, on with the chapter!

Nod looked horrible, it seemed as though he hadnt eaten, slept, or shaved in days. The shaving part I was alright with, though. He looked good in scruffy. But starving and exhusted, not so much, and to think that it was my fault nearly brought me to tears on its own. What I had done was unforgivable, and though I knew Nod would never even start to think of blaming me, I knew deep in my heart that I would always regret every single second of pain that I put him through. "I'm so sorry Nod, I never meant for this to happen. This whole thing should never have happened." I mumbled, clutching his hand like both of our lives depended on it.

"M.K. , don't apologize for this. Dont you ever apologize for this. None of this was your fault. None of it will ever be your fault. I shouldn't have hidden what I said, should have manned up and told you to your face," he said softly, storking my cheek with his thumb. It was a simple gesture, but it brought so much warmth and happiness to me, it was unbelievable.

"Will you?" I asked peering up at him pleadingly through my eyelashes.

"Will I what?" He asked softly.

"Tell me," I reponded in kind.

He took in a deep breath, and held my face in his hands. "Mary Katherine, I love you and I always will."

"I-I love you, too, Nod," I said quietly. I almost couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth, though with every fiber of my being, I knew them to be true. But the truth was, I wasn't just admitting it to him, I was admitting it to myself. I loved Nod I really and truly did, and nothing would ever be able to change that.

And, with that, , he softly pressed his lips to mine in a slow, gentle kiss that took my breath away. There were butterflies going crazy in my stomach, and my thoughts were a tangled mess. I pulled away with a grin, only to kiss him again a few seconds later. We continued in this pattern for several minutes, only stopping for air.

Eventually, though, I was conscious of the grime covering my skin, hair, and clothes, and elected to take a shower. After declining to Nod's , very tempting and very joking, "Can I join you?" I went to go and take my much-needed shower.

The warm water felt amazing, amd it felt great to not be covered in grime. It took quite a while to get everything out of my hair and just plain off me in general. I hated mot being clean, it made me itch all over. It was yhe most digusting feeling I'd ever had, and I was very happy to be rid of it. When I emerged, I changed into something much less formal and much, much more comfortable than my dress, which was now in tatters.

I smiled as I returned to the main room, seeing Nod sitting at the window, smiling absently. He smiled at me and gestured for me to sit with him, and I gladly accepted the invitation, smiling warmly as he wrapped his arms around me. I felt safe for the first time in a long time, and I knew that there was no place I'd rather be than right here, right now, with the man I loved, and though I was only two inches tall, I felt like nothing could ever stand in my way.