When Mattie woke up she ached but she was warm. Her first thought was that she was at home but when she opened her eyes the place wasn't familiar. She went to sit up and soon regretted that decision, giving a pained whimper and laying back down. Her eyes were wide and scared as she looked around as much as she could, trying to locate where Ivan was in the room.

A few moments later a man with slightly curly brown hair and a beard came over to sit in a chair next to her bed. He was dressed in faded grey clothing and an apron with stains all over it. "I see you are awake. Tell me, how are you feeling?"

Her wide eyes landed on him and regarded him for a moment before answering. "Hurts… Where is Ivan?" Her eyes darted around the room again, looking but unable to find him.

"Don't worry about him right now. I have some important questions to ask you." He waved it off. "First, do you have any questions for me?"

"Where's Ivan?" She asks again, looking at the man. "I want Ivan…"

"He's not here. Right now you should be worried about yourself."

"Where is he? I want Ivan here…"

"He's not coming in here, he isn't allowed." He said firmly.

"Why not? I want Ivan…" She says, her voice nearing a whine.

"Because this room is for doctors and women only."

"But I want Ivan…" She protests softly.

The doctor sighed and decided just to move on. "You have been sleeping for three days. You were lucky you didn't have internal bleeding. Your stitches are holding up, I recommend you stay in bed for another three days and avoid all heavy lifting for three weeks."

"Don't want to stay in bed here." She mumbles unhappily. "Want to be where Ivan can also be."

"You can see him in a few days perhaps. It all depends on how you answer my questions."

"No, want Ivan now. Not in a few days." She whines.

"Was Ivan the one who stabbed you?" He asks seriously.

"No!" She glared at the man viciously at that question. "Man Ivan hurt stabbed me! Was talking very nicely to that man then the man stabbed me!"

"Do you know why he stabbed you?" He asks, not caring about her anger at all.

"He said he was sorry that I had fallen into Ivan's cruel torment and promised there was a happy ending to it all and then he stabbed me." She says slowly, frowning unhappily. "Ivan is not cruel and does not torment me. Ivan is very nice and tries to make sure I am always happy and safe."

The doctor nods slowly. "Did you know if you were pregnant at the time?"

"I am not pregnant." She says giving him an odd look. "Ivan and I do not sleep together. I have my own room and bed."

The doctor nodded again. "If I may, I strongly suggest that you never rear children. For your own safety and whatever future child you may have."

She frowned a little in confusion. "Why?"

"Your hips." The man pointed to her lower half that was under the blankets. "They are very small. You have a high risk of dying in childbirth because of that, no doubt from the disproportions of your body."

"Oh… okay." She says, frowning sadly and nodding.

"Moving on. I would like to ask you where the discoloration of your skin came from. An infection? Previous wound? Or since you are not from here, is it part of a tradition from your homeland?"

She stared at him for a moment before realizing what he was talking about. "Tradition."

"Very well. Do you have any questions for me before I take my leave?"

"Can I see Ivan now please?"

"No. Ivan is in prison right now for murder." He said calmly and stood up. "One of the nurses will be around to give you some food. Please rest and we'll allow some of your friends to come in and see you."

"I don't want to rest. I want Ivan." She protests.

"Don't make me sedate you." He gave her a warning look before leaving the room as she glared at him unhappily.

A nurse did come around with some food for Mattie and was much friendlier than the doctor. Shortly after, some of the girls Mattie knew stopped by to make sure she was all right. Even Natalya came to see her with a bag of treats. Mattie smiled a bit at the girls, petting their heads and assuring them that she was okay. She then asked Natalya if she knew whether or not Ivan was okay.

"I don't know... They won't let any of the kids in to see. Says it's an adult matter." She pouted and crossed her arms as she sat at the foot of the bed.

Mattie frowned softly in worry. "Could you ask your mother for me later?"

Natalya nodded, but then looked very sad. "I was really worried about you."

Mattie beckoned the girl closer. "Come here, you can sit by me as long as you don't sit on me." She says with a soft smile.

The little girl moved to sit by her side and snuggled in close. "I hope they don't put Ivan to death." She whispered.

Mattie held her hand and kept her close. "I really hope they don't do that." Mattie whispers sadly. "That would make me very, very, very sad."

)*(

Three days passed slowly and Natalya would visit every day. She told Mattie on the second day that Ivan had been let go, but had to work for the town as punishment. Mattie was grateful and thanked Natalya for informing her on what was going on. When she was finally allowed to, Mattie got up and slowly left the doctor's place with her group of girls following her.

She found Ivan was standing right outside the building, he looked like he had taken a real beating and hadn't slept in days. "Mattie..." His voice was hoarse and his eyes watered at the sight of her. "Mattie, you're okay."

Mattie slowly walked over to him and hugged him gently. "I still hurt and it's a little hard to walk but yes, I'm okay." She says softly.

He hugged her just as gently; he was shaking in relief that she was alive. "I thought I lost you."

"No, I'm still here." She says, nuzzling him lightly. "I was worried for you as well."

"How-... How is your wound?" He whispered and pulled back some to look down at her. "It will heal with no problems?"

"It's fine but I'm not supposed to get it wet at all for a week." She whispers back. "And no heavy lifting for me at all for three weeks."

Ivan nodded. "Got it, I'll make sure you're well looked after." He then picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

"Okay." She nodded a little and rested her head on his chest. "Can we go to the house now please?"

)*(

He did not stop walking until they were safe at home. Ivan was guessing that she had been lying down for the whole time she was at the doctor's and didn't want to be in bed for a while so he sat her down at the table.

"What happened to the things we got at the market that day?" She asks softly after he set her down. "My winter clothes and blankets and the food?"

"They are in your room. I collected them the day I was let out." He said with a small smile.

"Oh, good." She smiled a bit.

"Would you like to change your clothes?" Her dress was bloodstained and Ivan would like for it to be tossed to try and rid himself of the memory.

After he asked her that, she looked down at her dress and nodded. "Yes, this one is ruined now."

"Do you need help changing?"

"Probably." She gave an apologetic smile.

He blushed faintly but nodded and went to get a blanket and her change of clothes. When he returned he gave her the blanket first. "To cover yourself." He said, more for her lower half since he had seen her top already. Even if it still made him feel off about it.

Mattie covered her bottom half with it before wiggling the dress up high enough so she wasn't sitting on it anymore. "I need help pulling this off." She says after trying once on her own to pull it over her head and cringing when she'd stretched too much in one direction. Ivan carefully helped her out of the dress and tossed it to the side for the time being. He tried to give her some privacy and not look at her, even if it did take longer to get her dress on. She stood up to pull it down and handed him back the blanket when she was done. "All dressed now."

"... Are you hungry?" He asked as he took the blanket back, still not really looking at her.

"A little yes." She says with a nod.

"What would you like?"

"Some fruit would be fine."

With a nod, he put the blanket back in her room and went to get her a peach. As she ate the peach quietly Ivan looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry for breaking my promise." He said with a deep frown.

She looked up at him while munching on her peach. "Which promise?" She asks softly.

"That I would protect you. I failed and you got badly hurt."

"That wasn't your fault." She says shaking her head. "I didn't think he'd do that and you were buying food for us."

"Still I- I should have known never to turn my back on you. The townsfolk are not to be trusted."

She sighed softly and finished her peach, cleaning her hands off before beckoning him to come sit down with her. He did as she asked because he would not deny her. Once he was sitting down next to her, she turned towards him a little and took one of his hands in hers. "It's all right Ivan." She says gently. "I'm not mad at you, or disappointed, or anything like that. It was just an accident, all right?"

Ivan didn't make eye contact. "... When they took you from my arms, I thought that I would never see you again. I fought until my strength gave out and so many hours had gone by. I- I can't fully explain why, but I was so filled with hate I would have killed everyone that touched you. So many thoughts ran though my head. What if, what if, over and over; I couldn't stand it. The hate didn't end until someone told me you had woken up. I just wanted to be at your side after that; to hold your hand, embrace you, and touch you. To know for myself that you were real, not just some figment of my thoughts."

She was quiet for a few moments after he stopped talking. She then let go of his hand and slowly reached up to cup his face in her hands and directs his gaze at her. She waited until he was looking her in the eyes before she spoke gently. "It's okay Ivan. I'm right here, and I'm very much real. Okay?"

He in turn did the same, slowly bringing his hands up to cup her face and gently brushing his thumb over her soft cheeks. Ivan smiled, trying to hold it as it wavered, his eyes overflowing as two tears rolled down his slightly swollen face. He tried blinking them away, but a few more fell. His breath was shaking as he tried to keep himself calm.

"It's all right to cry if you feel like it." She says softly, gently brushing the tears away with her thumbs.

"I shouldn't." He says weakly and closes his eyes. "It's not proper for a man to cry."

"It's not proper for someone who's always lived in the ocean to be living on land either and yet here I am." She says with a soft smile. "I don't care if it's proper or not. It's all right for you to cry if you feel like it. Only I can see you right now."

Ivan trembled a little before he rested his head on her shoulder and silently cried. The only evidence was his shaking shoulders and the dampness on her dress. He would do this only for a moment; to let all his fears of her dying go. She wrapped her arms around him in a gentle hug and held him while he cried, rubbing his back softly.

"I don't ever want to lose you, Mattie." He mumbled, wrapping his arms around her. "You're the most important part of my life."

"I don't want to lose you either, Ivan." She says softly.

His heart practically leaped into his throat when Mattie said that. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. Not in his whole life. "Thank you."

"I was so worried the day I woke up." She whispers softly. "I just wanted to see you and the doctor kept telling me no, but he didn't tell me where you were until right before he left the room."

His hold on her tightened a bit. "He didn't hurt you did he?"

"No, he just asked if you had stabbed me, then something else, and then about my colors."

"Good..." Ivan nuzzled her shoulder, he was no longer crying, but still wanted her close. "I don't like the thought of him having his hands on you or seeing you completely bare. Nor any other man." His voice was a mumble once more.

"I don't like him." She mumbles back. "I don't like what he told me either."

"It doesn't matter any more. You don't have to see him again."

"Good. He tried to tell me I shouldn't ever have kids because my hips are small." She grumbles unhappily. "I don't even have hips in my other form so I highly doubt that even matters. I'm the same size as my mother and she's had two kids so that doctor is just stupid."

Ivan flinched at hearing this. "... He's a human doctor Mattie, not a mermaid doctor. You can't hold it against him, but you didn't tell him what you were, right?"

She shook her head. "No I didn't. When he asked about my colors, he asked if it was from a previous wound or tradition from my homeland. I said tradition…. What's tradition mean anyway?"

He chuckled. "It means something that is done again and again and again with a family or town that has been done for so long no one remembers who started it."

"Oh…. Okay." She says with a nod. She was quiet for a moment or two before speaking again. "I think the town spreads too many weird rumors about us because the doctor asked me a really odd question."

"Oh?" He pulled back with a smile. "What have they come up with this time?"

"He asked if I knew whether or not I was pregnant when I'd gotten stabbed. I told him no I wasn't pregnant and that we don't even sleep together." Ivan's smile disappeared and his eyes widened. "A couple of the women in town have been asking things like that too and I just keep telling them no. I don't understand why they seem to think that that is going on when it's not."

Ivan sadly looked away. "It's because you're the first woman I've ever had in my life."

"That can't be true." She says with a puzzled look. "Wasn't your mother a woman?"

"She... she was yes. But it was my grandfather that raised me." He gave her a look that said he didn't want to go any farther.

"Oh… what's a grandfather?"

"The father of your father."

"Oh. I don't think I have one of those."

"Not everyone does." Ivan shrugged a little.

"What was yours like?" She asks curiously, tilting her head a little.

"A rock." He grinned.

"A rock?" She asks looking confused.

"Got hot and cold easy, very sturdy, hard to push around, and handy for tough jobs." Ivan laughed a little. "And he also couldn't swim."

"Couldn't swim?" She gasps, eyes wide in surprise. "Can't everyone swim?"

Ivan only laughed harder and shook his head. She still looked very surprised, but started giggling and grinning after a moment or two because Ivan was laughing and it felt very nice to hear him happy.

"Those that are born on land have to learn, just like you had to learn to walk."

"Oh." She nods in understanding. "Can you swim?"

"Yes, I can swim. My grandfather threw me in the ocean once I turned three and told me I either swam or sunk." He chuckled.

Her eyes went wide at that and her mouth popped open in astonishment. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I swam like a fish though." He nuzzled her nose happily.

She giggled and nuzzled him back happily. "We should go swimming together some day."

"The water's getting too cold for me now, but come spring we'll go."

"Okay." She says with a smile. "We could try swimming in the tub though if we wanted to."

"You are not to go swimming for a while missy." Ivan playfully scolded.

"Just a week." She says with a giggle, nuzzling his nose again happily. "Can we try after a week?"

"Maybe. We'll see how things go."

"Okay!" She grinned. After a few minutes the smile fell a little and she tilted her head at him. "…Can I sleep with you tonight please? It was lonely sleeping at the doctor's place." She pleads gently.

"Ah... All right. But in your bed. It's bigger and I don't want to open your wounds."

She smiled and nods before nuzzling him again. "Thank you. I know it was only three days but I missed you a lot."

"I missed you too Mattie." He smiles.

)*(

About a week and a half later, after it was certain she'd healed properly, she'd walked with him down to the water's edge and just put a hand in to test how cold it had gotten and she'd immediately pulled her hand back out, drying it on her dress and making a face. "Cold!" She states, walking away from the water. She'd then wanted to go back to the house with him.

"I told you it would be cold." Ivan laughed.

She wrinkled her nose up unhappily. "Don't want to swim here until it's warm again." Mattie then took a hold of his hand and gently tugged it. "Let's go back home now."

"Are you sure...?" He wasn't.

She nodded. "I'm sure. Let's go home."

When they got home she tilted her head at him curiously. "Can we try swimming in the tub after the water is warm?"

"Well... It won't be swimming anymore." An awkward smile showed on his lips.

"Why not?"

"Um, for one, I don't think there will be room for that. It would be more like a shared bath."

"Oh… can we try anyway?"

"I guess so? It would be no different than swimming."

"Yay!" She beamed happily and waited for him to heat up the water first.

He sighed heavily and went to draw the bath. Thirty minutes later it was nice and hot, good for relaxing. "If you want to get in now Mattie you can. I'm going to get changed."

"Okay!" Mattie nodded and waited until he'd left to go change before taking off her shoes and dress and climbing into the tub, wiggling happily and circling the tub a little, glad to be in the water again after a week and a half of not being able to be in it. Ivan returned to the bathing room a few moments later in beige shorts and t-shirt. He was still feeling unsure about this.

She popped her torso out of the water and beamed at him happily. "It feels nice to be back in the water again."

"I bet." He grinned and sat at the edge of the tub but didn't step in.

She moved over and tugged on his hand gently. "Come on in."

He blushed a little and slowly turned, setting his feet in the water. The temperature helped him relax and he inched his way back into the tub. "This feels very nice."

She smiled and nodded, moving back a little to make room for him. "It does."

He closed his eyes and let out a content sigh. This isn't so bad.

Mattie waited until he was in all the way before she moved over and nuzzled his shoulder a little. He gave a slight flinch before he chuckled and nuzzled back.

"Sorry for surprising you." She giggles, nuzzling him more.

"No, no, it's fine. It's just something new is all."

"Nuzzling isn't new." She says sounding a bit confused.

"No, but the bath is. I'm used to being in the bath alone."

"Oh." Mattie nodded in understanding. She was quiet for a moment before tilting her head a little at the shirt. "How come you're wearing the shirt in the bath?"

"Um, you see. People still wear clothing when they go swimming." He explained as he also looked down.

"Why? Don't they get in the way?"

"They do slow you down, but swimming is more for fun. It's worn for decency."

"Oh… but why the shirt? I understand the shorts but the shirt isn't really needed is it? I never wear one."

"You weren't wearing anything until you came on land, your point is invalid. And yes the shirt is needed." Then he looked at her curiously and cautiously. "Why...? Is there something you want to see?"

She paused at his question for a moment before shaking her head. "Not if you don't want me to see anything."

"I'd rather keep it on." He mumbled.

"That's okay." She says nuzzling his shoulder gently.

"Thanks." He then closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the tub.

She curled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes as well. After a while she shifted to curl up right up next to him, moving under his arm so his arm was wrapped around her as she rested her head on his chest. Ivan blinked down at her before smiling and giving her a hug.

At about roughly the time when the water was more warm than hot, Ivan looked down at Mattie once more. He tried to see her stitches. Personally, he hadn't really seen them and wasn't sure where exactly she had been hurt. Wherever she is hurt, he's also seen. He's seen all of her. This same thought angered him again and again.

Mattie noticed his stare after a moment or two, following his gaze and then smiling a little. "The stitches are fine. See?" She pointed out the line of stitches as long as her pinky that was located just a little bellow her bellybutton.

He frowned at the sight of them. They were all bruised and puffy. "Do they still hurt?"

"The area still aches when I bend or move certain ways but it's not as bad as it was when I first left the doctor's place."

"That must be irritating. Is it hard to move around in your form?"

"A little but it's not too hard. There's not enough space in the tub for me to move about in ways that would make it hurt more than just an ache."

"I wonder when you'll have to have the stitches removed."

"I don't know, he didn't say."

Ivan frowns more at hearing this. "He should have told you."

She shrugged a little. "I guess. We could ask a nurse later if we wanted to."

He gave a curt nod and curled in closer to her. "I think that would be best."

She nuzzled him gently. "Yes but not today. I'd like to stay home for a while longer before I have to go back there again."

"I understand, Mattie. I won't make you."

"Thank you." She rested her head on his chest quietly for a few minutes before she spoke again, her voice soft. "Ivan…?"

"Yes, Mattie?"

"Could you… make me a knife and something to hold it in and- teach me how to use it properly please?" She asks slowly, mumbling a little. "Just so I can protect myself if I ever needed to and you're not there…" She didn't really want to learn to use something like that and she hoped she'd never need to use it but she figured it would probably be a good thing to have in case of an emergency.

Ivan rested his head on hers, rubbing their heads together with gentle affection. "I was already planning on it Mattie. I just didn't want to say anything until you felt comfortable again. I didn't want to bring you one if you were still in shock from the attack."

"Oh… okay. Thank you." She says softly, nuzzling him back.

"Anything for you." He cooed with a playful smile.

"You spoil me too much." She teases, returning the same sort of smile.

Ivan chuckles. "And I plan to spoil you more yet."

"You're too sweet." She giggles, giving him an affectionate peck on the cheek.

He smiles at the kiss and gives her one on the cheek as well. It made Ivan very happy that Mattie felt that Ivan was a close enough friend to give him a kiss. Though it was out of place at the moment, he didn't care. "Says the one who eats enough to be one herself."

"I don't eat that much." She playfully nudged him away a little. "I share with you and the girls."

"I don't know, your scent says differently." Ivan sniffed her hair. "Definitely sweet."

"Does it really?" She asks curiously.

"Mm." He was humming as he continued to smell her hair.

"Oh." She seemed surprised by this. "What kind of sweet?"

"Like the bread we get often."

"Oh." She smiled a bit. "Is it just my hair that smells sweet?"

"I don't know..." Ivan moved to her neck. "Smells sweet here too."

"It does?"

He nodded. "You aren't using a new soap or rubbing the treats on yourself are you?"

"No. And rubbing treats on myself would be silly."

"You didn't seem to mind with the porridge." Ivan chuckled at the memory.

She laughed softly with him. "That was just that once."

He shrugged and took notice he still had his nose to her neck, pulling back with an embarrassed expression. That was going a little beyond appropriate. But she just smiled at him happily, not minding in the least. "Sorry. I hadn't meant to do that."

"It's okay."

Ivan let her go so he could stretch out a bit, though as he did he quickly took notice of the odd ache. Why does it keep coming back?

She stretched just a little as well, taking notice of how the bath was no longer warm. "Should we get out now? The water's cooled."

"If you like, but if you want to stay in longer I could add more hot water."

Mattie tilted her head in consideration for a moment before answering. "We can get out now but can we do this again sometime? It was really nice."

"Sure. I don't see why not." Ivan stood, his soaked clothes sticking to his skin. He twisted the cloth with his hands to try and get some of the water out. There was a slight change in his shorts but he simply ignored it, it wasn't permanent or a problem.

Mattie waited patiently for him to wring out his clothes and get out so he could help her out of the tub.

"Your turn." He said as he lifted her up and she smiled, letting him help her out of the tub, waiting until she was given a towel and then drying herself off, being very careful as she dried the stitches. Ivan had left her to it and went to dry himself off in his room.

She came out when she was fully dried off and dressed. But when she saw him in the kitchen area, she took notice of something. Ivan looked half startled as he was getting something together for the both of them to snack on.

She tilted her head curiously. Did something happen?

"Nothing's wrong." He said when took notice of her looking at him.

"What's with the look of surprise then?"

"What surprise?" He blinked, pretending that he didn't know what she was talking about.

She pouted at him for a moment before deciding to just ignore whatever it had been. "Never mind. What are we having for a snack?"