ONE WEEK LATER
Maria, in keeping with the story that they had come up with, ordered Elisa to stay home for a week to "take care of her wounded husband".
Elisa didn't argue.
In the week since Jeremy Cross had shot Goliath, Elisa and Goliath had spent every waking moment together, alone or with their family.
Tonight, Elisa and Goliath were watching as the clan's children were playing tag in the castle's courtyard. The air was filled with happy laughter and the squeals of happiness.
Goliath sat behind her, and Elisa was reclining on his lap, her back resting against his chest. As had become something of a habit over the last week, Elisa turned her head, so that her ear was to his chest and she could listen to the deep beating of his heart.
It was going to take her a while before she got over the heart pounding anxiety that would occasionally creep up on her that this was all a dream, and she was going to wake up to find out that Goliath wasn't really there.
"Mama!" Liam shouted before flinging himself into her arms.
Elisa caught him reflexively, her breath coming out in a groan as his sturdy weight hit her.
She and Goliath laughed, enjoying the moment with their exuberant son, Elisa making him squeal by tickling him.
Liam was content to roll around on the for a few minutes, but then ran to rejoin the Xanatos children and the clan twins.
Once their son was once more scampering about with the others, Goliath chuckled.
Elisa tilted her head back to look at him. "What are you laughing at, Big Guy?"
"Our son is greatly enjoying himself," He said with a smile down at her.
"Yeah," Elisa said with a sigh. "I got a little spoiled this week," Elisa admitted. "I go back to work tomorrow, and then it's back to the craziness of the overnight schedules."
Involuntarily, Elisa frowned.
Goliath gave her a comforting squeeze with his arms around her waist.
He didn't have to say anything. She knew that they had both been shaken by the actions of Jeremy Cross. Once Elisa had come back to earth from the mega sedation that Doctor James had given her, and everyone had recovered from Goliath's sudden awakening, she had done a little digging of her own.
Jeremy had been something of a serial stalker. When he'd been in his mid-teens, he had been arrested for stalking then physically abusing a girl in his high school that he'd been convinced liked him. He had done a turn in a juvenile facility before being released back into society.
The only thing that the turn in Juvenile services had done was to teach him to be more cautious and how to not get caught. There had been some accusations from a few more females about his stalking habits, but with no solid evidence, Jeremy had been able to avoid being jailed.
Then, two years ago, his parents had died in a car accident, leaving him the sole caregiver for his brother, Chris.
From the reports that his therapist had made to the officers after Jeremy's death, Jeremy had been struggling keeping things together for him and his brother. He'd had a kind of fixation of finding the perfect "mother figure" to help him raise Chris.
Which was why it was assumed that seeing Elisa work with the kids at the hospital and later playing with the wheelchair bound kids at the YMCA had shifted his focus on to Elisa.
Elisa had finally been able to accept that it had been nothing in particular that had drawn his attention to her. It had just been a wrong time, wrong place kind of situation. It truly hadn't been anything that she'd done, and it had been something of a relief to know that.
Whether he had come to her condo intent on killing anyone was still up for debate, and something they would probably never know. He had gotten a high quality police uniform replica, and had come up with a loaded weapon, so it was safe to assume that he had been planning on at least hurting someone.
Elisa had been a little uneasy about returning to the condo after everything that had happened, but the clean up crew that Maria had sent over had done a phenomenal job. They had even patched up the hole in the wall that the bullet Jeremy had intended for Elisa had left.
Elisa had made arrangements for an upgrade to the security system of the condo, one of which was a video camera at her front door so that she could see who was there as they exit the elevator.
Honestly, however, it was having Goliath there with her. Even if it was just to be in the courtyard during the day's sleep, Elisa felt more and more at ease being there.
Goliath frowned down at Elisa. He recognized that look, and gave her a gentle shake.
Elisa blinked, and seemed to refocus her thoughts. "Sorry," She said with a sheepish grin.
He smiled down at her. He could understand, and because he could, he leaned down to press his forehead to hers.
He raised up and urged her to her feet. He rose to stand beside her and reached into the pouch on his belt. "I found something for you last evening."
Elisa smiled, puzzled. They had stayed home last night, and he'd slept on the rooftop courtyard of the condo through the day. When had he had the time to do anything?
"Hold out your hands," Goliath instructed her.
Elisa sent him a suspicious look, but did as she was instructed. She closed her eyes and held out her hands.
She felt Goliath take her left hand, turn it and then the familiar sensation of him slipping on…
Elisa gasped and her eyes flew open. "My ring!" She gasped, looking into the deep blue and green stone. "Where did you find it?"
Goliath chuckled. "It was in a potted plant."
Elsia laughed. It had taken two days for the investigation to wrap up and the crime scene cleaners to come through, but when they'd finally gotten back into the condo, they had spent the better part of two nights looking for it.
It didn't help that Elisa's last recollection was breaking the chain and hearing it hit somewhere behind her.
She'd thought it was gone forever.
Goliath had found it for her, after searching for who knows how long.
Elisa smiled at her husband. "Thank you, Goliath."
Goliath smiled, and raised her left hand to place a gentle kiss on her knuckles, just above where the ring sat on her ring finger. "You are very welcome."
"Alright, love birds," Brooklyn called to them. "Think you can separate long enough to get this tired kid home?"
Elisa glanced over to see Liam, a thin line of drool running from his lips to Brooklyn's shoulder.
Goliath chuckled, moving to collect his son from the clan's second. Goliath lifted the boy to his own shoulder, and offered Brooklyn a hand to shake. The two of them clasped wrists, shaking in the old manner of Scottish warriors.
"I will take my wife and son home now," He said with a smile at the sleeping child. "I trust that you will be able to keep an eye on those here."
"You bet," Brooklyn said, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Thanks Brooklyn," Elisa said, impulsively giving him a hug. "Since we'll be home, you wouldn't mind if Skyler stays here with you, would you?"
Brooklyn opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it closed again, his cheeks turning just a single shade redder.
Elisa laughed. "Take it from me," She said as she backed away from him. "You don't want to waste any time that you have, and enjoy every minute together."
Elisa turned to retrieve Laim's coat, and gently worked their son's arms into the sleeves for the trip home. Once that was done, Elisa took hold of Liam while Goliath lifted them both.
Elisa cuddled their son and relished the strength of her husband's arms that was protecting them both.
The hellish hours when she'd thought she'd lost almost everything to her would take a while to fade, even as she knew they would never completely disappear. She had made a vow to herself, though, that she was never going to take anything for granted again.
