~ Chapter Fifteen ~

In Good Hands

Barbara continued to sob, holding herself on the ground, watching helplessly as the asteroids came closer and closer to the Earth. She wasn't sure how long it had been, but experts on the television were saying twenty minutes until impact.

And that felt like hours ago.

Just then, her pager went off, stating '911 emergency', and she knew she was needed inside. Sniffling and wiping her nose, she jumped to her feet and raced back inside, where there was a frenzy of terrified and chaotic activity waiting for her.

Doctors, nurses, and hospital staff were evacuating everyone into the hospital's basement level beneath the parking garages. Barbara instantly jumped into action, grabbing ambulatory patients and helping them walk to safety. Luckily for them, most people from earlier days had cleared out, leaving more empty beds than full, and it didn't take them long to clear out the ER.

"Good work, team," Doctor Gilberg said as he, Barbara, Roxanne, and Wanda stared at their empty ER floor. Gilberg turned to them. "Now, it's time for us to evacuate. Come along."

"You guys go ahead, I'll be there in a moment," Barbara said, pulling out her phone to call Walter, but David stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"No time, Barbara. We have to go now."

"I need to make a call," Barbara said, pulling out of his grasp, "but I'll be right behind you!"

Turning from them, she checked her phone and exhaled in exasperation to see she had no cell service. All of Arcadia and nearby counties were jamming the cell phone towers by overuse.

Running down the hallway, Barbara yanked the roof access door open and tore up the steps, two at a time, hoping to find some service outside. Once she reached the roof, she ran out onto the gravelly top of the hospital and looked around at the chaotic scene. People below were screaming, cars were being abandoned, children were crying, and true hysteria was transpiring.

The sun was dipping below the horizon, and the sky was turning darker with the oncoming night, but the fiery light from the two asteroids as they got closer to Earth was almost blinding.

Barbara pulled out her phone again, held it up in the air, and prayed she got service to make the phone call she needed to Walter. But there wasn't.

Panic filled her heart, and tears filled her eyes. There still wasn't phone service for her to make a call and no way to tell Walter goodbye. She needed to tell him how much she loved him. How much she needed him in her life, not just short-time, but forever.

It was heartbreaking that she couldn't tell him all that she felt in her heart. Never before had she felt so alone or helpless…

"Barbara!"

Barbara gasped, looked up at the familiar voice calling out her name, and saw the silhouette of Walter flying towards her.

"Walter!" Barbara screamed out, half relieved, half terrified.

Walter's face was screwed up with worry when he touched down on the rooftop and ran towards her with open arms.

Pocketing her phone, Barbara sprinted across the rooftop, crying out his name again, and met him halfway. When she reached him, she jumped into his arms and clung onto him, sobbing.

"Oh, Walter!" She grasped onto his silky black hair and dug her face into his neck. "I'm so glad you're here! I was terrified I wasn't going to see you again." She gulped down air as tears streamed down her face.

"Shhh, it's alright now," Walter breathed. He held her tightly for a moment, then released her and cupped her face in his hands, staring intently into her eyes. The light from the asteroids made his face glow, and she could see the terror in his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I-I don't know," Barbara answered honestly. "I don't know what's happening. I tried calling you, but the cell service, it's-"

"I know. The cell towers are jammed, and I couldn't reach you either. That's why I flew here as fast as I could."

Barbara took a shaky breath, then breathed, "Walt…" but he crashed his lips against hers, kissing her passionately.

Walter held her body tightly against his as her hands found his silky black hair, grasped fistfuls of it, and held herself to him. Their tongues danced slowly, and they kissed so profoundly, she swore she could forever get lost in him.

They could have kept kissing and died in each other's arms, but the sudden, alarming sound of nearby sirens going off, warning citizens to take cover, made Barbara pull away and shakily rest her face against his.

"Walt, we… we have to seek shelter! Down in the hospital basement, all of the patients and staff are riding this out! We must go-" She began to pull away when Walter stopped her.

"No, Barbara. I promised NotEnrique that I would bring you back to the house to all be together, the babies and us. We may have a shot in the sewers under the house, as well. The large hole Draal dug in your wall could be useful. But an asteroid this large…" he paused, glanced up at the fiery rocks in the sky with fear, and held her even tighter against him, "will be catastrophic. Nowhere will be completely safe, I'm afraid to say. But, it's the only chance we have in surviving."

"Are you afraid?" Barbara suddenly whispered.

Walter blinked, looked down, and searched her imploring gaze, then leaned close to her face and whispered, "I'm only afraid of losing you."

Barbara smiled tearfully up at him and exhaled a shaky sob. "Well, I'm afraid we are going to die, anyway. I'm just thankful that I'm not dying alone."

Something fierce and feral flashed in Walter's eyes suddenly, and she wasn't sure if it was the fire from the asteroids or not.

"You're not going to die, Barbara. I will make sure of that! No matter what it takes, I'm going to protect you." He suddenly scooped her up into his arms bridal style and spread out his long wings. "We are getting out of here, and we'll seek shelter underground with NotEnrique and the babies."

"But, Walt." Barbara pointed behind her. "The hospital…"

"Can manage without you for once," Walter growled in a guttural voice, then added, "we are going to live." He then stared down at her, his gaze so intense it sent chills down her spine. "Barbara, I have wanted to tell you this since last night. And since we are running out of time, I'm going to tell you now."

"Walt…"

"Before you, I had nothing, no one, and I've never known love, friendship, or happiness before. But, once I felt those things with you, I felt like a starved animal who thirsted and longed to feel more. You are my entire world, Barbara, and I've had no place within this world until I met you. There is no honor among changelings, no morals, and we are purely selfish creatures, but you have changed not only my heart, Barbara, but my soul and entire outlook on life. I love you with a love as endless and deep as the universe above us, and I long to be by your side forever."

"Walt," Barbara gasped again, but he held her inches from his face.

"We are going to live through this because I want to marry you, Barbara Lake. I want to hold you in my arms and keep you safe, happy, laughing, and comfortable for the rest of my life. I want to continue to raise a family together and finally experience how beautiful and sacred nights could be when two people, desperately in love, make love with each other."

Barbara stared at him with wide eyes and was speechless.

"With you, Barbara Lake, I want it all!" Walter passionately exclaimed. "And, I never thought I deserved it. But, now…" he swallowed thickly, then whispered, "I feel I do. And, I long for you to feel you deserve that kind of love, as well."

Barbara was stunned and didn't have words. But her heart was overflowing. Tears streamed down her face, and without saying anything, she pulled his face to hers and opened her mouth to his, kissing him wholly.

Walter dropped her legs gently to let her stand, and together they kissed frantically, feverishly, and passionately, wrapped in each other's arms. After a few seconds, Barbara pulled away, both breathless, and she smiled through her tears.

"Then, let's do it," she whispered, "Walter, I'm in. I want it all too, and I want it all with you." She paused, then whispered, "Walter Stricklander, I love you."

Walter smiled through his tears and kissed her again, but briefly. "We must go," he whispered in her face, then together, they glanced up at the fireballs hurtling even more towards Earth. "We are nearly out of time."

Barbara nodded, but before he could scoop her back up into his arms to carry her to safety, two bright green lasers suddenly shot through the sky towards the asteroids.

"What in the…?" Walter yelled, "what is that?"

Barbara grasped onto his arms and screamed, "Walter! It's the military! They are shooting a laser beam at the asteroids!"

Both watched with amazement and bated breath for a miracle as they watched the laser streak out of the atmosphere towards the fiery rocks.

"Please, work," Barbara prayed, shutting her eyes, "please… please, work!"

A blinding light suddenly exploded in the sky.

Walter shielded Barbara's face, but no sound came their way until seconds later. Then, a sonic boom thundered across all of Arcadia, shaking their bones and continuing for a few intense seconds before there was silence.

Walter and Barbara held their breath as they unshielded their eyes and glanced up into the sky. An explosion had occurred, but instead of two fiery balls of rock hurtling towards them, there was now nothing but smoke and small, fire rock debris that showered upon them, like firework ash. Amid the silence, an explosion of distant shouts, whoops, cheers, and applause erupted from the citizens on the streets, and they knew then that they had been saved.

Upon hearing the joyous sounds, Barbara clutched her chest, released the breathy sob she had been holding, and nearly fainted, but Walter's arms tightened around her as she grew heavy against him and hugged her tightly.

Barbara threw her arms around his neck. "They did it, Walt! We are saved!"

"Oh, thank goodness," Walter breathed against her neck. "Barbara, thank goodness." She could hear the raw relief in his voice and almost felt it radiate off his being, as well as his love for her.

Barbara pulled away, grinned broadly, and began laughing as streaks of small rocks of fire and ash fell upon them, and that was his undoing.

Walter crushed his lips to hers again, and she instantly jumped up and straddled his waist. Chuckling through their kiss, he held onto her tightly and supported her legs. Their lips moved in perfect amorous movements, and to them, it was evident that this kiss was different. Unlike the first, where they were kissing like they had no tomorrow, now, they were kissing because they would have a tomorrow, and a day after that, a week, a month, and years to live with each other.

Forever. They now had forever.

Flames, ash, and debris fell all around them like fireworks or shooting stars as they passionately made out. Then, after a few minutes, Barbara broke away just to gaze into his earnest yellow and red eyes. She cupped his face as he pressed her chest into his neck, and she smiled sensually at him.

"Let's go home, Walt. We have lost time to make up for… and a bed waiting for us."

Smiling through his joyful and relieved tears, Walter nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

At the guttural sound of his voice, shivers ran through Barbara, making her cling on tighter to him and dig her fingernails into his shoulder. She could barely breathe as she stared into his promising and loving eyes. She wasn't afraid anymore, nor unsure of their relationship. He was the one for her, and there was nothing or no one she wanted more than him.

Without breaking his gaze from hers, Walter spread his long, bat-like wings and shot them both into the night, heading for home.

The world had almost ended- again, but Barbara and Walter had never been at more peace before or happier. Together, they had taken another step in their relationship, one that had been building up fiercely for some time. Still, there wasn't any regret, only love—true, happy, unconditional, and irrevocable love for each other.

After returning home from the night of the asteroid scare, Barbara wasn't sure how Walter kept things so casual when he asked NotEnrique to continue to watch the babies, along with Aaarrrggghhh, for the night, but he did. And, for once, by some miracle, NotEnrique didn't argue nor fight with him. Then, Walter gathered her up into his arms again and flew her across town to an apartment building she didn't recognize.

When he pulled out keys from his pocket and opened the door, she put it together that he had taken them to his old apartment for the night. She had never been there before, but she was grateful they had a quiet and secluded place to do the things they mutually wanted to do together.

The apartment was quaint but smaller and impossibly clean- a perfect place for him when he was single. Walter had decorated remarkable relics, and historical pieces and artwork spread throughout the apartment, but Barbara didn't quite get a good look at them as her attention was upon his handsome face, intensely glowing eyes, and their passionate kissing.

Barbara remembered their bodies trembling in anticipation and how intensely her heart was pounding in her chest as he carried her through the small apartment towards his dark bedroom. No lights were turned on, and all she remembered seeing was his glowing eyes and how much love she beheld within them, and that was enough for her.

Walter shut the bedroom door behind them and whispered how much he loved her against her skin. She helped him undress as he pulled her scrubs off, and both quietly communicated their needs and thoughts.

Then, they made love. Passionate, intense, and groundbreaking love.

She didn't think it would be possible with him, but it was, and it was the greatest, romantic, and the most erotic thing she'd ever experienced in her life. Never once did he hurt her, and as gentle and tender as he was, the rougher sex felt incredible to her.

Their lovemaking had lasted all night long, and every time they finished crying out each other's names, it kept going and starting over, with a fire and heat that fueled in them as if they had never made love before.

Hours later and well into the following day, sunlight was softly pouring into the master bedroom and over their shared bed. Barbara laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling, with her glasses off, smiling and thinking about last night.

Next to her, naked, and molded to her own naked body, was Walter. He was breathing deeply as if sleeping, so she didn't dare move and wake him just yet. With eyes open and continuing to stare up at Walter's ceiling with the blanket pulled up over her bare chest, she relived each sensation, each touch, kiss, and whisper from the best night of her life.

Walter was the perfect gentleman the first couple of times, but when he realized that he wasn't hurting her, he let go of his resistance and gave her everything she ever needed. He gave her his more troll-like self and strength. After that, his quiet apartment was soon filled with both of their screams of pleasure.

Barbara smiled triumphantly to herself when thinking about their night and heat grew in her lower abdomen.

Just then, Walter's claw suddenly cupped her jaw, and to her surprise, when she looked over at him, he was awake. He looked worried as he caressed her face before running his claws through her medium-length, deep red hair.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, his eyes desperate, but Barbara smiled lazily.

"I'm better than alright."

She expected him to smile or look relieved, but his worry, however, didn't entirely leave his face.

"Are you regretting last night?" He asked.

Barbara stared at him for a few seconds, then turned on her side. She pushed him onto his back and hovered over him, her hair falling over her bare shoulders onto his chest. He stared at her with wide eyes as she pressed her bare chest against his.

"Never," she breathed against his lips, kissing them with the briefest feathered touch. "Why? Are you?"

Relief flooded his face then.

"No," Walter breathed, grasping onto her face, rolled her onto her back, and then climbed on top of her. "Never. I love you, Barbara. I love you more than I could explain. And last night was..." He shut his eyes, blew out a breath, and shook his head in amazement. "Last night was a dream come true: a true, exotic, and beautiful dream, my stunning darling. Every time I gaze upon your body, you take my breath away, and I do not know if I'll ever breathe properly again. You've now, also, officially stolen what's left of my heart, but I do not want it back. I love you, and I want to relive last night with you, over and over and over again. I only want to breathe you in, Barbara."

Barbara smiled sensually, then hooked her legs around his waist, bringing their naked bodies and anatomies together. "How about we relive it now?"

Walter groaned, and the sound made Barbara bite her lip in anticipation.

"Whatever you wish," he gutted out. "I'm yours, and I love you!"

"I love you too, Walt," Barbara whispered, kissing his lips deeply before saying, "And, just for the record, I could never regret spending a night like last night with you or this moment. This… right here… is what I want and need. I want and need you, Walter. Forever."

"Good," Walter exhaled out in profound relief. He lowered himself into her then, making her gasp out loud and arch into him, clawing at his shoulders, wanting him to sink into her deeper.

Walter watched her respond to him with reverent awe and love, shut his eyes and relished in how good her body felt to him, then lowered his mouth to hers.

"I do not think I could handle your regret," he breathed against her lips, "because you are mine, Barbara Lake."

And you're mine," Barbara whispered back. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Walter breathed, beginning to move in her, "more than anything, my darling."

When she moaned loudly, he hungrily claimed her lips, drowning and inhaling the sounds in his mouth, then they sank deeply into each other and continued to make passionate love.