This chapter is finally finished!!! We apologize profusely for the long wait. My exams combined with the computer being 'out of order' for two weeks and the fact that Tal will be entering the Forces soon means not much time to confer about this story. sigh. Thanks for the reviews! We're glad you are enjoying the story. And so, without further ado, chapter fifteen:
## - represents thoughts
** - represents telepathy
CHAPTER 15: Aftermath
The Blackbird was on its way home before Tyger regained consciousness, although the sounds that met her ears made her regret coming to at all. Peering from beneath semi-closed eyelids, she found herself laying on a seat in the back of the cockpit. The subdued, angry voice of Cyclops reached her clearly. Cyclops was in fact raging; as close to an uncontrollable rage as any had ever seen him. His face was an interesting shade of purple and the veins in his temples throbbed ominously. Everyone else was silent. Tyger desperately wished that Jean were there to calm him down, but she knew well enough that this was one mess she'd have to get out of on her own. However, said a quiet, mouse-like voice at the back of her head, I have no idea how.
Cyclops was now yelling at Hank, demanding to know how she had gotten on the Blackbird in the first place. Hank was trying to say that he didn't know - Tyger was sure of it. But Scott wouldn't let him get three words in edgewise. Tyger just lay there in a miserable lump listening to Scott yelling, wishing she was anywhere but where she was right now. Unfortunately, the voice reminded her, you got into trouble by yourself, and you'll have to get out of it by yourself. But it still had no suggestions as to how. Tyger, after listening to Hank take the blame for several minutes, officially woke up and looked around. Scott, seeing her awake, immediately turned and began raging at her. At least, the little voice said, he's not yelling at Hank anymore. At this point, she would give just about anything to take away the discomfort she saw Hank in. Not that she felt she could do much, but perhaps she could do something. The immediate something that Scott was trying to get out of her was what she thought she was doing.
"You are NOT an X-Man!" he shouted. "And letting you get into a fight like that makes you MY responsibility! A responsibility that I DON'T want since I had no choice in the matter!"
She tried to explain that she had followed Hank to try to help, but things had just gotten out of hand. She hadn't meant to cause trouble.
"Trouble," raged Scott, "doesn't even BEGIN to describe what you've caused! You DO realize that your actions today reflect upon the X-Men as a whole and that now the X-men will be blamed for those deaths, don't you? I don't know WHAT you were thinking! What would've happened if you had been killed? Do you believe that your death would have no repercussions? Or would it be more accurate to say that you just didn't care? Do you care so little for the people who've sheltered you and given you a place to stay that you would knowingly put us all in danger like this?"
Tyger had shrunk back in her seat as far as she could possibly go, wishing with all her might that she could just disappear.
"Argh!!! I can't deal with this now! When we get back to the mansion, I want you to go straight to your room and stay there! I'll deal with you later!"
The rest of the trip home was noticeably subdued.
* * *
Hank scrubbed vigourously at his arms and chest, washing off the blood using a special solution he had devised specifically for that purpose - to remove blood from fur. He had been forced to create it as a result of the various times he had found himself within the splatterzone of one of Wolverine's attacks. Wolverine. Not Tyger. As he cleaned, he also thought about the royally bad mood Cyclops was in and how we was determined to share it with all his teammates.
Hank finished washing up, and headed down to the infirmary.
Jean sensed him coming. *You wait right there, Hank* she ordered as he approached the door to the infirmary.
"I am compelled to remind you that I am the doctor, Jean," he said out loud as he tried to open the door. It was locked from the inside.
*Tyger is in the process of washing herself off right now. But I guess, since YOU'RE the doctor, you would like to do that for her?*
Hank felt himself blush. #Dammit, Hank!# he chastised. #You have seen practically every female member of the team without clothing while treating various injuries and never once have you reacted like this.#
*Giggle*
"Jean, would you kindly remove yourself from my personal thoughts?" he muttered.
*How is Jubilee?*
"She is not seriously injured, just a little battered. I gave her a mild sedative to calm her nerves, as she was rather stressed about the incident with Tyger."
*I can certainly understand that. I tried to read Scott's mind when you guys got back, and the rage he's in nearly gave me a migraine!*
"Yes. It did not go well at all. While I understand his rage, I still feel he should not have tried to take it out so forcefully on Tyger. How she managed to follow me onto the Blackbird without my noticing, I will never know. As to the rest, this new turn of events was certainly unexpected. It hints at a dangerous new trend in their thinking. I just wish that the FOH hadn't attempted such an act as this kidnapping, in the first place!"
*Do you know why they did it?*
"No, I do not. And that frightens me a little."
*Frightens you? How?*
"The fact that it was a well-thought out plan of attack frightens me. The FOH are known for their brawn, not their brains."
*I see your point, Hank. If they're finally being led by someone with some actual intelligence, they could possibly become a dangerous force to deal with.*
"Indeed."
* * *
Jean had said very little to Tyger, and directed her to a shower stall within the infirmary. With a calmness that surprised Jean, Tyger washed the blood from her fur and bits of flesh from her claws.
Tyger's mind was foggy, and she had to strain to remember what happened. The coagulated blood and gore matted into her hair and fur helped to jog her memory a little.
It was all a blur: one moment she had been surrounded by six living men: the next, by six shredded corpses. #Why hadn't they listened?# she moaned in her head. #Why did they have to push me?#
It had happened before. The last time had been in an alleyway, a few years back. There had been three of them, all mutant haters like the FOH people. All wanting to hurt her, wanting to kill her simply because of what she was. They had trapped her, and she had felt the rage building inside her and then...she had woken up in a pool of blood.
Jean handed her a towel as she stepped out of the stall. "Hank is waiting outside. He wants to talk to you."
Tyger gulped.
Tyger sat down on the examination table as Jean opened the door. She had the towel wrapped around her midsection, and legs drawn up so that she was hugging her knees. Her tail was entwined around her legs. She glanced up at him furtively before returning her gaze to the floor.
"Could I please speak to her alone?" Hank quietly asked Jean. Jean hesitated for a moment, then nodded and left.
Hank turned his attention to Tyger. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He ran a hand through his hair and paced a bit before stopping to once again attempt speech. Still, nothing would come. He paced once more, becoming exasperated, until finally he simply said "Just tell me one thing, Tyger. Why?" His voice sounded calm, but strained.
"I....I losst control," she replied, still keeping her eyes directed to the floor.
"That much I gathered, Tyger. I repeat the question: why?"
She licked her lips nervously. "They wanted to hurrt me."
"They wanted to hurt you?"
She nodded.
"How?"
She paused, reluctant to continue. "They held me down."
"And?" he prodded.
"They hit me."
"So you hit them back?"
She shook her head. This whole process was going painfully slow, but Hank forced himself not to lose patience with her.
"What did they do, then, to provoke you into doing what you did?"
"They hit me again."
"Is that all?"
She shook her head again. Hank suddenly got a feeling in his gut that told him he was not going to like where this conversation was going.
"Tyger, what did they do?" he asked quietly, but firmly.
Still staring at the floor, she replied, "They werre going to rrape me."
His stomach dropped. This was one time when he wished he hadn't hypothesized correctly.
"But you're a mutant," he remarked incredulously, more to himself than to her.
Her ears drooped. "You don't believe me," she said, still staring at the floor.
"No, no! I didn't mean that!" he said quickly.
She lifted her head suddenly. "I don't go looking for fights," she said, her eyes imploring.
"I never accused you of such a thing!"
She looked away from him again. "But when I'm trrapped, I get angrry."
"Angry? Then what happens?"
"I get angrrier.....then I blank out."
"Blank out?"
She nodded solemnly. "I don't rremember anything."
"Are you certain? Do you think you could try and remember what happened?"
She furrowed her brows. She was starting to feel a little frustrated. "They grrabbed me and I got angrry," she said simply.
"And?" Hank asked, wishing he could pull her words out with his own hands.
"They got angrry ssuddenly."
"Because of something you said or did?"
She shook her head. "They jusst got angrry because I got angrry."
"So you did nothing to provoke their anger?" She nodded her head. "Hmmm...interesting. What happened next, Tyger?"
She was silent for a few moments, then replied, "They trried to pull my shortss down, and I got rreally angrry."
"And?" he goaded.
"I warrned them to sstop, but they didn't. Then I blanked out."
His mind was working furiously to piece together the entire story. He couldn't help feeling that there was a piece missing somewhere, but he just could not place his finger on it. He could see that Tyger was getting frustrated by his questioning, but he had to do it. He had to find that missing piece.
"Please try to remember, Tyger. It is very important," he said encouragingly.
She closed her eyes and her brows furrowed even more. After a few moments she shook her head. "I rremember sscreaming, and rred. Lotss of rred. They werre mad. I was mad." She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "That'ss all, Hank! I don't know what elsse to tell you!"
Then they both fell silent. Tyger resumed contemplating the floor tiles as Hank's mind slowly put the pieces of the puzzle together. #Now, what is missing?# he thought to himself. They had become angry, for no reason. There was no provocation. That seemed familiar to him. Then realization dawned on him and he smacked himself in the forehead. "Of course!" he exclaimed.
Tyger's head snapped up. "Hank?"
He was pacing the floor again. "How could I have been so dense not to have come to this conclusion beforehand?"
"What arre you talking about?" she asked, feeling very confused.
He stopped pacing and came up to her. Taking her hands into his, he proclaimed, "You, my dear, are an empath!"
Her skin tingled as their hands connected. She blinked again. "A what?"
"It is not uncommon amongst normals. Empathy - the ability to sense emotions in others without visual cues - many humans have it to a lesser degree. You appear to have it to a much greater degree and are also, apparently, projective. You can influence the emotions that others feel. Untrained, all you're doing is feeding your emotions to them. They feel them, then you feel their emotions and amplify them and send them back. It all makes sense!"
He had that excited look on his face that always followed a huge discovery. Tyger simply looked confused.
"Maybe to you," she replied, and indignant expression on her face. "But what does it mean to me?"
"It means," he said, gently cupping her chin in his hand, "that you are not entirely responsible for what happened! The very mutation that makes you a projective empath is also responsible for your losing control. Now," his voice then lowered in volume as he muttered to himself, "if there was only a way to harness that power to benefit the X-Men, then we might even succeed in getting Scott off your back. Though, to be honest, that will be a feat in itself."
"Get Cyclopss off my back?" she asked, still somewhat confused.
"It is not fair for you to be held responsible for what happened when it was not your fault! The question is HOW to make him see that. Hmmm....the best thing we can do is persuade Jean to talk to Scott when he is in a more reasonable mood...don't give me that look! He CAN be reasonable occasionally! Then we can very likely turn the entire situation to our advantage."
"Hank," she said nervously. "Why arre you willing to go thrrough all this jusst for me? Espesh'ly with all the trrouble it will cause between you and Cyclopss?"
He smiled warmly at her. "I am willing to do it because it is the right thing to do. You are not responsible for powers that you have not yet learned to control," he said, then added, "Ask me someday about all the repairs that had to be done to the orphanage before Scott learned how to control his powers."
"Rrepairs?"
"But that's another story. When he is being honest with himself, he will have to admit the truth in what I am saying. So you can stop worrying your pretty head over it."
Her ears perked up at that comment.
"It will all work out once we convince Scott somehow of what we are trying to say, though to be honest, he can be so pig-headed that it's near impossible a task."
It was then that Tyger remembered what Scott had told her about her actions reflecting upon the team, and how the X-Men would be blamed for what she had done. She began to cry.
"What is wrong?" Hank asked, alarmed.
"Whether you say it'ss my fault or not, I sstill killed them."
"But it is not your fault!"
"I sstill killed them!"
"Yes, you still killed them. But is that fact as important as what THEY tried to do? They tried to rape you, Tyger. In a very real sense, they got what they deserved. And trying to feel guilty over that simply isn't worth it, though it does speak well of you. As much as we may wish otherwise, the golden rule has a very unfortunate corollary which reads thou shalt do unto others before they get a chance to do unto you. And we both know full well what they wanted to do unto you, my dear."
"But I sstill killed them," she repeated, tears streaming down her face.
"Yes you killed them!" he repeated, sounding exasperated. "And they are dead now and they won't be able to hurt you anymore! Tyger, please listen to me. They are dead and now their suffering is over. If they had in fact accomplished what they had set out to do to you, you would be suffering for the rest of your life."
Hank took her into his arms. "We are here to protect you! I am here to protect you, and I will not let anything else happen to you." Then he added, in almost a whisper, "I promise."
An overwhelming feeling of trust seemed to envelope Tyger as she nestled in his arms. It seemed right somehow, and she wished she could stay like that forever: calm, comforted and safe.
He ran his fingers through her long, silky hair, and smiled absentmindedly as she nearly purred in response to his touch. A small part of his mind marvelled at how Tyger fostered in him such a strong desire to protect her.
She wallowed in the feeling of contentment, not wanting it to end. But there was something else, something that was missing, just one little thing that would make the emotional symphony complete. Tyger lifted her head. Hank looked down at her questioningly. With a nervous hand, she reached up and gently drew his face to hers. Their lips met, and the symphony was complete.
* * *
What do you think? We'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible.
## - represents thoughts
** - represents telepathy
CHAPTER 15: Aftermath
The Blackbird was on its way home before Tyger regained consciousness, although the sounds that met her ears made her regret coming to at all. Peering from beneath semi-closed eyelids, she found herself laying on a seat in the back of the cockpit. The subdued, angry voice of Cyclops reached her clearly. Cyclops was in fact raging; as close to an uncontrollable rage as any had ever seen him. His face was an interesting shade of purple and the veins in his temples throbbed ominously. Everyone else was silent. Tyger desperately wished that Jean were there to calm him down, but she knew well enough that this was one mess she'd have to get out of on her own. However, said a quiet, mouse-like voice at the back of her head, I have no idea how.
Cyclops was now yelling at Hank, demanding to know how she had gotten on the Blackbird in the first place. Hank was trying to say that he didn't know - Tyger was sure of it. But Scott wouldn't let him get three words in edgewise. Tyger just lay there in a miserable lump listening to Scott yelling, wishing she was anywhere but where she was right now. Unfortunately, the voice reminded her, you got into trouble by yourself, and you'll have to get out of it by yourself. But it still had no suggestions as to how. Tyger, after listening to Hank take the blame for several minutes, officially woke up and looked around. Scott, seeing her awake, immediately turned and began raging at her. At least, the little voice said, he's not yelling at Hank anymore. At this point, she would give just about anything to take away the discomfort she saw Hank in. Not that she felt she could do much, but perhaps she could do something. The immediate something that Scott was trying to get out of her was what she thought she was doing.
"You are NOT an X-Man!" he shouted. "And letting you get into a fight like that makes you MY responsibility! A responsibility that I DON'T want since I had no choice in the matter!"
She tried to explain that she had followed Hank to try to help, but things had just gotten out of hand. She hadn't meant to cause trouble.
"Trouble," raged Scott, "doesn't even BEGIN to describe what you've caused! You DO realize that your actions today reflect upon the X-Men as a whole and that now the X-men will be blamed for those deaths, don't you? I don't know WHAT you were thinking! What would've happened if you had been killed? Do you believe that your death would have no repercussions? Or would it be more accurate to say that you just didn't care? Do you care so little for the people who've sheltered you and given you a place to stay that you would knowingly put us all in danger like this?"
Tyger had shrunk back in her seat as far as she could possibly go, wishing with all her might that she could just disappear.
"Argh!!! I can't deal with this now! When we get back to the mansion, I want you to go straight to your room and stay there! I'll deal with you later!"
The rest of the trip home was noticeably subdued.
* * *
Hank scrubbed vigourously at his arms and chest, washing off the blood using a special solution he had devised specifically for that purpose - to remove blood from fur. He had been forced to create it as a result of the various times he had found himself within the splatterzone of one of Wolverine's attacks. Wolverine. Not Tyger. As he cleaned, he also thought about the royally bad mood Cyclops was in and how we was determined to share it with all his teammates.
Hank finished washing up, and headed down to the infirmary.
Jean sensed him coming. *You wait right there, Hank* she ordered as he approached the door to the infirmary.
"I am compelled to remind you that I am the doctor, Jean," he said out loud as he tried to open the door. It was locked from the inside.
*Tyger is in the process of washing herself off right now. But I guess, since YOU'RE the doctor, you would like to do that for her?*
Hank felt himself blush. #Dammit, Hank!# he chastised. #You have seen practically every female member of the team without clothing while treating various injuries and never once have you reacted like this.#
*Giggle*
"Jean, would you kindly remove yourself from my personal thoughts?" he muttered.
*How is Jubilee?*
"She is not seriously injured, just a little battered. I gave her a mild sedative to calm her nerves, as she was rather stressed about the incident with Tyger."
*I can certainly understand that. I tried to read Scott's mind when you guys got back, and the rage he's in nearly gave me a migraine!*
"Yes. It did not go well at all. While I understand his rage, I still feel he should not have tried to take it out so forcefully on Tyger. How she managed to follow me onto the Blackbird without my noticing, I will never know. As to the rest, this new turn of events was certainly unexpected. It hints at a dangerous new trend in their thinking. I just wish that the FOH hadn't attempted such an act as this kidnapping, in the first place!"
*Do you know why they did it?*
"No, I do not. And that frightens me a little."
*Frightens you? How?*
"The fact that it was a well-thought out plan of attack frightens me. The FOH are known for their brawn, not their brains."
*I see your point, Hank. If they're finally being led by someone with some actual intelligence, they could possibly become a dangerous force to deal with.*
"Indeed."
* * *
Jean had said very little to Tyger, and directed her to a shower stall within the infirmary. With a calmness that surprised Jean, Tyger washed the blood from her fur and bits of flesh from her claws.
Tyger's mind was foggy, and she had to strain to remember what happened. The coagulated blood and gore matted into her hair and fur helped to jog her memory a little.
It was all a blur: one moment she had been surrounded by six living men: the next, by six shredded corpses. #Why hadn't they listened?# she moaned in her head. #Why did they have to push me?#
It had happened before. The last time had been in an alleyway, a few years back. There had been three of them, all mutant haters like the FOH people. All wanting to hurt her, wanting to kill her simply because of what she was. They had trapped her, and she had felt the rage building inside her and then...she had woken up in a pool of blood.
Jean handed her a towel as she stepped out of the stall. "Hank is waiting outside. He wants to talk to you."
Tyger gulped.
Tyger sat down on the examination table as Jean opened the door. She had the towel wrapped around her midsection, and legs drawn up so that she was hugging her knees. Her tail was entwined around her legs. She glanced up at him furtively before returning her gaze to the floor.
"Could I please speak to her alone?" Hank quietly asked Jean. Jean hesitated for a moment, then nodded and left.
Hank turned his attention to Tyger. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He ran a hand through his hair and paced a bit before stopping to once again attempt speech. Still, nothing would come. He paced once more, becoming exasperated, until finally he simply said "Just tell me one thing, Tyger. Why?" His voice sounded calm, but strained.
"I....I losst control," she replied, still keeping her eyes directed to the floor.
"That much I gathered, Tyger. I repeat the question: why?"
She licked her lips nervously. "They wanted to hurrt me."
"They wanted to hurt you?"
She nodded.
"How?"
She paused, reluctant to continue. "They held me down."
"And?" he prodded.
"They hit me."
"So you hit them back?"
She shook her head. This whole process was going painfully slow, but Hank forced himself not to lose patience with her.
"What did they do, then, to provoke you into doing what you did?"
"They hit me again."
"Is that all?"
She shook her head again. Hank suddenly got a feeling in his gut that told him he was not going to like where this conversation was going.
"Tyger, what did they do?" he asked quietly, but firmly.
Still staring at the floor, she replied, "They werre going to rrape me."
His stomach dropped. This was one time when he wished he hadn't hypothesized correctly.
"But you're a mutant," he remarked incredulously, more to himself than to her.
Her ears drooped. "You don't believe me," she said, still staring at the floor.
"No, no! I didn't mean that!" he said quickly.
She lifted her head suddenly. "I don't go looking for fights," she said, her eyes imploring.
"I never accused you of such a thing!"
She looked away from him again. "But when I'm trrapped, I get angrry."
"Angry? Then what happens?"
"I get angrrier.....then I blank out."
"Blank out?"
She nodded solemnly. "I don't rremember anything."
"Are you certain? Do you think you could try and remember what happened?"
She furrowed her brows. She was starting to feel a little frustrated. "They grrabbed me and I got angrry," she said simply.
"And?" Hank asked, wishing he could pull her words out with his own hands.
"They got angrry ssuddenly."
"Because of something you said or did?"
She shook her head. "They jusst got angrry because I got angrry."
"So you did nothing to provoke their anger?" She nodded her head. "Hmmm...interesting. What happened next, Tyger?"
She was silent for a few moments, then replied, "They trried to pull my shortss down, and I got rreally angrry."
"And?" he goaded.
"I warrned them to sstop, but they didn't. Then I blanked out."
His mind was working furiously to piece together the entire story. He couldn't help feeling that there was a piece missing somewhere, but he just could not place his finger on it. He could see that Tyger was getting frustrated by his questioning, but he had to do it. He had to find that missing piece.
"Please try to remember, Tyger. It is very important," he said encouragingly.
She closed her eyes and her brows furrowed even more. After a few moments she shook her head. "I rremember sscreaming, and rred. Lotss of rred. They werre mad. I was mad." She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "That'ss all, Hank! I don't know what elsse to tell you!"
Then they both fell silent. Tyger resumed contemplating the floor tiles as Hank's mind slowly put the pieces of the puzzle together. #Now, what is missing?# he thought to himself. They had become angry, for no reason. There was no provocation. That seemed familiar to him. Then realization dawned on him and he smacked himself in the forehead. "Of course!" he exclaimed.
Tyger's head snapped up. "Hank?"
He was pacing the floor again. "How could I have been so dense not to have come to this conclusion beforehand?"
"What arre you talking about?" she asked, feeling very confused.
He stopped pacing and came up to her. Taking her hands into his, he proclaimed, "You, my dear, are an empath!"
Her skin tingled as their hands connected. She blinked again. "A what?"
"It is not uncommon amongst normals. Empathy - the ability to sense emotions in others without visual cues - many humans have it to a lesser degree. You appear to have it to a much greater degree and are also, apparently, projective. You can influence the emotions that others feel. Untrained, all you're doing is feeding your emotions to them. They feel them, then you feel their emotions and amplify them and send them back. It all makes sense!"
He had that excited look on his face that always followed a huge discovery. Tyger simply looked confused.
"Maybe to you," she replied, and indignant expression on her face. "But what does it mean to me?"
"It means," he said, gently cupping her chin in his hand, "that you are not entirely responsible for what happened! The very mutation that makes you a projective empath is also responsible for your losing control. Now," his voice then lowered in volume as he muttered to himself, "if there was only a way to harness that power to benefit the X-Men, then we might even succeed in getting Scott off your back. Though, to be honest, that will be a feat in itself."
"Get Cyclopss off my back?" she asked, still somewhat confused.
"It is not fair for you to be held responsible for what happened when it was not your fault! The question is HOW to make him see that. Hmmm....the best thing we can do is persuade Jean to talk to Scott when he is in a more reasonable mood...don't give me that look! He CAN be reasonable occasionally! Then we can very likely turn the entire situation to our advantage."
"Hank," she said nervously. "Why arre you willing to go thrrough all this jusst for me? Espesh'ly with all the trrouble it will cause between you and Cyclopss?"
He smiled warmly at her. "I am willing to do it because it is the right thing to do. You are not responsible for powers that you have not yet learned to control," he said, then added, "Ask me someday about all the repairs that had to be done to the orphanage before Scott learned how to control his powers."
"Rrepairs?"
"But that's another story. When he is being honest with himself, he will have to admit the truth in what I am saying. So you can stop worrying your pretty head over it."
Her ears perked up at that comment.
"It will all work out once we convince Scott somehow of what we are trying to say, though to be honest, he can be so pig-headed that it's near impossible a task."
It was then that Tyger remembered what Scott had told her about her actions reflecting upon the team, and how the X-Men would be blamed for what she had done. She began to cry.
"What is wrong?" Hank asked, alarmed.
"Whether you say it'ss my fault or not, I sstill killed them."
"But it is not your fault!"
"I sstill killed them!"
"Yes, you still killed them. But is that fact as important as what THEY tried to do? They tried to rape you, Tyger. In a very real sense, they got what they deserved. And trying to feel guilty over that simply isn't worth it, though it does speak well of you. As much as we may wish otherwise, the golden rule has a very unfortunate corollary which reads thou shalt do unto others before they get a chance to do unto you. And we both know full well what they wanted to do unto you, my dear."
"But I sstill killed them," she repeated, tears streaming down her face.
"Yes you killed them!" he repeated, sounding exasperated. "And they are dead now and they won't be able to hurt you anymore! Tyger, please listen to me. They are dead and now their suffering is over. If they had in fact accomplished what they had set out to do to you, you would be suffering for the rest of your life."
Hank took her into his arms. "We are here to protect you! I am here to protect you, and I will not let anything else happen to you." Then he added, in almost a whisper, "I promise."
An overwhelming feeling of trust seemed to envelope Tyger as she nestled in his arms. It seemed right somehow, and she wished she could stay like that forever: calm, comforted and safe.
He ran his fingers through her long, silky hair, and smiled absentmindedly as she nearly purred in response to his touch. A small part of his mind marvelled at how Tyger fostered in him such a strong desire to protect her.
She wallowed in the feeling of contentment, not wanting it to end. But there was something else, something that was missing, just one little thing that would make the emotional symphony complete. Tyger lifted her head. Hank looked down at her questioningly. With a nervous hand, she reached up and gently drew his face to hers. Their lips met, and the symphony was complete.
* * *
What do you think? We'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible.