Loid drove me home in tense silence; it was not a fun way to end the day. I kept sneaking peaks over at him from my seat, whereas he glued his eyes to the road. Halfway through the journey I couldn't take it anymore; the coldness was overpowering. I felt like if I didn't say something now, then I might never get the chance. My hands balled, pressed side-by-side in the middle of my lap. "Are you mad at me?"

Loid sucked in a deep breath, clenching the steering wheel. "One thing- I asked you to do one simple thing," his tone was low and dangerous. I frowned. "I went to the afternoon tea like you wanted." "And you arrived late. Do you any idea how important good manners and elegance are to their society? You were practically insulting them, not showing up on time." I didn't know that; nobody ever told me that before. My eyes widened a little in regret. "I got lost trying to find my way through the castle. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to embarrass you or offend anyone." He tisked, gazing out the window sharply. "I blame myself; I knew I shouldn't have left you alone with this."

This caught my immediate attention, and not in a good way. My frown widened in the corners, offended myself now. "I did everything you asked. Look, I didn't mean to be late, but it was my first time at the castle. You can't expect me to always know exactly what to do in these situations; this is all new to me and I'm still learning." "I thought you would have had more sense though. You're an intelligent woman, Mrs. Forger; I expected better from you," he affronted me. I gasped in genuine surprise. "How can you say that? I know how important this promotion is for you and I truly want to help you after what you did for me." "If you want to help then you'll do as I say," he snapped back a little harsher this time. "I'm trying my best!" My voice rose too to match his. He shot me a glare for the first time since we got into the car, his hands clinging tightly onto the wheel. "Well it's not good enough!"

Right at that moment another car ran its side into the side of ours. We both jostled in our seats, with Loid immediately reaching for me as if acting on impulse. "Mrs. Forger!" He didn't even look at the other car until he was sure I was safe in my seat again. Then he swore under his breath, looking out his door window.

"W-What going on?!" I asked shakily, still holding onto the side of Loid's jacket to stay steady. "Hang on tight!" He ordered as his foot pressed on the gas. The car sped up and the other gave chase; Loid kept checking back to it over his shoulder. "Who are those people?" Was my inquiry. It took him a second to answer, with his fingers tapping the wheel repeatedly while he was thinking. "I-It appears some of my patients still haven't recovered from their psychotic episodes." Oh…. Well I suppose that makes sense. Being a psychiatrist for the party he probably treats those the government wants to keep around; perhaps the family members of the higher-ups? I was about to ask about that when Loid gave me a look, much softer this time. His narrow eyes locked onto mine for a solid moment. "Don't worry, Mrs. Forger; I won't let anything happen to you. As my wife, it's my job as your husband to ensure that you are safe. Just leave this to me." Loid…. My cheeks coloured slightly as my heartrate raced a little faster. I can't get a bearing on this man; sometimes he's cold and calculating towards me… but other times he's totally different.

We drove really, really fast until we reached the centre of downtown. Loid parked the car, got out, and took a look around before he gave me the signal to follow him. I exited the car and he took my hand; we proceeded to run down the street together. Pretty soon however I got that sickening sensation that we were being stalked. Loid must have too since he suddenly stopped. "In here," he ushered me in between two big blocks. I was shocked when he next grabbed a loose panel of metal, waiting near the opening of the blocks quietly.

When one of the goons reared his ugly head, Loid didn't hesitate to strike him- hard. It made me scream and jump at the same time, covering my ears. Having no time to address my reaction, Loid grabbed my hand again and pulled me out from the blocks. "This way!" He told me while we started running once more. I looked over my shoulder at the man still lying motionless on the ground; blood was oozing out of his head.

"He's not dead, is he? Did you kill him?!" "Course not! But he's a very dangerous patient, Mrs. Forger; I couldn't take any chances." Before I could respond, another man appeared from seemingly out of nowhere behind us; this one with a handgun. Loid stopped on a dime, instantly throwing his arm out between me and the guy as a protective barrier. "Watch out!" My husband was able to stop him from shooting by throwing a pipe I hadn't noticed he'd been carrying. The armed man fell, but within the blink of an eye yet another man jump down from the building's roof; this one brandishing a knife.

What happened next was a mere matter of seconds- three to be exact. I was closer to the man, but he clearly was aiming to stab Loid. Realizing this, both my arms flung out in front of me and I leapt forward with one massive step. Our bodies crashed before he could reach Loid, sending him stumbling back a few feet. The knife was just near enough to slice Loid's arm, but that was the worst of it. Loid's eyes were huge in pure shock and horror, as was the attackers. Only I had my eyes pressed shut, bracing for the impact his figure would have against mine. I didn't hear my husband cry out my name very loudly.

The knife man clenched his jaw in rage once he realized what had happened. "Why you little…!" He raised the back of his hand to slap me. I didn't have time to look at what happened next. In the blink of an eye Loid was ripping me out of this man's grip. I went from being twirled on the tips of my feet to being pressed into Loid's chest with him coiling a protective arm tight around my waist. He wasn't looking at me but the jerk he was now punching extraordinarily tough. The man first went flying, then rolling on the sidewalk far in front of us. Once he was obviously unconscious, Loid opened his mouth to let out a few audible breaths. He gazed down at my face after a moment, our eyes immediately reaching each other's. My eyes were enormous and wet while his were full of sincere concern.

"Are you alright?" He asked, gently removing his arm. "You're bleeding," a tear ran down my cheek, followed by another, and then another. As if he hadn't noticed, he blinked down at his arm and then tried to grin like it was nothing. "It's just a little cut; nothing to worry about." That's when Loid realized that I was crying. His whole face morphed to one of confusion, like he couldn't fathom why I'd be so emotional right now. "Why are you crying?" His voice was higher this time, but not in a bad way.

My lips parted, but no words could come out. They could only quiver as more tears trickled down my cheeks. Loid waited patiently for me to finally say something, which didn't take as long as I expected. One of my hands lifted up to wipe my face.

"I-I'm sorry….. I was just so scared! I was terrified back there," I hiccupped, rubbing my eyes. Loid's head lowered a tad, as did his eyes and voice. "You were in no danger, Mrs. Forger," he reassured me, but I looked at him again. "Not for me; for you. I thought those men might hurt you. I thought….." But I couldn't finish my sentence. I'd never seen Loid's eyes get so big once I uttered this, like he hadn't realized the thought of his wellbeing hadn't even crossed my mind before.

"W-Wait… You're crying for me? Because of me….?" The disbelief in his tone was palpable. I nodded. "Of course! I was so afraid something might have happened to you, and there's nothing I could have done." "Mrs. Forger….." Loid beheld me in absolute awe. This gave me the opportunity to pull out my handkerchief and dap it against his wound; the bleed stained the cloth right away.

For a full minute, Loid seemed to be in some sort of trance, only snapping out of it when the sound of even more goons could be heard coming close by. I checked over my shoulder and Loid flinched back to reality. Gritting his teeth together, he gazed upset behind us into the darkness. "Seriously? Those bastards just won't give up." Before I could ask what we should do, I suddenly felt myself being lifted up into both his arms princess-style. Oh boy, to say my cheeks were red was an understatement. I blinked back to Loid, who was currently cradling me securely in his grasp. Our eyes met yet again, his softening on mine.

"Let's go." "I-I can run with you. You shouldn't carry me! What about your arm?" "Never mind that. It'll be faster this way," he said and I paused my objection here for a second. He way his voice sounded just now; does he actually want to carry me? Do I want him to carry me? I had to admit, it felt so good being held in his strong arms like this. So safe…..

But prudence must give way to feelings. My mouth slowly opened to retort one last time before we had to go. "Please, Loid; you've done enough for me already. I don't want to make things harder for you. I really do want to help you…. I really do," I repeated myself with that same sincerity Mr. Henderson mentioned earlier in the cathedral. Loid looked at me intently, almost enduringly briefly. His expression grew gentler. His forehead leaned forward to press into mine as he shut his eyes momentarily. My eyes meanwhile were gigantic in shock and delight. It was the most romantic moment of my life…. well, so far. Loid breathed, keeping his forehead against mine for a minute; that's all the time we had. And he smiled; for the very first time since we met that faithful day, he really, actually, genuinely smiled for the quickest of seconds.

"Yes, I know you do."