Author's Note

Wow…I keep apologizing for my inconsistency of updating. Thing over here continue to look grim concerning my grandma. She has a blockage in her heart and a collapsed valve. Surgery is today, to see if they can drain the blockage. After that they're sending her home with enough medication to keep her comfortable. Due to the stroke and heart attack, a blood clot is going to form in her brain and she will eventually have an embolism. They just don't know when it's going to happen. So, my family just has to spend as much time with her as we possibly can. My insomnia has come back; ten fold, because of my crying at night. So I'm writing to give me something to do. I do appreciate everyone who wishes her well. Your comments are what give me strength to even do things now. I have a very nice Chapter 8 planned and coming your way so just stay tuned…

Chapter 7: Secrets and Silence

Zoë was asleep in her bed when we came in, but before leaving King promised her that he would wake her up when we got home. He hadn't said anything else to me since we got back so I just remained silent in return. I watched as King gently shook Zoë awake. She gave him a sleepy smile.

"We're back, Kiddo."

She yawned and threw her arms around his neck for a hug and he gave her a slight squeeze. She looked at me from over King's shoulder and frowned a bit.

"Did you get the bad guys?"

I nodded and she looked back at King, studying his face with intense concentration. Her eyes widened as she inspected his mouth.

"You're hurt…"

"Just a scratch Peanut, nothing to worry about."

"You make sure Abby looks at it. I think you could put a band-aid on that, maybe a little, tiny one. Abby knows how to make cuts not hurt anymore…"

She looks at me again and scrunches her nose up.

"Although, you might not want to 'kiss it better' this time."

I gave her a gentle smile and King's eyes met mine in a look I couldn't decipher at the moment. He turned towards Zoë.

"Can you make it better?"

Zoë looked a little reluctant but gave in when King started to give her the puppy eyes. She kissed him on his cheek and he smiled brightly.

"See that? All better now."

He laid her back down and I walked over, tucked her in and kissed her hair. King stood in the doorway, and as I turned to follow him, Zoë grabbed my finger and pulled at it lightly.

"Abby?"

I turned around and leaned in close. She spoke so that only I would hear her.

"It's going to storm tonight."

With that she turned over on her side and closed her eyes. It was such a cryptic message. I wondered if she saw it on the weather reports. It was nearly 2 am and not a cloud in the sky. If we did have a storm, she might get frightened. King waited for me in the hallway and interlocked his fingers with mine as I walked past. I walked with him downstairs and into the bunker kitchen. He leaned against the counter and I took out the first aid kit. The silence was so thick it was almost suffocating. There wasn't much light but after the years of fighting in the dark, my eyes had become accustomed to it quickly. Taking a piece of gauze out of the box, I ran it under the lukewarm water and set out a thin stitch band-aid. I know King is capable of doing this himself but I think he feels better when I patch him up. Tonight though, his lips were sealed as I carefully cleaned the crusted blood from his top one. He wasn't being cold towards me, just observant. Finally I finished up with placing the gauze in the trash can. I walked back over to him and ran my fingers through his hair.

"What are you searching for when you look at me like that?"

He didn't say a word and just hugged me tightly, like he was afraid to let go. Moments like this made him seem fragile. I just wish I knew what went through his mind that makes him act this way. He was studying me so intently. His arms lifted me off the ground and as a reflex I wrapped my legs around his waist. My chin rested on his shoulder as I felt every muscle moving underneath me. We got to the entrance of my room and he put me down and started to untie the laces in my corset. He went to the bathroom and came back with a wet washcloth. With his fingertips, he tilted my head back and cleaned my neck where Azrael licked it earlier. He undid my pants and kissed his symbol once more before wiping it off. This made me sad; I wanted that connection to King. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head against my stomach. Something definitely happened tonight in his mind that he's so absorbed with. I just cradled his head with my hands. As he stood up, I guided his shirt up over his head and put on one of his discarded shirts to sleep in. It was dark gray, fuzzy and warm. I smelt his scent as it wrapped around me. King came up behind me and kissed my neck and then turned my head to kiss my lips. He grabbed my hand and I got under the covers with him beside me. All that was audible was his heartbeat in my ear. Then, I heard his voice.

"No one loves you as much as I do."

I closed my eyes and waited. An hour passed as I lay awake in his arms. He was breathing steadily in his sleep as I attempted to get out of bed. Moving as stealthily as I could, I put on a pair of trainers and grabbed my wrist blade as a precaution. I slipped out of the bedroom not knowing that a pair of anxious brown eyes followed my every move. The night was still clear and relatively breezy as I stepped onto the roof. I took of down the stairs, running till I reached the gate. I climbed up and jumped from the top. My knee scraped a little on the pavement, but that didn't stop me. I made good timing to the burnt remains of the storage facility. Blood was running down my calf from the wound on my knee but I neglected to even clean it. I let out a long frustrated sigh when my eyes began to mist over.

"Dad there's so much I want to tell you and I don't even know where to begin…"

Instantly the tears started to fall, but out here, I didn't care. I could let my heart break over and over again while I'm here and no one would ever have to know. For once in my life, I didn't have to be strong.

"I had to sneak out again. King searched the city for hours the other night when I came here. Dash told me he was furious when he walked in. He hasn't mentioned it to me yet, but I know he worries."

The water was quiet and soothing as it lapped against the edge of the docking frame. I found where my father's work area once stood. Not much was left of it now however. The wind picked up as I surveyed the ground underneath my feet. I caught a small glint in the soot beneath a mangled piece of metal. Brushing it away with my fingers, I picked up the object and almost forgot how to breathe. There, lying in the palm of my hand was my father's tarnished wedding ring.

"Oh my God…"

I touched it lightly with my fingers and tried to clean it off the best I could. I sat in silence for a long time just soaking up a sense of closure that I haven't ever experienced. At that moment, I knew he had been listening to me when I came here.

"He loves me Daddy…"

The wind blew in gusts again, like a signal that he was there. I smiled and inhaled deeply, still able to smell King's lingering scent.

"You know, as much as a cocky and brash little boy he can be, I love him too. He makes me feel safe."

I heard the faint sound of thunder. Looking towards the sky I saw the stars being covered by the thick black clouds rolling in. I felt the first warning drop of rain before the heavens opened and spilled onto the ground. Zoë had been right; this was going to be a nasty storm. If I didn't leave now, I'd be sorry.

"I love you."

I blew a kiss as the rain fell upon my face. My poor excuse for clothing was already soaked through and my hair clung to my skin. Lightning split the sky fiercely as I picked up speed. As I ran to the street leading to our compound I fell, reopening the wound from earlier and causing another gash on my thigh. I felt the warm contrast of my blood against the coldness of the rain as they mingled together. Fuck! How was I going to explain this to King? He practically takes inventory of every little thing scratch on my body, and I wasn't the one who got hurt in the fray tonight, he was. Thankfully I reached the hideout and was able to get in downstairs without disturbing Dash and Caulder. Although they weren't the ones I was worried about. I hobbled up the steps trying to be mindful of not letting my blood get on the floor. I kept wiping my leg with the sleeve of the sweater, making it darker with the color of my blood.

"Shit."

As I went to stand up straight, lightening flashed in the darkened kitchen and I jumped back. There, standing before me, was King. Fully awake and eyes aglow with concern and anger. He moved to anchor my body against his, getting wet as he did so. He saw the blood and immediately got a hand towel and a blanket from the makeshift recovery bed. He didn't take his eyes off of mine as he removed his soaking sweater from my body. He quickly wrapped me up in the blanket and held me, rubbing my arms to restore the warmth. I was silent and watching him carefully as he cleaned me up. Then, I saw King do something I've only seen 3 other times in my life. He was crying. He looked up at me, tears streaming down his face, and spoke his voice raw with emotion.

"Where were you?"

When I didn't answer him he rested his head on my thighs. I could see him trembling. His throat was horse and his tone hurt when he attempted to speak again. If it hadn't been for that fact alone, I knew he would've been screaming at me.

"Don't you dare go internal on me! Where do you go when you run off like that? I saw you leave! I was awake. Don't you know by know that I feel every move you make around me? You put on your wrist blade and walked out. Then I ran downstairs and watched you from the monitors as you crossed the gate. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to not follow you?! What am I to think when you leave here alone at 3 o'clock in the morning without telling a soul? Is it the same place you ran off to the other night? "

His voice softened when he saw how badly I was shaking, staring at him with pitiful and guilt ridden doe eyes.

"Please don't shut down…I swear, sometimes I look at you Abby and I know you aren't there. That's when I get scared. Why do you have all these secrets that I don't know about? Why do you have to leave?"

His eyes were searching for so many answers. He was panicked.

"Is it because of me?"

He finally reached the point where he couldn't take it anymore and he broke down completely. His body wracked with sobs at the possibility that he could've caused this. I have never felt so angry at myself for causing him so much pain. I began crying uncontrollably and grabbed his face kissing it all over.

"God no! No…no, no…no…"

I met his eyes with a deadly serious look.

"Never!"

His eyes closed in relief. His dark wet lashes resting on the top of his cheek. All the anger and worry drained from his face. His shoulders slumped as he sat on the floor and drew himself to lean against the wall. I sat alongside him and cradled his head to my chest, stroking his face.

"I'm so sorry…"

I rocked him back and forth whispering apology after apology till both of is calmed our frazzled nerves a bit.

"I'll tell you everything King. No more secrets…I promise."