31 Nights

"Because the night belongs to lovers

Because the night belongs to us."

-"Because the Night", 10,000 Maniacs

Disclaimer: All original characters, worlds, situations, and other material remain the property of Anne Bishop. Merely the pleasure of writing of my two favorite members of the First Circle is all I have.

Author Note: This collection is in the process of being written for the LJ community 31nights. All of the following will be Aaron/Kalush set at various times in their lives. Knowing me, I'll also probably write some AT (alternate timeline) pieces, just because I don't think they got enough attention in the books. So, read on, and be wary what you take with you.

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35. Storm

Aaron knew they should have left the park much earlier than they did, especially when Kalush mentioned the storm was brewing. But it had been such a perfect day and they had both been loathe to end it at all, let alone early. So now they were stuck in a small cabin, watching the rain beat against the windows and the lightening tear through the sky, unable to return to the capital until it let up.

They'd specifically come to a location where no one would find them, away from any place to catch the winds, away from landing points, and away from civilization. And because the Darkness had a sick sense of humor, that very desire for privacy was what had come around to bite them in the ass.

He sighed and turned back to face Kalush, who was settled underneath his coat and looked even more like a waif of a child for it. That coat fit him nicely, which meant it was several times too large for her in every way. He could easily lose her in it, but he was at least glad she was being reasonable about it. Too many tart little witches he knew wouldn't have stood for him letting them wear his coat. Something about them being made of pure spite and vinegar (or at least, that's how he'd always translated it in his mind).

"Are you warming up any?" He asked softly, settling beside her on the cot. Since it was the only place to sit, he didn't think it was irrational for him to do. She nodded slowly, but he doubted it. She was shaking something horrible, even beneath so many layers. He was concerned about that, too. She shouldn't be shaking like that at all.

He caught her hands where they clenched on the edge of his jacket, and held them still. "You're shaking, Kalush." he pointed out. She closed her eyes and nodded once, sharply. "What's wrong, honey?"

She didn't answer at first, but when her eyes opened back up they were covered in a sheen of tears and she sniffed. "I hate storms. I got caught in one when I was little and no one could find me and now-" A bolt of lightening lit up the sky, and the sound it brought on caused her to yelp. Aaron dropped her hands and pulled the Queen into his arms. Her fear was almost tangible now that she wasn't trying so hard to be brave. It grated on him, and drove at instincts that he knew he couldn't let take hold. He couldn't do anything about the storm, and being driven to the killing edge wouldn't do either one of them any good.

Something about his own mood, or something that the others were picking up from Kalush, must have alerted other members of the First Circle. He heard almost immediately a concerned call.

Aaron? It was Khardy. Ah, the ever reliable Khardeen.

We're fine. Just got caught in a storm. We ducked into a cabin to get out of the rain. he explained without preamble. If the others thought it was something serious, it was akin to a call to arms.

A long pause before, Is she alright?. So apparently Aaron was the only one alive who didn't know about Kalush's fear of storms. He banked that bit of anger before it really surfaced.

She will be. I won't let anything happen to her.

And the connection was cut, and Aaron was back to his own mind.

He used a bit of Craft to help ease the worst of her terror and simply held her, rocking softly and petting her hair. She burrowed her face against his chest, and he could tell she was still crying silently. His shirt, so recently soaked by the rain, was again growing moist.

Even as the storm finally eased, and with night heavy outside the window, Kalush let him hold her and rock her gently. It was quite awhile before he realized that she'd fallen asleep.