Astra was finally free. Well, as free as she could be when she was still restricted in how often she was allowed to move, and would still have to check in with Dr. Amaranth every week. But that didn't matter so much- she could finally spend her days out of bed! In a wheelchair, sure, but at least it was something. She would finally get to return to her dorm, finally get to sleep in her own bed, even if there were only two days left in the semester. Nevertheless, not being confined to a hospital bed anymore was a huge relief.

Best of all, Verity had tasked Luna with the job of looking after her, which meant Astra had every excuse to spend every minute of the day with her girlfriend. It made the occasional sharp bursts of pain worth it.

"And you don't mind being in a wheelchair?" Lily asked as Luna wheeled Astra down the hallway towards the dorms.

"Why would I?" Astra crossed one leg over the other. "I get to have Luna ship me around like I'm royalty! Watch this: Luna, spin me in a circle!"

Luna did not do so. "I'm not doing that."

Astra slumped back in the chair. "Aw."

"It's only temporary anyway," Luna explained to Lily, "Just an extra precaution to make sure she doesn't reopen the wound."

"I wouldn't mind even if it was permanent," Astra admitted, "After being bedridden for all those weeks, I'm grateful for any way that allows me to move. And wheelchairs are fun! Like being in a tiny little car, just for you."

Lily chuckled. "Fair enough."

Approaching LLAC's dorm room, Lily unlocked the door, and Luna wheeled Astra inside. Cobalt was sitting on Lily's bed, and when the others came in, he blew on a party whistle.

"Welcome back!"

On a small plastic table in the middle of the room, various snacks were laid out, and a few air-filled balloons were scattered about.

Astra grinned. "Aww, you guys threw a little party for me?"

Luna leaned down and gave her a kiss on the head. "It's not much, but we thought you'd like it."

"Sorry that we're not as good at throwing parties as you," Cobalt added. "We did our best."

"Don't worry," Astra assured him playfully. "Any party I'm a part of is bound to be great."

Luna wheeled Astra over to the bed, where Astra happily climbed on and settled herself into the blankets. "Ahh…it's good to be back."

Lily glanced up at Astra's bed. "Are you sure you're allowed to sleep up there?" She asked. "I feel like Verity would take issue with you climbing up and down that ladder."

Astra shook her head. "Nah, she says it should be fine so long as I'm careful."

"And no jumping off of it," Luna added, giving Astra a stern look.

"Right," Astra sighed, "No fun allowed."

Cobalt hopped off Lily's bed and blew the party whistle again. "Hey, no more talking about what you can't do. Let's focus on what you can! Like video games!"

Astra grinned. "Sweet!" It had been weeks since all four of them had been able to play together; the care ward's television was attached to the wall and could only play basic programs.

Cobalt tossed her a controller. "Your pick; what are we playing?"

Astra thought for a moment, going over their library of video games in her head. "How about…Marco Party?"

"Only if it's one that doesn't have motion-controlled minigames," Luna told her, "We don't need you jumping and twisting around and getting yourself hurt."

Astra frowned. "Aw, but those ones are the most fun…"

Luna sat beside her on the bed, putting her arm around Astra. "Hey, I'm just looking out for you. It's my responsibility to keep you safe."

Astra leaned against her. "I know," she sighed, "It's just more boring this way."

Luna gave her a teasing grin. "Well then, maybe you'll think about that next time you decide to put yourself in a life-risking position."

Her tone was light, but Astra worried that a part of Luna was still mad at her for putting herself in danger. Astra didn't have Luna's Semblance to tell for sure, and they hadn't had any more conversations like the one they'd had when Astra had woken up, but she couldn't help but feel like something was still slightly off between the two of them. There was no way Astra had been able to fully convince Luna that she wouldn't put herself in the same position again, she knew that much- and she wasn't looking forward to the day when the topic was brought up again.

Astra shoved her misgivings away, trying to let herself enjoy the little welcome-back party her friends had thrown for her. No matter what Luna might be hiding from her, it was clear that she and the others still cared for Astra very deeply, and that was what mattered.

After two games of Marco Party, one of which Lily won despite claiming not to be especially fond of the game, the team settled in for a movie- that Astra got to pick, of course. She settled for The Girl in the Tower, an adaptation of the famed fairytale, which always felt weird to watch now that everyone knew its origins, but to Astra, that only made it more interesting. She found herself wanting to sit down and watch it with a member of Team RWBY or JNPR someday, listening to them point out all the inaccuracies.

Eventually, after everyone had emptied the table of snacks, night fell, and Astra was able to enjoy a night in her own dorm bed for the first time in weeks. Or, at least, she got a few hours of sleep. In the middle of the night, something woke her up, and she realized after her consciousness had fully returned to her that it was the sound of Luna shifting and whimpering in the bed below.

"Luna?" She whispered. "Are you okay?"

The noises stopped. "I…don't worry. Go back to sleep."

Astra was not going to go back to sleep. Remembering to move slowly and carefully, she sat up and climbed down the ladder. Luna was curled up tightly, her back to Astra, and it was clear that she was trembling.

"Hey," Astra sat herself down. "I'm not going back to bed until you tell me what's wrong."

After a brief moment of silence, Luna rolled over to face her. Her eyes were wide, and red with tears. "It's nothing, I've just…I've been having nightmares."

Astra frowned. Luna had nightmares often, but not to the point where Astra could hear and see the effects of them. It didn't seem like 'nothing' to her. "What kind of nightmares?"

Luna blinked, pulling her blankets closer to her chin. "About…about that day."

Oh.

Luna sniffed. "I keep reliving it, but…it's always worse," New tears welled up in Luna's eyes. "I keep seeing you lying there, not moving, and…and there's never anything I can do. I just have to…watch."

"Hey…" Astra lay down, allowing herself to be at eye level with Luna, and reached out a hand to place on her blanket-covered shoulder, rubbing it gently. "They're not real. I'm here. I'm okay."

"I know that," Luna choked, "I always know that, but…it just keeps happening, and I have to keep seeing it, over and over again." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I hate it."

"How long has it been happening?" Astra asked.

Luna blinked, quiet for another moment, before she spoke, "Every night since that day. I've been…every night when I lay down, I've been terrified of falling asleep. But Astra, it's…it's not just in my dreams. Sometimes, I'll hear a loud noise, and I'll just…I freeze up, and I see it all in my head again," Her words were coming out as quiet, strained sobs, "I know you're okay now, but it won't stop."

Astra stared at her, worry squirming in her gut. "Luna, this sounds more serious than just a recurring nightmare. I think…I think you should talk to Verity about it."

Luna sniffed again. "I know, but…if I talk to her…I know what she'll say, and I…I don't want it to be real. I just want to pretend that this'll go away any day now."

"I don't think these things only become real when a doctor tells you that you have it," Astra whispered back. "It's real, no matter what. At least, if you tell someone, you can start getting help."

Luna still looked hesitant, turning her head so that part of her face was buried in her pillow. Astra wriggled closer to her, moving her hand from her shoulder to her cheek. "Please," she begged, "I don't want to see you hurting like this, and knowing that nothing's being done about it."

"…Okay," Luna relented after a moment. "I'll go and see her tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Things were quiet for a moment. Astra felt a sharp wave of sympathy and guilt, battling in her chest like seagulls fighting over a meal. These nightmares were because of her. All this time and Luna was still hurting, because of her. And she didn't know how she could help. How much longer would Luna have to face the consequences of Astra's reckless actions? Who else was still suffering from this? Maybe Luna would be right to still hold some anger towards her, Astra realized. The accident had caused enough pain that it was still being felt after all these weeks, and here Astra was, still unsure that she would be able to keep her promise. Some girlfriend she was. She felt useless.

"Astra?" Luna's voice cut quietly through the silence, interrupting Astra's guilty inner monologue.

"Mm?"

"Can you stay here with me, just for tonight?" Luna's voice was a pleading whisper.

Astra softened, pushing away her tense thoughts. Right now, Luna needed her. "Of course."

Pulling the bedcovers over herself, she pulled herself closer to Luna, close enough that Luna could lean her head against her chest. Astra held her, suddenly feeling the extremely strong desire to protect her, even from her own mind. That much, she could do. Right now, they weren't in a dangerous situation. Nobody was about to die. But Luna needed her, and Astra would be there for her. They would be there for each other, no matter what. Even if one was secretly still at odds with the other, even if promises couldn't be kept, they were still partners, one way or the other. Astra loved Luna, and Luna loved her back. Which meant that, whatever her own worries, Astra was still going to stay by Luna's side and help her through whatever she was dealing with. In that moment, Astra made a promise that she knew she could keep- for as long as she lived, she would do everything in her power to help Luna to be okay.