Thrawn sank into the chair at his desk with a sigh. "I don't know what to do. I wish to help her, but fear that I may say the wrong thing."

"You don't need to help her, she just needs to know you're there for her," Eli said from where he was seated in a chair on the other side of the desk. "She probably just needs someone to listen."

"But I need to say something," Thrawn protested with a slight frown. "Won't she need reassurance that she will not be harmed again? Will she not want to know that I will protect her?"

"You're marrying a strong girl," Eli said with a shrug. "Reassure her, but don't be overbearing."

"Yes, but what do I say?"

"I don't know why you're asking me. I don't have a girlfriend, and I'm definitely not married."

"I would still like your advice. What would you tell her?"

Eli thought for a moment. "Ok, I'd tell her, 'don't let anyone else ruin your life. Only you can ruin your life. Go ruin your life. Crash your ship. Burn your house down!'"

Thrawn gave Eli a flat look. "On second thought, perhaps I do not need your advice."

When you blinked your eyes back open, you were in what appeared to be a hospital room. The walls were a stark white, as were the sheets. There were a few monitors on the wall, though none of them seemed to be turned on. For furnishings, there was only a bed and two chairs, and a sink against one wall. Thrawn wasn't there anymore. You felt a stab of disappointment, the Grand Admiral had been a comforting presence.

You sat up slowly, your headache was gone, and you were aware of a gnawing hunger in your stomach. You slid your feet over the side of the bed, then stood unsteady, wobbling over to the bathroom for a drink of water. Your mouth had a foul taste as if you had overslept, and the water did little to alleviate the problem.

While you were shakily making your way back to your bed, the door to your room slid open and Mira bustled in, jumping in surprise when she saw you.

"You shouldn't be up yet! You need rest."

You didn't protest as Mira herded you back to bed, then rushed out of the room again, saying something about 'fetching' Thrawn. As you waited, you felt almost numb inside, as if your mind was unsure what to feel, so it just decided not to.

A few minutes later, Grand Admiral Thrawn strode into your room, his crisp white uniform in order as always. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Then drew in a breath as if to say something, but then let it out. You didn't think you had ever seen Thrawn hesitate before. Finally, he cleared his throat then asked, "how are you feeling?"

How did you feel? You felt tense. You wanted to be doing something, not just sitting in bed resting. But instead of saying that you simply said, "I'm fine."

Thrawn eyed you dubiously. "Are you certain?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Everything's fine. It could've been worse."

And it truly could have. It could have been so much worse. If Thrawn hadn't been there… you felt yourself shaking at the thought.

Thrawn continued to study you. "Do you wish to discuss what happened?"

You bit your lip. Did you want to talk about it? You didn't want to worry Thrawn, didn't want to worry anyone. You always hated being a burden. But… Thrawn had asked. He wouldn't have asked you to talk unless he wanted to listen, right? Or was he merely being polite? You felt tense. Your heart was thudding as if it wanted to break free of your chest, and your hands shook in your lap.

You take in a shuddering breath, before starting.

"Ross had always made me uncomfortable before. I know I should have told someone, then this wouldn't have happened. I thought about telling you how much I didn't like Ross, but there was no real reason to. I didn't want to worry you, and he hadn't done anything wrong. Sure he acted like a bit of a creep, but I thought I could handle it. Maybe if l had told someone, this wouldn't have happened. If I had been a little bit more careful, or seen what was coming I could have stopped it." You stopped suddenly as you realized you were rambling, then bit your lip to stop it from trembling. You wouldn't cry in front of Thrawn again.

Thrawn took a few steps closer, then sank gracefully into the chair beside your bed.

"None of this is your fault. Ross is being dealt with, and you'll never have to see him again."

You sigh in relief and feel yourself shaking. Tears were welling in your vision, but you fiercely swiped your hand over your eyes. You didn't want to bawl your eyes out again.

Thrawn took your hand gently in his. "Don't worry," he said gently. "You're safe now."

You sniffled and felt a tear run down your cheek.

"Sorry, this is so silly," you said with a sniff. "I'm fine, I shouldn't be crying."

Thrawn squeezed your hand gently. "Don't apologize. Don't ever apologize for sharing your story. You don't need to be fine. It may not have been as bad as it could have been, but that doesn't make what happened any less significant. You're strong, but that doesn't mean you can't cry sometimes. Being strong doesn't mean you don't cry. Being strong means crying for a moment, then standing up again. You can work through this. I believe in you."

You look up at Thrawn, tears running down your cheeks. "You mean it?"

Thrawn nodded.

You felt a sudden surge of gratitude towards Thrawn. "Thank you," you whispered as you squeezed Thrawn's hand in return.