The rest of the way to the factory was harder than Circe anticipated. The farther away she got from Mother Miranda, the more she felt relaxed enough to feel her emotions that she had been desperate to hide. The events of the last few hours with Miranda and the way Daniella and Cassandra had treated her the night before were all flying around in her mind.

They nearly felt like bees; buzzing around and bouncing off the inner walls of her skull. Colliding off one another - sometimes accidentally stinging each other, making an ache throb through her temples. Like the way the Dimitrescu daughters could transform into a swarm of flies.

The dissociation was coming on thick now, her eyes staring at the ground as she walked. The high she had gotten from seeing Heisenberg once again was swiftly fading away, and now the images from her little memory burst were getting harder to keep at bay. The dead eyes of Doctor Kramer...

Most of all, she was really hoping that Miranda had believed her when she said she didn't remember anything. She didn't want to have to deal with anything more than she was already facing. It was beginning to all be too much. All she wanted to do was make new pleasant memories and read more books. Spend time with Heisenberg...

Heisenberg noticed she was going slower than before, apparently, because he had stopped now to look down at her as she walked right into his chest. "Am I gonna have to carry you?" he asked directly.

Circe didn't look at him. "No," she didn't want to be a bother.

Heisenberg paused for a moment before shaking his head brusquely. "Nope. I'm going to carry you," he turned around and knelt in front of her. "Come on, get your ass on."

Circe said nothing as she climbed on his back, securing herself by wrapping her arms around his neck. He braced her legs and stood up, and they went considerably faster now.

With the distraction of walking taken away from her, the small amount of control Circe did have on her thoughts felt like it had been ripped away from her. It was taking everything she had not to cry right then and there.

She couldn't help but bury her face in the back of Heisenberg's neck.

"Something happened, didn't it," it was a statement, not a question.

Circe tightened her grip slightly but didn't reply. She could feel him take a deep breath.

"Hold on, sweetheart. We're almost there."

She could feel him speed up.

Even when Circe could hear the metal clanks of the factory, indicating that they were now inside, Heisenberg never once made a move to let her down. So she didn't pick up her head. She had been trying hard to focus on the scent of his hair. It was still musky, but new.

A door opened. A door closed.

"I'm gonna put you down on the couch," he said roughly.

Circe was being lowered down now, and when she felt the cushion, she reluctantly detached herself from him. They were in his living room now. Her eyes fixed to the floor.

Heisenberg sat next to her, nearly touching, as he looked her over. "Feels like you're trying to put on a big show. Like you're trying to act okay when you really aren't."

She couldn't bring herself to look at him. Her brow furrowed slightly. She didn't know where to start or how to explain everything she was feeling.

"Circe..."

She still didn't look.

"Circe," he took the side of her jaw in one hand, gently forcing her to make eye contact with him. "What happened?" He was speaking softly like one would speak to a fawn so as not to spook them.

Circe saw the confusion in his eyes, and there was something else, but like most things she noticed, she could not pinpoint it. She could, however, pinpoint how she was feeling, and it was not so great.

The tears came fast. She would have to explain them now.

"I-it w-wasn't all th-that bad-" it was hard for her to speak. "-but Cassandra and Daniela d-don't like me at all."

"It doesn't matter what they think, remember?" Heisenberg caressed her face with one hand, while the other took one of her own hands. He squeezed her fingers. "Did they hurt you?" The question was nearly a growl.

"A little- I mean, one of th-them pulled my hair, b-but Bela stopped them from doing anything m-more," she was crying still, leaning into his touch.

"Fuckin' bitches," he stroked either side of her hair. "I'm going to throw them out a fucking window!"

"No! N-no, I don't want them to get more mad at me! I just want them to leave me alone!"

"Shhhh," he was trying to soothe her again. "Look, I won't do anything, I just really wanna do it," he moved a strand of hair from her face. "But I won't."

Circe nodded, taking his word for it.

"Is that the only thing that got you all worked up?" He seemed to be studying her now.

The most recent event of her time with Mother Miranda was thrusted to the front of her mind now, which made her start to breathe much quicker than before.

"Whoa! Whoa, there. Slow down. Just take your time," he pulled her close to him now, putting his arms tightly around her. "You're here with me. Safe. Remember?"

Circe nodded into his chest, and her breathing slowed, but only by a small amount. Her fingers laced with the fabric of his shirt, and the second he had pulled her in, she melted. He smelled good.

"Just take your time," he repeated, one hand holding her in place and the other stroking the back of her head. "Take your time, but you have to tell me what happened.

And she did. After some tears and breathing techniques, she slowly began to tell him about Mother Miranda and the sporadic memories. She told him how the needle was what she believed to be the trigger. About how Miranda questioned her honesty and being afraid of whether or not she answered well enough.

It took about fifteen minutes to get it all out and to calm down completely.

Heisenberg held onto her the entire time, hushing her when she needed it. At some point, he had leaned them on the back of the sofa to take most of the weight. Circe was curled up beside him, the side of her face in the crook of his neck. He was holding one of her hands now, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.

They sat in silence for a moment. Circe had no idea what was going on in Heisenberg's thoughts right now, but she was suddenly becoming very aware of their closeness. He was mostly relaxed, but he had a tenseness about him. Like he was ready for conflict at any moment.

She was enjoying this. She felt warm. Safe. If she hadn't slept the night before, she would have certainly fallen asleep. Right there, in his arms.

"You hungry?" his rough whisper pulled her out of her thoughts.

Now that he mentioned it, she was, but she didn't want to move. She wanted to stay where she was.

She wouldn't lie to him, though.

"A little," she replied softly but made no indication of movement.

She could feel the rumble of his laugh. "You gonna let me up so I can make you something, sweetheart?"

Circe let out an unhappy sigh, and slowly pulled herself away from him, but she didn't let go of his hand yet. She found herself looking into his eyes. At some point he had taken off his glasses, so she was able to see that golden gleam.

Heisenberg took it upon himself to let go of her hand, but not to get up. He caressed her face instead. He looked so intense, suddenly, and Circe didn't know what to make of it, even though that smirk of his never left his lips.

"You are so..." he started.

So what? So...what? What was he going to say? Circe's mouth parted, but she had stopped breathing.

"...so needy," he laughed, pinching her nose.

A look of despair overtook her face. "I'm sorry, I-"

"No! No, I didn't mean it in a bad way, buttercup," he was still laughing as he placed a quick kiss on the top of her head, then got up on his feet. "It's, uh...endearing."

"Oh, um," Circe blinked a few times before looking up at him. "Endearing?"

"Yep! Endearing! I'm gonna make you a, uh, sandwich now," he was speaking a bit faster now as he walked, and before she could even reply, he had left the room.

Endearing?

Heisenberg thought she was endearing? Wasn't that a term of affection? Did he think of her affectionately?

Then she began to think, why did it seem like he was trying to get away from her so fast? From what she read, if one thought of someone with affection, they wouldn't want to leave so easily. This was all just so confusing to her.

But then she began to think about her own feelings for Heisenberg and realized that she craved him more than she could put words to. Seeing him again after only a day of being away from him made her forget her troubles instantly. They came back, of course, but they were gone for a moment.

She liked him. She had to admit that to herself. She felt drawn to him, and she had nearly spent all of her time with him since waking up in the forest with no memory. He was all she was certain of.

But she wasn't so certain of how he felt about her. He held her while she cried, sure, but that could have only been for his benefit. Maybe he just didn't want to deal with a crazy person.

Yet there was a tenderness to it all, something she hadn't seen when he interacted with the others around him. A tenderness that he only used with her, for her, and she couldn't help but want more of it.

The sound of Heisenberg coming back to the room startled her, and she jumped slightly, eye darting over to him. He was holding a plate of food in one hand, and a glass of water in the other.

Heisenberg stopped in his tracks; a confused look on his face. "What?" he asked casually, before walking over to the Circe and putting the plate on the arm of the chair beside her. "Just brought you food."

Circe stared at him while he walked over to his many decanters of alcohol to pour himself a glass of brown liquid, then he made his way over to sit next to her again.

"What're you waiting for?" he asked, taking a slurp of his drink. "Eat."

With a start, she reached around to get the plate to set on her lap and started to eat the sandwich. He was getting better at making them because this one wasn't nearly as messy as the first ones he made. He even put mustard on the bread; something Circe said she had liked in passing conversation.

She swallowed a bite and opened her mouth to thank him, but he waggled his finger at her.

"No talkie. Only eat."

She couldn't help but give him a sheepish smile before taking another bite.

"But while you eat, I'm going to talk. Yes?"

Circe gave him one nod as she was chewing.

"Splendid. Now-" he stopped abruptly like he hadn't exactly planned what he was going to say. His eyes moved about the room as if he were looking for the words there. "I'm not telling you this...to upset you. You just have to know these things."

She nodded again, but more hesitantly this time. He didn't want to upset her, but that didn't mean she wouldn't get upset.

"You're going to have to keep going back to Miranda until you learn how to control all that power you got," he said gravely. "And I think a big part of that is getting your memory back."

Circe stopped mid-chew to stare at him with a distraught expression. She supposed she knew that this would have to happen eventually, actually trying to remember, but the thought of it was unnerving. She once believed she wanted to regain the memory of her past, yet the things she did remember were terrifying and disturbing.

"Look. Look, you got this," he held up both hands, one still holding the glass. "I know that one big memory scared you, but this is the quickest way for you to get your power back. There's no telling what you don't know you can do, and what you do know, you have no idea how to control. Well, except your reflexes," he took a swig. "Keep chewing, Circe."

She obeyed, but was unhappy about it and frowning.

"If you experience your memories now, then you don't have to worry about them popping up to spook you if you're out with anyone else. Like what happened today," he continued, taking his hat off and running a hand through his gray hair. "You can't let that happen again. Miranda isn't stupid and she'll catch on. If she hasn't already..." he mumbled that last part.

Circe looked down at her plate, suddenly feeling a lack of appetite.

"Hey," he put his hand under her chin, lifting it so that she was facing him again. "You're stronger than you know, sweetheart. Once you remember how to do it, you're gonna kick so much ass."

Circe tried to give him a smile, but she knew it wasn't the best, so she resigned to simply taking another bite of her sandwich.

"So. All of that being said," he seemed distracted by something for a moment because he had to collect his thoughts. "Uh. Well, I was thinking we start today. Now. Right after you eat."

She stopped chewing again, eyes growing wide. She didn't know if she was ready to do it that soon. She had just gotten home; all she wanted to do was write in her journal.

"Keep chewing, damnit. Listen, it won't be too bad. You'll be with me and only me, and I shouldn't have to keep reminding you that you're safe with me, right?" He leaned forward to brush his fingers along her cheek.

Circe started chewing again, slightly tilting her head towards his touch and giving him a few slow nods.

"Good girl, Circe. Good girl," he praised, raising his hand up from her cheek to ruffle her hair. "We'll start when you're done with your lunch. So we get it over with."

As Circe finished eating her sandwich and bag of chips, Heisenberg explained that wanting to get it over with wasn't the only reason he wanted to start so soon. Her mind was still fresh with the images she witnessed earlier, and since she didn't faint, he was thinking that pulling from them now would result in success.

"And if you pass out like the first time, I'll carry you to your bed and tuck you in; all nice and warm like.

"But what if something else happens. What if I hurt you again?" The way she had completely lost control of herself had frightened her when he told her of it.

"Hurt me?" He scoffed. "I assure you I can handle myself, thank you very much."

He booked her on the nose, then stood up and held out his hand for her.

"Let's do this somewhere...else. Don't wanna blast anything in my room."