Disclaimer: Moonlight and characters don't belong to me; I'm simply a fan having fun with the characters.
Shane glanced darkly at the late afternoon sky through the half-collapsed, half-burnt window. Why couldn't night just fall already? He prowled the small, shadowy room restlessly, acutely aware of Gilly's wails. Why wouldn't she stop? He remembered a time when his presence had soothed her and on occasion, even made her laugh. Now he could barely get her to eat; what did Anna feed her?
This wasn't how it was supposed to be… it wasn't supposed to happen this way! Shane thought angrily. He breathed deeply, through clenched teeth, trying to control his rage. But as he continued his restless pace, Gilly's wails seemed to intensify until his mind rang with the sound of it.
"BE QUIET!" he roared, whirling to face her suddenly. He strode toward the thick pile of pastel-colored blankets in the corner of the room, his attempt at a makeshift bed. He bent down and scooped her roughly into his arms. "Do you hear me?! STOP crying!"
Almost immediately, Gilly quieted. She stared up at Shane with large, innocent eyes, her small body quivering.
Shane felt the anger and tension drain out of him even as his shoulders slumped. He hung his head, ashamed that he had lost his temper. He regarded Gilly's face, trying to gauge how badly he had scared her but he was taken aback by her serene expression. He gazed into her eyes, envying the clarity in them, the uncomplicated, unconditional trust so freely given. A trust that he desired and did not deserve. A trust that made him wonder if he would ever trust in that way again.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, rocking her gently. "Daddy's sorry…"
Time seemed to slow as he stood there, cradling Gilly, enjoying the rare moment of silence, of feeling as if he had done the right thing and that he was needed, that he belonged. He would have been content to remain where he was for the rest of the accursed afternoon but suddenly, his senses came alive and went into hyper-alert mode. Shane stiffened—that could only mean one thing. Someone was coming.
Gilly shifted in his arms and Shane could sense her preparing to cry again; her eyes began to squeeze shut and her lips puckered. Shane hissed. Damn it!
A low growl rose in his throat as he snatched a blanket off the pile on the floor and secured it around Gilly in one quick motion. "Time to go, love," he breathed dolefully. He hoped she was ready for the impending night.