They laid quietly, and Shane stared up at the cave ceiling in wonder and frustration. His stomach growled, despite his fruitless efforts to trick himself into feeling full. Thank Yoba Laura had brought her field rations with, and a single bite made him wonder how she could ever stomach them- especially on those hot muggy days while she was mulling about the farm. But he hadn't been up to talking to her, and so kept the thought to himself. Small and slow bites- and since they had no idea how long they'd be there, they had to limit to one for the night. She had mentioned keeping an eye out for cave carrots, but that she doubted they'd be down this far. He still held out hope.

His mind wandered to the... thing that had attacked him and he shuddered. Watching it lunge towards him was enough to keep him up at night even in the safety of his own home let alone in this mine. Then again, his "home" wasn't so safe after all. The whole reason he was in this nightmare was because of how unsafe his place of residence had been. Maybe he'd kick out that weird mouse and move into the place down near the cliff, south of Marnie's... it upset him that that seemed to be a better idea than returning to Laura's house.

A slight rustling, and he turned his head sharply, to see the back of Laura's head. Her dark hair tied up in a top knot, resting on her back pack. She'd asked him many times to use it, but after the umpteenth time, she relented and had laid to rest. It vaguely annoyed him- even with her restless throws- that she was able to sleep. How could she? When a child who had done nothing wrong was still out there in torture? Just catching fireflies one moment, and then gone the next.

Something odd came over him- and he just wanted to look at her face, for only a moment. Prove to himself that she was sleeping soundly enough, but also wanting to prove that she wasn't. Emotions were complicated these days for him...

But giving in, he pushed up from the ground and very delicately crept by her side, one arm over to the other side of her sleeping form, he peeked around to glimpse her face. And there it was, that expression. Deep anguish clearly marked her features, her brows creasing so hard that the skin became valleys where usually it still had that smooth plain of youth. Suddenly that urge to pinch her awake, to make her suffer with him was gone and replaced with an urge to comfort her, and also with a deep regretful shame that it took her suffering to make him feel that way. Continuing to stare at her, he realized slowly... she must not have known either of her mistake. A dumb thing to do in hindsight, but could he blame her? For being happy and giving into a passion? He closed his eyes for a moment, the stone in his stomach growing and weighing him down, and that almost visceral urge to turn and drown his sorrows in alcohol. But suddenly, that feeling went away with a sharp cry and a hard jab into his jaw knocking him back and down, his legs now laying over Laura's body, limp with a creeping blackness that nearly overtook him. He groped at the ground trying to feel for the assailant and maybe hold it down and get a few punches in and his fervor increased as he heard Laura begin to cry- she was the strong one in these caves! So panicked bile rose in his throat as he felt out hurriedly for danger. His vision began to clear though, and a ringing in his ears took it's place which in the relative darkness of the cave he wasn't sure was good or bad. Cool hands grabbed his wrists and pulled gently, and through the haze of sound he could hear it.

"Shane! Shane! I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry! I swear I didn't mean to!" the cries slowly sunk in, his vision and hearing continued to stabilize, and he looked up at his attacker with owlishly huge eyes. It was... a relief. So much of a relief that he began to chuckle, and once seeing her tear streaked face with a sincere look of fear and shock, he continued to chuckle just a bit louder.

"Fucking shit, Laura!" he said, but his tone was lightly jovial seeing as he wasn't really being attacked and was surely not dead yet.

"Shane... oh my God, Shane... I'm so sorry." she repeated, obviously a record broken with surprise at what all had taken place. "I-I was having just... a bad dream... and reacted... Shane... are..." she seemed at a loss for words, and weirdly even to himself, Shane smiled at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine... remind me not to fuck with you. You scared the shit out of me... I thought we were dead for sure." he stared at her, feeling relatively fine but with a throbbing soreness in his jaw. That'd bruise for sure... but he'd taken punches before, just probably not as hard. She was sitting upright, and feeling a lightness from the sudden change of realities, he laid his head down on the pack and gave into his earlier urge. It was still hot, but laying down was cooler, the heat rising and leaving the ground almost a good temperature.

Laying out his arm, he motioned with his hand, and noticed now it was her eyes to widen quite a bit.

"I... what?" she must have still been confused from just waking up. It was clear, she probably never had had these experiences and slept down in the mines. He recalled Sebastian making note at the bar that Laura always returned after a full day down there and passed him to say hello while he smoked by the lake. And only once did Harvey mention that she'd been seen in his clinic after Linus found her passed out in the cave. A little strand of jealousy zipped through him, remembering what Lewis had told him. But what a nightmare that must have been... to be knocked unconscious in these caves. Clearly, she was no trained assassin, more a self taught fighter...

"Come here, I think I deserve the pack right now but..." he trailed off, and smiled a little as her face bloomed into that faint upturn of a returned expression. From her seated position, she crawled over to him, and laid down her head onto his chest. He closed his eyes and felt his heart pulse with the injury to his jaw, a little quicker with the contact, but that urge earlier to comfort her was no fulfilled.

"I'm sorry Shane." she said again, and he smoothed her hair in a comforting way.

"It's okay, Laura." and they both stayed quiet after that, one after the other creeping off into slumber that both desperately needed no matter how much their minds may have protested it.