Waking up without you It doesn't feel right To sleep with only memories It's harder every night Sometimes I think I can feel you breathing on my neck Tonight I'm reaching out to the stars I think that he owes me a favor It doesn't matter where you are I'll hold you again

Alone in this Bed - Framing Hanley

(Erik P.O.V)

Shanton and Rene slept soundly on the futon, curled around Brittany. She had fallen asleep hours ago, after checking on a destroyed Noemi yet again. I cringed at the memories of the many wounds she had inflicted on herself. A constant shot of morphine from Nadir kept her comatose so she couldn't hurt anyone. There is nothing I can do! I thought again for the millionth time. I am protecting her and everyone else. She will thank me later.

Her sobs rose from her room and I knew she wasn't going to hurt herself again. But I couldn't help but listen to her cries and feel her pain deep inside my soul. If Brittany had died... I have no idea what I would've done. I can only thank whatever God was watching her that cold night. When I saw her, laying in front of me, so pale, ghostly white, my heart died inside. Knowing that she had tried to die because she loved me.

"ERIK!" A voice rang through the dark. Coming from... The Rue Scribe gate? Curious, quite curious. I mused silently as I grabbed a torch and walked to the gate.

Rafe's long hair had seen better days and his beard was coming in fully. Blood and dirt caked him all over but he seemed not to mind. What he did mind was my mask. Missing. His shock was hard to hide but he recovered quite quickly. His smile was true, and as he spoke, I felt like we were friends yet again. "How's my love? Is she ok?"

My eyes fell and I turned to walk away before his words stopped me, full of depression.

"She's that bad?"

It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

I sighed softly and kept walking. I heard his footfalls, slow and heavy behind me. "She's been horrible Rafe. Shanton was born years ago. Even throughout the pregnancy we couldn't pull her away from Apollo's Lyre. She slept up there Rafe. Every night."

Rafe walked into the water, tears streaming down his face as he started washing himself. I averted my eyes and kept talking as he groomed himself to see her. "Her delivery was hard. She died twice in the midst of it. She was so depressed she couldn't produce milk for the babe, just stayed at Apollo's Lyre, crying. And as the days wore on, and turned into months, years, she created operas, performed but gained no happiness. Every night she would scan the crowd for you and never find your face among the hundreds."

His cries filled the cavern as he punched the wall, the water, anything. "I had no choice but to leave her here and dreamed of her happiness! I stayed at war, lived, FOUGHT FOR MY LIFE to pave her a happy life! I wanted to see my child and her on every occasion I was allowed the chance to run into a village! My many letters spoke of the need to know of her well being!"

His crazed eyes looked at me, pierced even me with fear. "For four years I have needed her by my side. FOR FOUR YEARS ERIK!" He slid into a set of clothing on the rock and grabbed the torch from me. "Not one more moment will I wait!"

(Noemi POV)

Like a mirage in the desert, he was in front of me. Shimmering, shining, glowing. Older, bolder. Mine alone. I wished to reach out and touch him but feared he would disappear like always. His mouth moved slowly as he stared at me. His words were like fuzz to my ears. But then he walked towards me and wrapped me in his arms.

He's here.

He's safe.

He's home...

Rafe...

He smelled like home. He smelled amazing. His muscles under my finger tips brought me to tears. I clung to him as he clung to me in the fevered storm of our emotions. His heartbeat, I could hear it rushing through his chest. And in this moment, everything was perfect. Everything.