Petal's POV

"Shhh, guys, she's waking up!" Blinking away the sleep, the first thing that met me was the harsh glare of the lighting. Screwing my eyes firmly shut, I decided I could keep them closed for a little bit longer.

"Mmm." My mouth felt like sandpaper, my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. Reaching out blindly, I tried to find something to help me get up. But as I did this, I realised I shouldn't be here. There were sheets under me, where there should be grass, and there were bright lights where the sun should've been. Yet, most importantly, there were people talking around me, replacing the silence I'd been expecting to find.

But I was shocked at my thoughts, why would be in a forest? Why- Immediately, what I'd done rushed back to me, hitting me like a ton of bricks. Whimpering, this time not due to the luminance but rather because of the emotional pain, I stopped trying to incorporate myself. Burying myself in the heaps of pillows placed around me, I attempted breathing in and out slowly. Counting each breath like the psychologist had taught me to.

One. I was kidnapped. Two. I was almost raped. Three. I had fought for my life. Four. Birds. Five. Trees. Six. Help. Oh god I needed help.

"Help!" Forgetting momentarily about the voices, I found myself with my back against the tree. Everything in my body ached and I had no energy left to escape. There was no one for miles around – I was trapped. I was going to die.

"Pet, Petal, hey, it's ok." Opening my eyes in shock, the trees melted away. I was no longer in the forest, with my dying father behind me. Gray looked me in the eyes, rooting me in place and forcing all the memories back.

"Gray-" I tried to say what I'd wanted to tell him from the forest. I love you. Please don't leave me. But a knot formed in my throat, years of unkempt emotion rising to the surface. Bubbling up and then, just like a geyser, shooting up through the surface. It broke all of my defence – sadness and fear overtaking me. So instead of "I love you", I let out a strangled sob, throwing myself in his arms.

From far far away, I heard a door opening and then closing, but I paid it no heed. In that one moment, it was only us. Us, and all the pain I'd been carrying for much too long. It was ok though, Gray was here, and, together, we could overcome anything.

"I-I-"

"You're here Pet, it's ok, nothing's ever going to hurt you again." Sitting us down on the edge of the bed, he placed me on his lap, rocking us both slowly. He started humming a lullaby, causing my eyes to drift shut of their own accord. Content rested heavy on my chest, the feeling of coming home stronger than anything I'd ever felt before. It replaced all the fear and anguish I'd let loose only seconds prior.

Falling asleep in his arms, I experienced something I'd never felt before. It was the feeling of knowing where I belong. Yes, we still have so much to get through, a life-time of problems awaiting us on the other side of that hospital door. But that was ok. Because he was mine and I was his – and no matter what, we could do this just as long as we were by each other's side. I belonged.

"I love you Pet." And with that, I fell back into the darkness. This time, however, I was warm and happy. I was in my soulfinder's arms – nothing could go wrong here.

Gray's POV

As I watched Petal slowly drift to sleep, I saw her lips pull up in an involuntary smile. Unable to help myself, I smiled back like an idiot. There was just so much relief in my chest at having her back and healthy. She was ok, and she was in my arms – where she would always belong. I hadn't told her yet, although I was sure that it had been assumed, but I wanted to spend my whole life with her. I would've even asked her to marry me, had the both of us not been so young.

"Gray." She mumbled under her breath, making me startle out of my train of thought.

"Yeah?" I said it softly back, but she didn't reply, and soon it became evident that she was talking in her sleep. Smiling broader – despite the fact that I'd thought that impossible – I cradled her in my arms, laying back against the pillows. Initially she'd only had one, but I'd been so worried and had so much pent up angst that I'd gone around the hospital smuggling pillows out of empty rooms. It was the only thing I could do to help her, seeing how she was half-comatose.

She'd woken up a couple of times, though most had just been nightmares that momentarily startled her. In fact, when she'd shouted earlier, none of us had been very surprised. It put my heart on edge, just like seeing her in pain always did, but it had occurred so many times that it was an expected reaction. And the fact that her asshole father made her having night terrors a common occurrence, made me want to strangle him.

And I would've, but he was locked away in a prison cell, far out of my reach. We'd found him lying on the ground, just like Pet. But Petal had looked like an angel when we found her, hair spread around her and beautiful purple flowers growing wherever her skin touched the ground. He looked more like an escaped demon rather than anything else. Blood stained the grass around him, and there was moss crawling up his legs as if the forest was already trying to bury him – forget him. I'd had so much fury inside of me that the minute I realised who it was I lunged for him, fire racing through my veins. In fact I was so angry I leaves exploded around me, surrounding me in a halo of fire and fury, all merging together until all that was left of me was the part that belonged solely to Petal.

Luckily dad had stopped me before I gave me third degree burns, but I was prepared to see him perish, much like he'd made Petal live in anguish for years and years of pain. I wanted to scorch his face off, to see him writhing in agony underneath me as I kicked him over and over again. But then my gaze drifted over to Petal, her soft features and beautiful smile. She'd hurt him, but I was sure she hadn't left him alive accidentally - she didn't have it in her to hurt a person so much and so finally. She inspired something inside of me, like cool water washing away the pain and the fire. I unclenched my fists, which had tightened subconsciously, and gathered her back into my chest.

She continued to mumble under her breath, this time about marshmallows and flowers. Not wanting her to begin dreaming about the asshole that had destroyed her life again, I prepared myself in for a long night of staying by her side. Yet despite my promise to stay awake to look out for her, I was soon asleep too. Joining the realm of dreams hand in hand with my soulfinder.

It felt like coming home.

Hi!

Oh my god guys, last chapter! Well, I mean, almost last chapter. We've still got the epilogue to go. But gosh it's just so sad, it feels like I only started writing this story yesterday *tears up*

Thanks to all of you that have supported me, although I'll properly say my thanks next chapter. I won't set a review goal for this one, but can you guys do me that awesome favour? Just to end the story on a great note :)

Bye bye xx