The next day started normally. She was up first and when his eyes opened, he realized she had accidentally left the bathroom door and he could see her soft form behind the shower curtain. He felt the usual burst of what can only be described as butterflies in his stomach whenever he saw her like this, but this time they were accompanied by an ache in his chest. The memories of the night before flew back into his head. He saw her tear-stained cheeks and her frantic attempts to keep her pain inside, letting only an occasional whimper to escape. This WAS an improvement, however small. Before, she couldn't even function when she had her nightmares and he'd stay up with her for hours. Now, she had recognized as a dream and nothing else. She wasn't reliving the moments again, she was just being plagued by a broken subconscious.
"Hi, Bones." he said as he stepped into the shower with her. She turned around in surprise, arms flying up to protect. He stepped back out, "Oh, sorry... Um, I can go...?" he said, hesitancy overflowing his voice. She shook her head and gave him a smile, a small one, but one that reached her eyes nonetheless. He recognized this as another sign of her becoming more like herself. Her eyes had lost most of the guarded look that had haunted them the past few days. He could feel the tension leaving his shoulders and his relief was almost palpable as he pulled her close and hummed a little song.
She had returned to work. She didn't smile as often as she used to. He didn't walk to her office to find the door closed and eavesdrop on her little giggles as she and Angela had their girl talk. Her eyes didn't have their usual sparkle. She would often get a blank look on her face and his heart would clench when he realized that she was thinking about her again. Instead, she would smile softly as she passed Angela's office and remembered the woman who had shown her what love was. She would softly run her fingers over the photos of the two best friends with their arms slung around the shoulders, identical grins on their faces. She would tell him about their early friendship, how Angela had made her go dancing at the clubs and kept her from retreating back into her shell every time a man came her way. She would cry sometimes, and he would cry with her. He had done it. He had saved her. And their relationship was as strong as ever.