One of Becky's hands caressed Dave's cheek. He swallowed and tried not to think about how close she was to him. So far he was failing.
"Becky, I just want to say that I'm sorry about all of this," he said quietly.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" repeated Dave, "You almost got killed by evil sorcerers! And then you went through that painful healing stuff -"
She laid a finger on his lips, effectively silencing him.
"I'll admit that things have been pretty…intense since I recognized you during physics class," Becky said.
"Intense?" he asked, his lips moving beneath her finger.
It was the understatement of the century.
"But it's not your fault," she said, "It's that jerk's with the stupid hat and the guy with the stupider hair. You didn't do this."
Becky smiled.
"In fact I'd like to say thank you," she said.
He shook his head in disbelief. There was no end to the surprises that night.
"For what?" asked Dave.
She untangled one of her arms from him and reached into her pocket. After a few seconds Becky produced a bead necklace that looked sloppily made. The beads were starting to fall off the string and the elastic underneath was weak and sagging. It took him a moment before he could recognize it.
"You kept it?" he asked.
"Yeah. I always felt a little silly, but I didn't get a lot of gifts from friends when I was younger," she said, "I've kept it with me during my radio shows, as a good luck charm, and I felt it do something tonight. They sent fire at me but I wasn't burned. Tonight could have been a lot worse if you hadn't given me this."
Dave looked down at the necklace before she put it back in her pocket. From his years as a sorcerer he was able to recognize it as a crude protection charm. It would have still been enough to stop the fire, even if it couldn't stop the spell's blowback. That wasn't the thought that was foremost on his mind though.
"You kept it," Dave repeated.
She smiled. Without another word he kissed her. Her lips moved beneath his and for a moment he forgot to breath. When they separated he touched his forehead to hers.
"You're something special," he said.
"So are you," Becky replied.
He wasn't able to sleep at all that night, just thinking about what she had said and what had happened. Thankfully she managed to fall into a deep sleep. After everything Becky deserved a good, long, uninterrupted rest. She shuffled slightly in his arms again, her hair brushing against his face.
Dave swallowed hard and looked at the clock. It was nearly two in the morning. His mouth was remarkably dry and a glass of water seemed like a good idea. With great reluctance and care he started to disentangle Becky from his arms. It was easier said than done; she'd drawn closer to him in his sleep.
Finally he was free and crept slowly towards the door. The hinges didn't creak and he was grateful. Becky was still asleep. She deserved to stay that way. Dave was able to exit the room without her waking up. He'd come back later; he had promised to stay with her. If he wasn't there when she woke up then he'd have lied. He hadn't been raised to lie.
Still keeping quiet he shut the door completely.
"Couldn't sleep?"
Dave turned around to see Balthazar. His master had divested himself of his coat and hat. He was in his shirtsleeves and his vest was unbuttoned. One of his hands was gripped around what looked like a bag. He was also giving Dave a strange look. It was only then that Dave remembered that Balthazar had said Becky should stay in his room and Dave should sleep on the couch. Oh boy.
"This isn't what it looks like," Dave said, realizing how disheveled and suspicious he must look, "I was just-"
"Dave, I understand," Balthazar said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "More than you'd think."
"We weren't-"
"I said I understood," Balthazar sighed, "And for proof, this is how it played out. She was injured and afraid but she didn't want to admit it. She didn't want to be alone and she trusts you implicitly. Nothing happened because it wasn't like that. All she wanted was to be with someone she loved and felt safe with. And after what she's been through you didn't want to deny any shred of comfort you could give."
Dave gawked at him.
"This may be hard to understand," said Balthazar, "But I was your age at one point. And…I am human."
His tone lowered and became soft.
"There are things I haven't told you, as you well know," he said, "But this last one…"
Again he sighed. Balthazar ran one of his hands through his hair.
"All of the information about myself, about the Prime Merlinian, all of it you've forced out of me," said Balthazar.
"I don't think that's fair," Dave said defensively.
"I'm not blaming you," said Balthazar, "I'm just trying to explain. You see, nothing I've told you has been voluntary. But after tonight I think you've earned this."
Balthazar smiled ruefully.
"And you know what Dave? After seeing you with Becky, I think you're going to understand what I'm going to tell you perfectly."