Angel, part 6

It took Duff a minute to process this. After a long time, all he could make out was, "Huh?"

Griffin didn't respond. He waited. His job was to take Duff to this other 'Creator'.

"So lemme get tis straight. Some imposter is claimin tha' she created te drone race, nae meh, an' she knew eh wus 'ere, an' she sent ye te bring meh te her. An' she's eh human."

"That is correct."

"Who te Hell is tis woman?" Duff was enraged, now. Even though he wanted nothing to do with the drones, how dare someone try to claim his work and take over the land that he started? Duff would let Griffin take him to her, and he would give her a piece of his mind.

"Let's go, then. I'd like te meet tis huir!"

"And what of your friends?" Griffin pointed his chin to the half-bolted coffin.

"…oh. Ye mind if eh borrow one o' yer new hybrids? Ye see te lad's girlfriend came tem eh an' said ye kidnapped 'em, an' eh said eh would…"

"Yes, we will take them both. The Creator…well, yes, the female Creator as she claims to be, said she expected not just you but your two young friends as well."

"Whut?!"

"And isn't that position entirely uncomfortable?" Griffin added. He motioned to the way Duff tried to stuff two bodies in one coffin.

"Err…" Duff chuckled nervously. "Eh ran outteh options."

"I will transport them." Griffin said. "If you will come with me." The drone went over to the coffin and ripped the top right off with his bare hands. The nails popped out and scattered on the floor. He lifted Kim and hoisted her on one shoulder, and then did the same with Ron on his other shoulder. "We can station the boy in Paranologia, and I can heal him in one of the cabins there."

"Why did ye choose him, Griffin?" Duff asked. His face showed sadness. Kim had asked so many times, and he was also curious. Why him?

"It was not I who chose him."

"Then who?"

"I have heard rumors it was…this new Creator. That she is the one who chooses all our hybrids, but I have nothing to confirm that. I do not deal with hybrids."

"So ye don' believe in tis method of torturing innocent human beins and turnin' them inte metal-skins?" Duff had anger in his voice. Griffin sensed his disgust on the method. He was also still in mental pain from his own experience.

"I am one of the originals…"

"You are te original, Griffin."

"…yes. I have always believed in your ways, as my Creator. Your plans for us as a great new race. Your plans for our friendship…our life."

Duff was silent. In a way this conversation was…heartwarming.

"I do not believe in torture. I have never been involved in these surgeries. They begun with an idea stemmed from Ace's corrupted chip. Four has never been involved with them either. She doesn't like to admit, but she also still believes in your words. We are all still waiting for you to come home and build our dream again."

Duff couldn't believe what he was hearing. All this time he thought Griffin and Four and all the other drones hated him and wanted him dead. He thought they had been corrupted, and were ruthless monsters. He had judged them all, his own creations, and he felt guilty. His heart warmed at Griffin's words, and remembered how he greeted him as an 'old friend'. That's exactly what Griffin was to him.

"I think te first thing we need te do is find tis imposter. Once eh figure out who tis is and whut's going on, we can settle things. Eh cannae stand te sit back an' watch whoever's responsible take innocent people an' put tem through such pain. Tis 'as te end. Eh 'ave always meant fer te drones te be peaceful. Eh never wanted te create such ruthless creatures. Eh never wanted te create an army. Eh wanted friends, an' eh wanted eh place where eh could go an' feel safe."

"We need your leadership again. We don't want you to give up on us. If Ace is responsible…if whoever must be taken out, so be it. It will protect the peace of our people."

"An' whut of te hybrids? Tey are people. Tey 'ave thoughts an' beliefs, tey worship tis imposter. How do we change their mind?"

"We will find a way. We will have our justice."

"Eh've missed yer accompaniment, Griffin."

"As I have, yours."

Duff looked at Kim. She stirred on the drone's shoulder. "Ye can get us outteh 'ere wit tem without resistance?"

"I am one of the Triad."

"Power is nice, am eh right?" Duff smirked.

Griffin mumbled. "Mm…it can assist in…such situations…"

"Ah, just admit ye love it." He pat Griffin on the back and they walked out of the medical center, and made their way towards the elevator.

With Griffin's high status in the island's government, they were easily able to walk out of Base with Kim and Ron, still unconscious. If it wasn't for Griffin, Duff thought, I would have never made it out of Base alive, and neither would have Kim.

Duff was tired and dreaded having to walk all the way back to Paranologia. Griffin was aware that Duff's body had muscles that ached him when used too frequently. The carriage was waiting for them outside of Base.

Duff cried of happiness. He clapped his hands and laughed. "Eh love it. Can ye admit it now tha' power is good?" Griffin had the authority to stop the continuous path of the carriage and take control over its course.

"I have no mind walking. It is for your human sake that I…"

"Aye, aye, eh know ehm old." Duff joked. They got in the carriage, and it took off for Paranologia.

The ride was three times shorter than the amount of time Duff and Kim spent walking. During the ride Griffin was silent, but Duff was mad with questions. Who was this woman? And more importantly, how did she know he was on the island? And for how long? Why did she request his presence?

"Whut does tis woman look like, Griffin?" Duff asked.

"I did not see her face. It was covered by a veil. She wore the finest purple dress, and was covered with amethysts and emeralds, our national gemstones. But she had the finest grace imaginable."

"Then how come ye know she's human?"

"My sensors detected no alloy."

"Righ'…well, Griffin," Duff chuckled. "…sounds like yer in love."

Griffin stared ahead and didn't say a word. He was confused. He nearly had the ability to love like a human mind could. Duff wasn't too sure himself if Griffin was capable of that kind of thing. It was surely possible. Griffin was trying to identify his thoughts. He suffered a war between human thinking and robotic assessment. Duff almost felt sorry that he made Griffin go through this. But, in a way he know it gave Griffin an advantage over the other drones, and he was grateful.

"T'ere's still one ting eh don' understand."

"And what is that?" Griffin looked up at him.

"If te people o' Paranologia think tha' tis woman created te drones, then who do tey think eh am?"

"They know you as the first hybrid…and that she chose you."

"But tey don' hear abou' meh? Tey never heard any drone call meh te Creator?"

"I suppose they believe we are mistaken." Griffin turned grave and had a tone in his voice that was unmistakably full of antipathy. "According to them, we are easily fooled. We cannot think like a human can. We cannot figure out that we are being deceived, and ruled, like a human can discover. We are stupid machines. Your kind…mankind…believes that they are the most superior race."

"Believe meh, eh've figured tha' ou' eh long time ago."

When the carriage pulled up to town, there was a big commotion going on. Crowds of drones and hybrids formed a semi-circle. Duff could see a figure in purple at the end of the crowd. The drones asked a countless number of questions, like paparazzi and reporters fighting to get information from a celebrity.

They passed the crowd but Duff couldn't take his eyes off the woman until she was out of sight. A veil still covered her face. Duff told Griffin which cabin he and Kim were in earlier, and they rode east into town to the housing district. They stopped at the small cabin with the flag still waving in the front. Griffin got out, holding Kim and Ron on his shoulders. He and Duff entered the cabin and helped lay the two down on beds.

"Wait here." Griffin said. "I will go back with the carriage and tell the…woman…that you are ready to see her. I'll bring her back here along with medical supplies for the young hybrid."

It was weird to hear of Ron Stoppable, Duff's old enemy, a hybrid. "Fine. Eh'll watch o'er 'em."

Griffin was gone for only a short while. Duff had watched Kim and Ron sleep in the meantime. Kim was peaceful, like she was taking a normal nap and having good dreams. Ron's breathing was a bit harsher. His body fighting hard to keep away infections.

When the door opened, Griffin entered first. His frame was so large he nearly fit through the door. In comparison, the woman in purple looked so delicate, Griffin could have easily snapped her like a pencil.

He shut the door and the three of them stood in the room together. Duff eyed the woman's body. She had a nice shape, and her dress looked vaguely familiar. When Duff looked at the detail, he thought it might have been a Scottish design.

The woman motioned to Griffin and he came closer. She whispered in his ear and he nod his head obediently.

"She wishes to speak to you alone." Griffin announced to Duff. "I will leave you two to talk and watch over the hybrid in recovery."

As soon as the drone left the room, Duff released his anger.

"Who te fuck dye think ye are?" he approached her without fear. He didn't care who this person was, or what she was. "Ye 'ave no right te say ye created tis island! Ehm te one tha' started te drone race! Eh built te very first drones wit meh own two hands! Eh helped form tis island! An' who are ye te drop in an' claim tha' ye were te mastermind behind it all! Who are ye workin fer? Ace? Four? Eh know tis is te start o' some sort o' rebellion. Who's in charge o' it? Eh know yer jus' eh puppet—"

"Duff."

He paused. That voice…

The woman carefully lifted her veil, and Duff looked into the same lovely eyes he dreamed of every day and night.

"ABBY?!"

"Shh, lower your voice!"

"WHUT TE FUCK ARE YE DOIN' 'ERE?Eh specifically told ye te stay home! Whut fuckin' right dye 'ave comin' disobeyin' meh when eh ask ye te do somethin' as important as stayin' ah te castle an' takin' care of…oh fuck, Bessie! Ye left her fuckin' alone in te castle?!"

"No! No…she's in the safe room. I also asked some friends to watch over her…"

"Friends?! Whut friends, cuz eh've never met any of em!"

"Would you calm down?!" Abby was frustrated with him, but at the same time she was upset that he was yelling and cursing at her. It brought tears to her eyes.

"No, whut friends of yers? Eh don't know yer friends an' eh don' trust no strangers te take care o' meh daughter! Yer goin' te tell meh exactly whut friends o' yers ye left Bess alone wit! How dye know they weren't drones? Ach, fuck, how do eh know yer nae eh drone?"

"Because I'm not!"

"Because te Abby eh know wouldn't leave home after eh told her te stay, an' leave meh daughter wit people eh've never even fucking met! Who are tey?!"

"People who I've known a lot longer than I've known you! I've only known you less than a year! You don't know anything about me or my past life, and the people who were in it! You trust me when you know nothing about me! So what gives you the right to accuse me of putting her with people you can't trust? She is in a depression, because she thinks every day that you're not coming home or that you're dead! How dare you abandon her like that! You trusted her with me, and yet you wouldn't allow me to go with you because I know you think I wouldn't be able to fight or defend myself. If that's so, how could I defend your daughter? I came here to save your ass!"

Duff was a little taken aback. He struggled to say anything in return, because he kind of knew in the back of his head that she was right.

"Please, tell me, what would have been your plan if Griffin hadn't come in and helped you escape Base with two bodies? Tell me what you would have done!"

"Eh…well…eh had eh plan…"

"And what was that? Play grave keeper? Griffin told me about the coffin! Are you an idiot? Base doesn't run those kinds of operations! If something went wrong with Ron's transition, they wouldn't just toss him like a broken toy. The drones would have caught you, and you would have been dead!"

"How dye know whut operations Base runs?"

"Because I read all your journals!"

Duff paused. She read all of them?

"Ugh, God, you're such a fucking bastard sometimes, you know that?" she ranted. Duff looked down. He felt bullied. He felt like he was a little kid again and his schoolmates were throwing rocks at him. It hurt him so much only because it came from her. But he was confused, and suspicious of Abby. He didn't fully believe it was the real Abby, but she certainly argued the same. Some things didn't add up.

"Well why te fuck did ye come 'ere? When did ye get 'ere? How? An' why are ye dressed as tis other creator lass?"

"I read about the story in your journals, how the people in town believed in a creator besides you. I also read about Griffin and when you first made him. I knew you were in trouble. I could feel it. So I came here a couple days ago…I got through the shield with your ray gun…thing. I found Griffin and I…well…I've tried to convince him that I'm this other creator…and I've tried to…seduce him, sort of."

"Ye…whut?" Duff felt hot and uneasy.

"You mentioned he could experience feeling. Well I thought if I could make him like me or at least trust me, I could get close enough to him to find his off switch, and you could reprogram him to do whatever you need him to do. You said…"

"Aye, eh know whut eh said. But te plan 'as changed. Ye…cannae always expect eh mission te work out exactly as how ye planned. We found te boy, but he already had te surgery. We were too late. An' instead of escapin', Kim wants te stay 'ere wit him an' become eh drone herself so tey can live 'happily ever after' 'ere…"

"So why not let them?"

"Because she's delusional. It's nae whut she really wants. Tis island has caused nuthin' but trouble from te start. Eh want te shut it down, but eh dunno how."

"It's too dangerous to go against this entire island of drones."

"Eh 'ave te try. Tese drones are meh responsibility."

"So what, you were going to do all this after you told Bess and me that you were just going to try and find some kid? You didn't mention anything about shutting down an entire army of drones. Did you actually expect to accomplish all that and come home in one piece with us welcoming you back with open arms?"

Duff didn't say anything. His plan was a bit last minute, and yes, he knew she only expected him to find Ron and come home. If he survived and came back, it would have been long enough for them to think he was dead, and Abby would have been furious with him.

Duff was silent. She was right, and they both knew it. His guilt lay in the still air for them to drink in and absorb.

"Does Griffin actually tink yer…"

"Yes! At least I think so! So keep up with the act, it might come in handy later. I mean, after you yelled at me so loudly, I'm sure he heard you enough and figured out it's all a lie."

"Ehm sorry eh yelled ah ye."

"No you're not."

"Whut dye mean ehm nae sorry? Ye wer right abou' mos' things an' eh feel bad."

"What do you mean 'most things'?"

"Well…eh still dunno tese people ye left Bess wit."

"Duff, do you trust me?"

He paused. Was this a trick question? "Of course eh do."

"Then why don't you trust me to put Bessie in the right hands?"

"Because she's meh daughter, an' eh don' leave her wit strangers eh dunno."

"Well these strangers are more than capable of keeping her safe from any drones that might come to the castle for her."

Duff sighed. "It jus' makes me…uneasy."

"You know nothing about my life, Duff, or the people who are in it…or at least used to be."

"Why don' ye? Tell meh abou' it, Abby. Yer right, ye know everythin' abou' meh but eh know nuthin' abou' ye." He put his hand to her cheek. She moved his hand away. Duff felt insecure and embarrassed. He thought about their kiss. He thought she didn't want him after all.

Abby didn't want to look at him. She hurt to think of her past. It hurt her to think of it and then think of Duff.

"Just…trust me that Bessie is safe."

"Okay, eh trust ye." Duff said. It was hard to say it with meaning, but she was right. If he trusted her, then he should trust that she placed his daughter in good hands. But she was still very secretive about things, and it made him still suspicious. In the back of his mind, Duff knew there was something Abby wasn't telling him.

Abby told Griffin to continue taking care of Ron and Kim, and wait for them to wake up. It was late, so Duff decided it was best for them to retire for the night. He told Abby she could get ready for bed while he assisted Griffin for a while. The drone would be too occupied for the night to walk in on her.

About fifteen minutes after Abby was out of the shower, Duff knocked on the door and walked in. To his surprise, she was still undressed. She was only wearing her towel and it reminded him of when they bumped into each other.

He was about to look away and apologize when Abby loosened her towel, not realizing he was in the room. The towel lowered enough for him to notice two giant angel wings tattooed on her entire backside. It was extremely realistic.

"When did ye get tha'?" he spit out. He realized he should have announced his presence first, because Abby immediately froze and tightly wrapped the towel around her again. She pretended like it was no big deal and casually looked through her bag for a change of clothes to sleep in.

Duff walked into the room and gently closed the door behind him. He walked up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. Her skin was cold.

"It's beautiful. Lemme see it." Duff gently pulled on the towel. Abby was still as stiff as cardboard, but she let him look at it. He tugged until he was able to lower the towel and expose her entire back. Duff slowly ran his finger down the base of her spine, then slowly back up again. She was skinny enough where he could feel the spaces in between her vertebrae. He placed both of his hands on her back and felt her smooth skin. He gently massaged her shoulders a little bit. He wanted her to relax and guiltily, he wanted her to drop her towel. He ruined his chance of that view when he asked about her tattoo. Duff planted gentle kisses along the top of her shoulder and back. Abby stiffened. He wanted to embrace her body, but the more he touched her, she just pulled away and looked at him with tears in her eyes. She tightened the grip of the towel over her chest, and the back just scarcely covered her butt.

"Stop…" the look in her eyes scared him. Duff's worst nightmare had come to life. He could tell Abby didn't love him the way he loved her. She didn't want him.

"Whuts wrong?" he knew there was much more he needed to say, but he didn't know where to start.

Abby didn't say anything. She just turned from him and continued looking through her bag. She took out a thin grey cami, a cardigan, and light sweatpants. She wrapped the towel tight around her body, covering her back again. Duff watched her and he could tell she didn't want him in the room. Suddenly, it seemed right to finally ask her what had been haunting him the past few days.

"Why did ye kiss me?"

She kept her back to him. "I didn't kiss you, you kissed me."

"But ye kissed meh back. Why?"

"…because I wanted to." she stopped fidgeting with her stuff, but still didn't look at him.

"Tha' doesn't answer meh question."

Abby faced him now. She looked grave, like the conversation they were having brought her pain and bad memories. "Things are complicated for me."

"How? How are tey complicated? How are we ever goin' te 'ave eh good relationship if ye don' talk te meh? Eh've done meh half. Eh've told ye meh life story. Now its yer turn te tell me whuts goin' ehn wit ye. Please…ehm beggin ye." He walked closer to her and touched her shoulders again. His hands glided down her small arms and he took her hands. "Eh want te understand. Ehm 'ere fer ye, no matter whut."

"I want to move on. I don't want to talk about it."

"It's healthy te talk abou' it. Ye taught meh tha'."

"This is…different."

"How is it different? Its yer life, an' its important te who ye are. Ye 'ave te embrace yer experiences…te good an' te bad. Abby, ehm jus' repeatin' everythin' ye've ever told meh. Eh know its hard, but ehm tellin ye tha' ehm 'ere fer ye jus' as ye were there fer meh. Every night we'd talk on te couch by te fireplace an' eh'd tell ye stories of meh life. We'd drink tea, because ye wouldn't let meh drink coffee ah night…well, ye never really wanted meh te drink coffee. Said it wusn' good fer meh." Duff chuckled. He lifted her chin so he could look her in the eye.

"Eh love ye." It brought him pain to say that. "An' even if ye don' feel te same way, eh always will love ye. Eh'd do anythin' fer ye."

His words brought tears to Abby's eyes. She looked down. She couldn't look at him.

"Please…stop. I'm in pain right now."

Duff sighed. When was he ever going to learn about her life? "Alrigh'. Eh'll let ye get dressed. Ehm goin' te check on Griffin an' eh'll be back in five minutes te say goodnight."

Duff left the room and closed the door behind him. He didn't understand what the problem was. He loved her, and he wanted her to love him back. He needed to know what was holding her back but he didn't want to push her. When he checked on Griffin, the drone was tending to Ron's body, wiping away blood and bandaging areas and applying topical medicine. He left Kim to sleep, and only checked on her once and a while to make sure she was okay.

Duff waited outside Abby's door until he felt like it was enough time for her to get dressed and compose herself. When he eventually walked in, she was sitting down on the bed, most likely thinking, or maybe, trying not to think. She looked up when Duff came in.

"Hi." She mumbled.

"Hey." He paused for a moment. He felt like if he spoke to abruptly, he would make her even more upset. He wanted to be gentle. "Ehm sorry eh brought ye pain."

"No, it's not your fault. I'm sorry you feel like it is…and sorry I called you a bastard earlier."

"Neh, eh deserve it. Plus ehm used te bein' called names."

"Never by me, though. I completely take back what I said. I don't want you to associate me with the kids that bullied you growing up, or your brother."

"Abby, its okay. Believe meh, eh deserved all tha' ye said. Eh don' consider ye eh bully. Eh think of ye as…well, ye know whut eh think of ye as."

"Duff…"

"Nae, tis okay. We'll talk abou' it when we're nae on eh dangerous island. When we get home, aigh'? Have eh good night. Eh'll talk te ye in te mornin'."

Abby sighed. "Alright. And make sure Griffin doesn't see me like this. He'd probably think I'm not the creator because I'm not dressed in some fancy silky nightdress."

Duff smirked. "He knows yer human. Eh don' think whut ye dress will alter whut he believes. But eh wouldn't mind seein' ye in some fancy silky nightdress."

Abby gave him a 'look'. "You make me feel very uncomfortable nowadays, you know that? Especially after reading your diary entries about me and you in the bath tub…"

Duff's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "Ye read tha'?!"

Abby smirked back at him. "Not just that."

Duff's face turned beet red. "Well…ehm goin' te go…someplace else."

He turned to leave the room and Abby giggled. He loved the sound of her laugh. He hadn't heard it in a long time. Before he left, she asked him a question.

"What…um…what room are you sleeping in tonight?"

Duff stopped and turned around. "Why?"

"Just in case I wake up and…or…well…well frankly I didn't notice any other bedrooms in the cabin except this one and the one Griffin is in with those kids."

"Eh…wus gonna stay up an'…guard te place, eh guess. It's possible someone has spotted us an' reported it te Ace or whoever else."

"What? No no no…of all the times not to sleep, this isn't one of them. You need your rest to fight these drones."

"An' where ehm eh goin' te sleep? Yer right…tere are only two single cots an'…yer bed."

"Just because I'm sitting on it doesn't make it my bed. It's a double…"

"Eh didn' want te suggest anythin'…after…ye know. Eh didn't think ye'd consider it."

"No, I'm not considering it. I'm insisting it. You need to sleep."

Abby got up and pulled away the covers from the bed. "Come here."

Duff hesitated. "Abby…eh don'…"

"You don't want? You love me but you're afraid of sharing a bed?"

Hearing her say the 'L' word stunned him. "N-nae…but if ye don' have te same feelin's fer meh then eh don' think it's eh good idea te get in bed wit meh."

Abby raised an eyebrow. Duff realized how wrong he just sounded.

"Nae, nae…tha's naw whut eh mean. Eh won' do nuthin' if ye don' want meh to. Eh won' even touch ye…"

"Duff, I'm tired. Just shut up and get in bed." She continued to stand there.

Duff sighed. He waited a minute. Abby didn't move. She wasn't going to bed until he got in. She could be very motherly, but Duff didn't mind, because he knew it meant she cared.

He knew she was tired, and he wanted her to get her sleep as well. So he caved in. Duff walked up to the bed and crawled in on one side. Abby turned out the light and got in on the other side. Moonlight from the window lit up the room with a nice glow. Duff would have to try hard to sleep tonight, because he wanted to watch her sleep all night, and gaze at her smooth skin and plump limps. He liked to see her at peace.

They kept some distance between them. Abby turned her back to Duff, which saddened him. He at least wanted to see the tattoo again. It really was beautiful.

It felt awkward for Duff to fall asleep. He couldn't seem to get comfortable enough. The bed had enough covers, plus he was in bed with Abby, so he felt very warm. After about fifteen minutes of shifting, Abby turned to him.

"Are you okay?"

Duff hoisted his torso out of bed and panted. He was a little sweaty. He was about to take his shirt off when he thought it might offend Abby.

"Dye mind…?" he asked.

She looked at him. He could feel her discomfort. "No, go ahead."

Duff took his shirt off and threw it so it landed on a chair. He lay back down in bed and Abby turned from him again.

A few hours passed and Duff was still awake. He had shut his eyes and relaxed, but he just couldn't fall asleep. He was too uncomfortable, but he didn't know what the problem was. The temperature was fine, he didn't have to use the restroom, and he wasn't having bad dreams or thoughts. He was just restless.

He turned to look at Abby's long hair. It shined in the moonlight and looked like spun gold. He wished he could see her face.

"Are ye up?" Duff whispered. He thought he would take the chance, but she looked fast asleep.

After about a minute, she whispered back. "Yeah."

It surprised him that she couldn't sleep either. He wanted to ask why, but he thought that was a conversation she didn't want to have. Instead, Duff put a hand around her hip, found her hand, and held it. She didn't take her hand away or push him off.

They lay like that, awake, for a while. Duff enjoyed being able to hold her just a little bit. It calmed him. He thought that's what he needed to fall asleep.

"I was married." Abby mumbled.

Duff paused and had to absorb that. He didn't know what to think. This was the first bit of information she was giving him about her life. He didn't know how to respond. He wanted to ask so many questions. Who was this guy? Did she still love him?

"…oh." It took a long time for Duff to come up with the right things to say. "Fer how long?"

"A long time. It felt like infinity." She whispered.

Instead of taking his hand away, Duff held onto hers tightly. He inched a little closer to her and stroked her hair with his other hand.

"I loved him so much…I thought of him as my soul mate."

That hurt Duff a little. He didn't want to shy away out of jealousy, though. He told her he was there for her and he was. Abby needed him right now. He could hear her crying through her words.

"He died,"

"Oh…Abby ehm sorry. Eh didn' know."

He knew better than to ask her how her husband died. He simply held her and let her talk. His body touched hers, now. He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned on his chest. Her eyes were wet with tears, and a drop ran down her cheek and onto Duff's chest. He imagined she healed his scars as she wet them with her magical tears. He thought she was still beautiful even when she cried, but it was a different kind of beauty. She shone a rare light that allowed him to see inside her soul a little.

She cried harder the more she talked. "I liked kissing you, I wanted to kiss you, but I haven't really moved on yet. It's been a while since he left but I never accepted it, and you're so much more than a friend to me but I just think that he's still here or he's watching over me and I feel like I'm being disloyal to him and we're still married and I just feel so guilty…"

She stopped talking to sob a little. Duff put a hand to the back of her head and continued to stroke her hair. She felt embarrassed to cry in front of him. He never saw this side of her, but she needed to cry, and she was grateful that he was there for her, even if she was crying over another man.

"Shh…some time ego ye told meh tha' once eh can accept te death of meh mother an' meh sister, eh can love ehgain. Ye said te grief wus holdin' meh back. Well eh cannae tell ye how long it'll be, but one day eh promise ye'll nae feel te pain anymore, an' if ye still want meh, ehm always goin' te be 'ere."

Abby continued to cry on his chest. Duff was sad, because she was sad, and she wasn't ready to love him. But he was still happy to be there with her, and to hear about her life, and soak up some of her ache.

Out of nowhere, Abby lifted up her head and kissed him. It was completely unexpected, and Duff melted again. He kissed her back with deep passion. He sent all of his love for her through his lips and onto hers. She tried to kiss him back in the same manner, and she did for a few seconds. Duff felt fireworks go off inside his entire body. He was surely dreaming. He could feel the passion she was giving him, and he wanted to embrace her and kiss her forever. But she stopped abruptly and looked away.

"I'm sorry…I'm trying but I can't help but feel guilty. I know it sounds silly…he's dead and I'm no longer married to him…but I feel like my soul is still tied to him…I want to move on but a part of me…"

"Shh." Duff silenced her and kissed her forehead. "Ehm nae goin' te let ye do anythin' if yer uncomfortable an' confused. Kissin' me…or whutever else…will jus' confuse ye more an' bring ye more pain. Until ye've things out, let's keep things…simple. Aye?"

Abby just looked at him. She was covered in tears. She gazed deep into his coal-black eyes and seemed to try and look into his soul.

"I have so many questions…its possible…" she was whispering to herself. Duff tried to listen, but he didn't ask her to repeat what she was saying. He knew she wasn't speaking to him. "Everything happens for a reason…." She said.

"Go te bed." Duff whispered. She stared blankly at him, and he knew she was mentally somewhere else. He continued to look into her eyes to try and find out where that was.

After some time, Abby closed her eyes and sighed. She turned from Duff and faced the opposite way in bed again. Duff closed his eyes and tried to drown his sadness with sleep. His dreams were becoming nightmares. Abby felt like she was bound to another man's soul. How could he compete with that? But Duff had hope. Abby was right…'everything happens for a reason'. Abby came into his life for a reason, and he wasn't going to let that reason be 'helping him become a better man', or 'becoming Bessie's mother-figure', or anything else she has done.

He was going to make sure that reason was to become the love of his life.