Queen's note: In which you may not want to carelessly use Argenta medical chemicals without supervision of one of their healers. Or one of your own doctors. BUT thankfully humans are (short) space orcs in most realities, just mind the hangover.

Garnets

Chapter Twelve:

Still Here

Waking up was… mildly surprising in all honesty. Not the fact that she woke up ( maybe slightly that), Lily always woke up no matter the spot she slept. No matter the nightmares.

It was odd that there was no nightmare, even though she did remember a dream, or memory passing as a dream. Lily remembered the feeling of dosing in her step father's lap, while both of them listened to her mother make another recorded lecture on sea life. Lily remembered that time, she knew she had been smaller, younger, but it had not seemed like she was small. Her dad's chest kept changing from his favorite off duty shirts, one of several brightly colored Hawaiian prints. To an oddly too big tank top for his big frame (-what had he said? Something about him not the most altered in the Marines? That there were bigger space orcs?).

For a briefest of moments, Lily thought she had been carried by her dad in his blue armored frame. It shifted back and forth between blue and green in the way of dreams rather than memory.

Lily lifted her arms, feeling very stiff all over, but oddly numb. Her right arm was sluggish, and the shoulder was not moving just right. Her left arm pulled and whatever sensation that came stopped her from lifting too far up. There was also a pretty thick blanket that was also doing a great job at keeping her arms from moving too much. Or the rest of her.

Lily could feel the edge of the mask and tubes, which helped her realize the familiar sensation of pressurized air. There was also something in her mouth, and throat. Not large, but definitely just big enough to be annoying.

Lily blinked as she really woke up enough to see the gray ceiling above, and a slightly darker wall, corner. The light thankfully was not that offensive, and somewhere two her…left. She was aware of the odd bed, like some sort of foam or bundle had been wedged on either side of her to keep from rolling or moving much. Possibly off the bed.

Life support?

Why was she on that?

Again…?

Did the stasis pod count as life support?

"Try to hold still, miss Lily," Vega's calm and steady voice spoke through the speaker in the room. His attention was drawn as Riggs alerted him to the movement. "Help is on the way. We do not want you pulling anything out and hurting yourself more."

"...?" Lily made a soft huff, managed to also get out a whine with a questioning edge.

"You had minor surgery on your arm, to get the fractured claw out." Vega kept speaking, he was becoming quite adept at discerning non verbal questions now. It helped that Lily was considerably more expensive than the Slayer. He watched as she settled back down, eyes rolling to look around, controlling herself not to move her head too much.

Much better patient than the only other (mostly) human in the Fortress.

Lily squeaked for attention, tapping her right shoulder, the one that had been dislocated and set back in the original rescue.

"Do you hurt?" Vega was a little surprised.

Lilly frowned, and shook her head minutely.

"Ah, then the anesthetic is still in your system. You had an interesting reaction to the Argenta drugs." There was a moment's pause, in which Lily could hear footsteps past the flow of air in the cpap tube. "I have been recalculating the dosages with Riggs in case you need them again,."

"Hopefully not," Riggs' voice, it was low as if in the background, as Vega aloud a passage to the room for the other. "You have been sleeping for four days Lily. Through the worst of the infection in your arm draining out."

Lily squinted happily, trying to smile as she heard what had been her only friend for nearly a year. Shifting a little in the cocoon of a blanket, trying to feel her toes and feet. It was strange, both aware of them moving a bit, feeling the blankets over and pad under but not fully feeling her body itself.

Maybe she should be grateful to just feel stiff all over instead of in pain.

The door opened and the young woman paused her little wiggles. Wide eyes staring up at the man that hesitated a moment in the doorway. It took him a moment to realize it was not a frightened expression, just confused. It took two steps to come over as the smaller squeaked around the tube in her mouth.

The Slayer rested a large hand on her front, checking her left shoulder first before smirking as Lilly gave another wiggle in her blanket cocoon. He untucked the young woman, listening to the sigh as she was able to pull her legs up. Trying to flex and feel what happened.

"Be careful with sitting her up," Vega watched the Slayer pause at the warning as he was about to just lift Lily up.

The mask already pushed off, and a heavy blanket pulled back to reveal there was quite a bit more slack in the hose and IV lines. Lilly made a face as she flexed her stomach, shifted her legs and sat up herself to be up right. She felt heady, slow, but sit ups were one of the few exercises she was pretty good at in her trapped home before.

The slayer gave a surprised huff himself, arching an eyebrow. His right hand followed the smaller one up. Hovering just behind her back before pressing into it to support as she wavered. The moment of clarity before turning into a hazy stare, as she hummed experimentally.

Lily lifted her hands a little, arms kept close to her chest still, but made a feeble attempt to get at the hose in her mouth and down her throat. She whined as both of her hands were closed into the Slayer's free one.

"Ah…veevs, nevd batthvu?" She tried to talk, the garbled words enough though somehow. She watched in fascination as her hands were released and a big one started to sign a question.

"It should be safe," Riggs offered, still sounding like he was in the background, "But no solid foods."

"Do you remember how to do it?" Vega asked, and the Slayer nodded, meeting Lily's eyes. Still a little hazy, but clearing up again.

It was more than a little awkward, but she stayed mostly still, chin resting on his hand. Only really whining during the strange sensation of the oral tube coming out. Maybe it was a good thing she was missing a tooth in the back of her jaw. Despite the need for the bathroom growing, Lily needed a moment to lean on the warm, living wall of person for support and coughed.

She sneezed, making a face as she felt the nosebleed start. The air is just that little bit too dry. Lilly ducked her head to try and check the severity of nosebleed. "So-ry."

The living wall snorted in amusement, not at all bothered as he stood, leaning over to pull Lily up into his arms in the same motion. The expression of being offended at herself was… funny.

And alive.

It was strange to have someone living nearby again. It triggered, or rather his mind tried to bring up some sort of memory from the long past, life times past?

The problem with so many millennia of awareness, not including the haze of rage in Hell… well maybe it was because of his time in the Hell dimension his memories before were not all really there anymore.

The Slayer ruffled Lily's hair once she was in a too big shirt after helping clean the girl up. It was not one of his, but could almost fit him, maybe. It had come from her things and was loose enough to not aggravate her healing wounds. It was almost big enough to mostly cover her up, but Lily seemed to be happy to see it.

Lily stood for what felt like a long while, the awkwardness of being helped with being cleaned and dress was numbed from the lingering drugs. Or a combination of that and the former isolation. When she realized it had been properly quiet for just a little too long she shuffled the odd few inches over to rest her head against the living wall of a man once more.

"...thank you," Lily finally said into the Slayer's arm before he moved, her voice rougher and sore. She lifted her left hand, the right arm tucked close against her again, to touch her chin and motioned out in one of the few signs she knew. "Again, I guess. Sorry I… I'm not as low maintenance… as I normally… am."

Gods it was hard to talk after being on this Fortress' medical life support. She had to keep pausing to catch her breath.

The hand on her back felt warm, more so compared to the ground and everything. She looked up at the still eerily eyes of the Slayer, watching him make the same sign back.

It was as she was being picked up again, Lily noticed that the Slayer was barefoot again too. He did not seem to be that bothered by the overall cooler temperature of his home. It was such an odd thing to notice, but then the man seemed to be always running hot. If he had been a normal human, Lily wondered if he would be in a constant state of high fever.

Was he carrying her just to move faster?

Lily winced as her right shoulder, pressed against the Slayer's front, gave the first throb of pain from the movements since waking up. Nothing nearly like the left side with the claw, infection spot. Thingy. She squeaked as the bigger man shifted her almost in the crook of his left arm. Lily sat on his forearm as his hand grasped both knees to support her.

"...I feel like a toddler." Lilly grumbled softly, feeling a rumbling chuckle as the Slayer used his free hand to sign. She squinted to watch, trying to make sense or remembering something from highschool. Then realizing he was using shorthand again, so to say.

"I will have it ready," Vega responded, proving the signing was not for her exactly. "Are you feeling better, miss Lily?"

"Yes," Lily paused and then added honestly, keeping her hands loosely crossed in her lap, but had to lean against her host. "Well, my shoulders are starting to hurt again. Thob, not fully painful yet."

Another deep rumble as the man reached up, patting her upper left shoulder. Then smoothed a thumb over the damp bandage, light enough to not disturb the wound itself. He gave a huff, tilting his head.

"I still don't feel that arm much." Lily admitted, but took the overall actions to be comforting.

"Hmm," it was not a big sound but enough to recognize coming from the chest beside her head. Lily was not really sure when her head dropped or how far they got before the Slayer was sitting the human down. Not so much on one of the chairs or benches in the massive dinning hall area, but on the top of a table.

It made sense, as it put Lily at an easier level to the Slayer.

The not quiet man inspected the right arm, shoulder, and all the colors it was turning. In the exact pattern of his hand when in the gauntlet when he had to bodily throw Lily into the portal before it closed. Then making sure that spot on the forearm where the IV line had been attached. Lily stayed mostly still, letting the Slayer… fuss?

Yes he was fussing.

Waiting for one of Vega's drones to buzz over, he could also make sure the girl was healing despite everything.

Maybe…

Maybe he really was also enjoying having another human alive and not scared of him. Despite that he was responsible for part of her hurt. Clearly remember how it felt having to try and be gentle to put the dislocated arm back into the socket before plunging the girl into the stasis chamber. Yet she was sitting calm and almost dosing thanks to the lingering meds. The underlying calm not coming from a lack of hope, it seemed more like she just wanted to trust someone after the end of the world.

"Plplpl," Lily expressed her etiquette opinion at seeing the syringe being offered to the Slayer from the drone.

He snorted back, but made sure the arm was still in his left hand, injecting the new painkiller in her right arm. Hoping internally that the AIs had fixed the dosage.

The Slayer did not mind another person around, but he really did not like having to wait to see if they would wake up at all from an accidental medical coma.

"Silly question?" Lily asked, watching as the man was rubbing the underside of her forearm with his thumb. As if fascinated, as the slight blood spot was now gone.

It took a moment, or three before the Slayer stilled and looked up from the bruising. She guessed he felt guilty, but not all the marks were from him, her altered father had gripped too hard as well. In the dimmer lights of this cafeteria Lilly suddenly realized why the big man's eyes were different. Odd.

They glowed.

It was subtle, but still there.

"Is the term 'Slayer' really a title for you?" Lily remembered her question.

He nodded.

Lily thought for a moment, not noticing when she sighed as the throbbing in her shoulder and back started to ease. "Is it acceptable to use it for every day, uh, use?"

This time the Slayer seemed to think about it, and lifted a hand up, flat. Tilting it back and forth. He then signed something. Good enough. Used to it.

"The Slayer is used to being called such, and says it's good enough to keep using." Vega translated as Lily seemed still a bit slower with the after affects and just recently waking up.

"Hmm, okay." Lily did not seem to like that he had no other name, other than his many titles?

If only for the reason that the girl was not pushing to find out his old name. The Slayer shifted and carefully spelled out a name, not his, but something that might work for now.

Maybe, he could not fully remember what he had used centuries past, (latest centuries?). Or did not feel attachment to either of the names he used to go by.

Lilly choked on a sorting laugh, as she was able to keep up with the spelling out letters. Glancing up as Vega confirmed, then back to the man that had saved her from the sea platform. "Really? John Doe?"

The Slayer shrugged, giving a lopsided smile as again, it was good enough for him.

"Well, okay," Lily tilted her head, that slight unfocused gaze of the Argenta drugs back. "If you ever need a proper surname, you can use my dad's, ours. He adopted me when he married mom."

That seemed to remind the Slayer (John?) as he stood up fully, checking the pockets of his sweatpants. Pulling out two chains that had tangled a bit more in the pocket. It had taken much longer than he originally thought to clean them with how delicate the soft metal was. It was still a bit tarnished but clean and sterilized.

Lily held out her hands as it was offered to her. The familiar thicker gold chain, with a few rings, as well as the silvery chain that held her father's dog tags. Scratched, worn and one tag had been bent in the middle and then attempted to be flattened out. The engraved words still there of her father, dad, adoptive or not, it was his name.

Fredrick Hawkins. The wedding rings of his own, her mother and the little one she had given him when little. Her dad had never worn his ring on hand when on duty, but to realize he had found her mother's ring after she changed…

The girl held the chains against her chest, it would take a little bit of work to untangle them. Very doable though. The kindness of being given something so sentimental of her family was…

It was more than Lily could put into words, but she was immensely grateful.

"Thank you."

There was a slight hesitation, as the Slayer was almost expecting there to be tears. Before a large hand rested on her head, ruffling the short dirty blond hair. Understanding that the girl had probably already been grieving for the lost parents for some time now.

"Can I… have a hug, again?" Lily asked under the big hand, feeling her eyes burn but once more the tears seemed lodged in her throat. There was almost no hesitation this time as she was picked up and held to be squished. She was not really aware of curling up, or when she fell asleep being held.

The demigod stood for a long time, realizing he was letting himself do something very dangerous at last. He was getting very attached, and in turn not sure if he could let go.

He was as much human as he was inhuman now. Anything but mortal, and how easy it was to loose time…

The demigod dipped his head, sighing as he started to move. He needed someone he could trust to be around that had their own set of hands when he was in the blindness of violence and thrill of demonic death in that rage that was all too easy to get drunk on.