Beth's quiet sobs disappeared into Snow's collared dress shirt as he caught her against his chest. His arms wrapped themselves around her as her body shook, overwhelmed by all the pent up emotions that were overpowering her. Beth had no idea how long they had been standing there like that. Snow's broad chest and strong arms held her in place while her body, after she was finally allowed a moment of rest, seemed to melt into him.

Only when the back of Snow's knees hit the chair did Beth notice that Snow had started to walk them backwards. His hand was slowly stroking along her back as he lowered himself down onto the big armchair, pulling Beth with him and cradling her on his lap. Beth's legs were more than happy to just fold under her, the exhaustion making her whole body go limp. Beth's face was still buried in Snow's shirt when he helped her lift her legs, pushing his hand under her knees and lifting them up, stopping only when her feet sat comfortably on the armrest of the chair. One arm still under Beth's knees, Snow's other hand slowly moved up to her head, stroking her hair. Soft humming and shushing noises reached Beth's foggy brain as her sobs subsided slowly.

When her tears finally stopped and dried up on her cheeks Beth slowly untangled her fingers from Snow's shirt. The heat radiating off of Snow's body was rivaled by only one thing - the heat burning in Beth's cheeks. She pulled her hands back almost frantically, trying to get distance between them, trying to limit the embarrassment building up inside of her, but Snow didn't budge, he only continued to gently stroke her hair and shush her when she tried to protest.

'Tell me what's wrong, darling.' The hand in Beth's hair made its way to the nape of her neck, featherlight touches danced over her skin, while Beth carefully considered her words. She wanted to talk about it but if she did there would be no way to take it back. But those worries seemed almost silly when everything in her told her to just give in, give in to the gentle touches and the deep voice promising that everything would be alright.

'I'm not fine.' Beth's mumbled words rang in her own ears, saying them out loud made the truth impossible to ignore. Beth half heartedly hoped for her words to be acknowledged and the conversation to be over and done with because of it. Snow seemed to have other ideas. With his hand still on her head he urged her to continue with a soft hum.

'I haven't been sleeping well lately.' A small sob wrung the words out of Beth before she could change her mind. She cleared her throat in an attempt to collect herself, talking about it shouldn't be that hard in Beth's opinion, still she continued 'If I can fall asleep at all.'

Beth could feel Snow watching her intently and it was burning her to a crisp. He was giving her all the time in the world, not rushing her while she organized her thoughts and chose her words. Blinking fast to stop any treacherous tears from forming in her eyes, Beth put her hands back on Snow's shirt. She shifted her attention to the buttons lining the front, playing with them, focusing on anything but the topic at hand, before she sighed.

The hand under her legs slowly started to move, out from under Beth's knees, along her arm, stroking the back of her hand until it settled on top of it. Hesitantly looking up, Beth studied Snow's face. He was patiently looking back at her, not breaking eye contact while he lifted their hands off his chest and planted soft kisses on Beth's knuckles.

'I'm just so tired.' It seemed as if saying it intensified the feeling. Beth's eyes rolled back for a split second, black spots danced around her vision as she leaned her head forward, hiding her face in the crook of Snow's neck. His hand on her head moved to support her, holding her against him.

'I know, darling. Let me take care of you.' Sweet words whispered into Beth's ear almost made her fall asleep right then and there while Snow's fingers left goosebumps all over her body.

'I'm just so exhausted.' Another sob shook Beth's body before it transformed into a shuddering sigh. Her body was giving itself over to Snow's gentle caresses. Beth's eyes fluttered as she began to relax more and more.

'Getting enough sleep is very important.' Snow's voice was like a lullaby, guiding Beth through a maze with only one inescapable destination, the one she needed most.

'I feel like it's driving me crazy. Everything feels wrong.' A few seconds passed before Snow let out another soft hum that rumbled deep in his throat as if he was contemplating Beth's words carefully.

'So how does this feel then?' Snow's words left his mouth in between soft kisses to Beth's forehead.

There was silence for a minute, Beth's breathing was calm, the air stroking along Snow's throat and neck in soft puffs where her head safely rested. Her one word response was barely audible before she finally drifted off.

'Right.'

Snow's gaze shifted from Beth's sleeping form in his arms to the table next to the chair. He had barely managed to pick out what he had been looking for, the last book he had had in mind had still been tucked away on one of the shelves, when he had heard footsteps in the library. It was unusual to meet anyone around the mansion at this time of night. There was of course always an avox or a member of the staff to be found around the presidential palace if one knew where to look, but his library was not one of those places. Snow's guess at the time had been that a member of his staff was looking for him due to something that needed immediate attention.

Turned out Snow had been only partially wrong and the events of the last hour had been nothing short of interesting.

Careful not to wake Beth, Snow wrapped his arms tightly around her and lifted her off the chair in one smooth motion before he slowly made his way out of the library to their bedroom. The open book on the table as well as the turned-on lamp could wait.

A content sigh escaped Beth when Snow laid her down on the bed and tucked her under the covers. She looked more at peace than she had in quite a while, her hair framing her face against the pillow, her features soft and relaxed. Snow took the sight in for a second before he slowly started to pull his hands from the bed only to be stopped by a a tug on his sleeve.

'Please stay?' Beth's request sounded fragile and innocent and the corner of Snow's mouth was pulled up in a hint of a smile. Disappointment flickered across Beth's face when Snow removed her hands from his sleeve but it only lasted a split second. The mattress dipped under Snow's weight when he sat down next to Beth. His shoes hit the floor with a low thud and then Beth was cuddled up in his arms, burying her face in his chest, losing herself to the feeling of quiet after a storm - sweet comfort.