Everyone knew the storm was coming. They were informed on television, by the local Roseville Station. Their doppler radar, corroborated by other news and weather stations from around the east coast, had detected that a hurricane, called Carter, had not slowed down as was expected. Instead of continuing its landfall trajectory and coming to a standstill, it bounced off the coast and headed north. Its new projected trajectory found it slamming into New Jersey, and people all over the state now found themselves in an unpredicted frenzy.

This was nowhere truer than the small town of Roseville, which resided closer to the coast than most were now comfortable with. Memories of rare hurricanes past fueled their panic as the citizens of the town mobbed grocery stores. Who knew how long the storm would last, and what damage it would bring? Best to be over prepared, as this storm already showed a propensity for the unexpected. There was but a day left before Hurricane Carter, would mark its territory on New Jersey. As the hours ticked down, what little hope some had that the hurricane might yet change direction evaporated.

And so all hunkered down in their houses and hoped for the best. Mike and Lucy had been texting over their parents' panicked escapades. Lucy did not take the storm seriously, waving it off as 'just another thunderstorm with extra wind and rain.'

'Big deal.' She texted Mike.

'It might be… Ive been watching the weather station covering it.' Mike replied back. 'It's not slowed down any, might have even picked up more speed.'

Lucy smirked to herself before responding with, 'Figures u'd watch some nerdy thing like that. Just like Daisy.'

'Just try and stay safe.' Was all Mike could think of to text, but he knew she wouldn't listen. At least not to him, it seemed. Lucy was stubborn like that. But Lucy did appreciate his words, smiling to herself. It was a small comfort to her that he cared so much, not that she would ever show that to him.

And so the day and time came, with Hurricane Carter making landfall just as the meteorologists said it would. Families all around Roseville were huddled around their radios and televisions, desperately clinging onto every bit of information the meteorologists had. Carter hit one town, then another, swallowing them whole. Eventually, it was Roseville's turn. The winds picked up, with trees beginning to wave wildly in the turbulent air. This was followed by the rain, tickling the area at first, but soon coming down by the gallon, lashing at everything. It slammed against trees, buildings, cars, pelting them like millions of tiny bullets.

The howling winds and pounding rain did little to soothe Mike's sensitive ears. He was thankful, at least, to have a warm, dry home to take shelter in. With the rest of his family, he sat around and played board games as the TV played the constant weather report in the background. There wasn't anything the reporter could tell them that they couldn't already see outside. In the meantime, Mike was texting his friends off and on to see how they were holding up.

Not too far away, Lucy's family was all gathered in the living room as well. Jordan was laying on the floor, looking at a sports magazine, as their parents were curled up on the couch watching TV. Lucy had long since gotten bored of nothing happening. She could only listen to the same repeated, 'High winds and heavy rains, destruction and carnage' spiel from the news before it got old. Even watching the trees outside her house swaying violently in the winds did nothing for her. Lucy was hoping something crazy would blow down the street, a car, some lawn chairs, maybe even a trampoline, but nothing but sticks and leaves. After a bit, she slinked away quietly and went to bed.

But while Lucy laid in her bed, the storm raged on. Mike received one last text from her, a goodnight, which he replied in kind. The winds outside managed to get more violent, whipping up a frenzy. This inevitably resulted in trees being uprooted, as the ground became saturated with the relentless precipitation and the wind became too much to stand against. It was for this reason that a tree careened over into a set of power lines and knocked out power for much of Mike and Lucy's area.

The lights shut off without warning, along with the TV and anything else powered by electricity. The family of korats looked around in the dark. Mike pulled up his phone and used the screen's light as an impromptu flashlight.

"Well, I better get the generator started." Mike's dad grunted as he got up off the couch. "C'mon son, I need to teach you how to do this. And I need a flashlight."

"Sure thing, dad." Mike said, getting up.

"Hurry it up, my phone's almost dead." Haley said. "Gah, I knew I should have been charging it!"

"The generator is just to help us keep the lights and refrigerator running." Mike's mom told her.

"Sorry dear." Her dad said. "We have to make the generator last."

"I've got plenty of charge on mine!" Mike poinyted out, wanting to be more helpful.

"Yeah, rub it in, why don't you?" Haley grumbled, putting her phone down.

Mike followed his dad to the back door. Outside was total chaos, but unfortunately, outside was where they needed to go. In the little shed behind the house was where they kept the generator. "We're going to have to be fast, Michael." His dad warned. "Ready?"

Mike took a deep breath to steel himself and nodded. "Ready!"

Without anymore hesitation, the older cat threw the door open and the two rushed outside. The wind and rain cut into them, threatening to lift them up and carry them away, but the two males stayed grounded. After some difficulty traversing the yard (as the ground was very muddy now), and fighting to open the shed door against the wind, the two managed to make it inside. The wind shut the door behind them with a loud bang.

Being inside the shelter wasn't any less terrifying. The sounds of the storm were amplified. Mike wasn't so sure it was going to last through the storm. "Alright son. Just point your phone here." Mike's dad instructed, pointing at their generator. "This is how it works."

At Lucy's house, a similar situation could be found. Lucy's house had a small shed built onto the back, and this is where their generator was located. However, it had been sitting for far too long, and despite filling it up before the storm, Jordan and his father were unable to get the motor to turn over. After a few attempts in the ailing little shed, they had to concede it simply wasn't going to happen.

The two quickly retreated back into the safety of their house, and the dad explained the situation. "I'm sorry, dear. I guess it's been a while since we last checked up on it. There isn't much we can do until the storm is over."

Lucy's mom frowned. This was certainly not an ideal situation. Their phones would be dead soon, and without TV or radio there would be no way to follow the storm or any of the news surrounding it. Who knew when it would even be over? "We could try to get a hotel."

"Naww, not at this hour. And in this weather?" The dad grimaced. "Everywhere'll be closed."

"We have to go somewhere." Lucy's mom said. "I'll try texting Ellen, see if they still have power."

Back at Mike's place, their power was back. However, it was made very clear they would be keeping the house in low power mode. "That means no TV, no computer, and keep the lights off as much as possible."

Mike's mom's phone buzzed, and she picked it up. It was a text from Lucy's mother. "Oh, it looks like Agatha lost power too, Frank. Their generator won't start."

"Tried telling them to get a new one." Mike's dad said. "They've had that one since, well, Mike was born."

Mike's mom replied, telling the family of khao manees that they had lost power as well, but their generator was working fine. Another buzz, and Mike's mom looked a little surprised. "Oh?"

"What is it dear?" Her husband asked.

"They're asking if they can come over." Mike's mom looked up at him.

"Well, we might have the room for it if they decide to. They just have to keep the electricity usage low." Mike's dad said.

At Lucy's house, Lucy's mother anxiously waited for a reply. She hoped they weren't imposing by asking such a huge favor. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long for a reply. She breathed a sigh of relief. "She says they have room for us. We can head over."

"Awesome!" Jordan said. "This place feels like a death trap now."

"That's a bit much, Jord." His dad said. "Just because we don't have power doesn't mean it's a death trap. We should get going, though. Best not to keep them waiting on us."

"They're going to be waiting a while." Jordan said, looking out through a window. "Look."

In the blustering winds of the storm, masked by the sound of the hailing rain, a tree had fallen over the driveway, trapping their cars. There was no way around it, either. Attempting to drive across the now flooding lawn would surely land them in slick mud. Luck was not on the white cats's side, but they had the small light that there was a safe, powered place amongst friends waiting for them.

Mike's mom got another text. A worried expression fell upon her and she looked up at her husband. "Agatha just texted again. Says a tree has trapped their cars in the driveway."

"I'll go get them." Mike's dad said, standing up. "Let them know help is on the way."

"I'll go too!" Mike said quickly, hopping to his feet as well. He was anxious about Lucy. She had an intense phobia of water, and he wanted to make sure she was okay when she was going through the storm.

His parents knew he was feeling this way, too. "I know you're concerned about Lucy, but it's dangerous out there." His mom told him.

"Please." Mike said. "I just want to help."

"I'll be with him." His dad placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "We'll be alright. We can always use the extra hands just in case. Plus, the van has room enough for both of our families."

"Alright…" Mike's mom was still worried, but time was of the essence. "Just be quick."

"We will be." Mike's dad said, getting his jacket on. "See you in a few, dear."

"Good news, everyone." Lucy's mom smiled lightly. "Frank and Mike are on their way. They should be here soon."

"We better get our stuff together, then." Lucy's dad said.

But as the family headed for the stairs, a loud creaking followed by a crack was heard. A massive tree next to their house had been pushed over by the storm. It sliced into the top of their house, causing it to shake violently. Plaster fell and the ceiling cracked, threatening to come down on top of them.

"Outside!" The dad said, placing a hand on his wife and son's backs to guide them to the door. "Outside now!"

They didn't need to be told a third time. They filed out of the house into the perilous storm. Nowhere for them was safe, all they could do was stand in their yard, and hope that their friends would come through quickly. That's when Jordan noticed something was missing and asked, "Where's Lucy?"

His parents looked at each other in horror, their blood going cold. With all of the stress of the storm and being unable to start their generator, they hadn't noticed she hadn't been with the rest of them all night. "Oh my god…" Her mother gasped, and looked up at the roof of their house, or what was left of it. The tree had caved it in, laying over the area where Lucy's room was located. She wailed in anguish. "We have to go get her!"

"We do!" Her father said, trying his best to talk over the storm. "But it's too dangerous! We need to call the fire department. Even if we got up there, we couldn't move the tree out of the way."

"Don't worry, I'm sure she got out of the way… if she even was in the way of the tree at all." Jordan tried assuring his mom, but these were just empty hopes.

Lucy's mom dialed 911, and through her broken voice she told the dispatcher what had happened. The dispatcher told her that they would send out a truck her way immediately, and that, in fact, one was about 15 minutes away. Lucy's mom hung up and relayed the information to her family. All they could do now is huddle up and pray that Lucy was okay.

Mike and his father pulled up just moments after the call ended. They parked on the street and both of them got out to greet the family. "Hey folks." Mike's dad said through the wind and rain. "Good to see you're all in one piece."

Before any of them could respond, Mike had immediately picked up on the fact Lucy was not with them. "Where's Lucy?!"

"She's still inside!" Jordan said. "The fire department will be here soon to- hey! Where are you going?!"

The moment Mike heard she was still inside, and seeing the tree over where her room was, he bolted for their front door. "Son! No! Come back!"

But Mike did not hear him. Even if he had, he wouldn't have altered his course. Lucy was trapped, all alone to face the storm. It might be a foolhardy thing to do, running into a collapsing house, but Mike needed to save her. He promised Lucy he would always try to protect her, and if that meant with his life, so be it.

The korat threw the door open and ran up the stairs. They were slick, and partially destroyed by the tree. It was a tough going, Mike had to contort and squeeze his body to get by, but he made it through. The bulk of the tree was in Lucy's room, anyway. He just hoped that it was merely blocking the door, and that she had gotten out of the way. To think she was crushed was too much to bear. No, he had to be positive.

Mike expected resistance, but Lucy's bedroom door opened faster than he'd ever anticipated. The wind caught it and threw him in, and nearly ripped the door off its hinges. Mike found himself tangled in branches and leaves, but pulled himself up. Then, he heard a small voice fight through the wind. "Help!"

Some branches had to be pulled away, but Mike was able to uncover Lucy from the mess. She was banged up, with cuts and bruises all over her body, but fortunately it didn't appear as though she was being penetrated by anything. "Lucy!" He gasped when he saw her.

"Michael… I can't move… leg is stuck…" Lucy said weakly, pointing to the end of her bed.

"I'm gonna look, okay?" Mike said, but Lucy tried pushing him away.

"You need to get out of here, idiot! The rest of the roof might come down any moment." She hissed.

Mike was not budging. He looked over and saw that her leg was indeed pinned under a particularly large branch. No problem, he had made short work of all the other branches. However, to his dismay, this one refused to move even an inch. He tried rolling the trunk, but it pressed down harder, as though angered by the teen's arrogance to think he could move it. Lucy cried out in pain, and Mike stopped fighting with the tree. It was clear further action might make the situation worse. "I'm so sorry!" He cried. "I can't move it!"

"Then go!" Lucy said, getting fired up. She did not want Mike to die for her, or even get hurt. "You can't do anything!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Mike shouted over the storm. "I'm staying put!"

"Then we'll both die!" Lucy yelled at him. "We'll both die because you're an idiot! You need to get help!"

Mike shook his head tearfully. Lucy was in quite the state, and he feared if he left her side something terrible would happen to her. He wouldn't abandon her, not again, no matter how much she chastised him.

But something terrible did happen. The tree had strained the supports on the roof enough as it was, but the added wind and rain coming down on them turned a bad situation worse. There was a loud creaking, and both cats stopped their bickering to look up. An exposed beam that had been sagging under the weight of another part of the tree, groaned. In another moment, cracks began to form around the sides, and spread deep into the wood. It was all too much to bear, and the support came down, right where Lucy was trapped.

The khao manee shut her eyes, waiting for whatever pain and death was about to come for her, but it did not. After a moment, she dared to open her eyes, and saw Mike standing above her on the bed, holding the beam up. His face was strained, but he held steady. The wind and rain stabbed at him, but he powered through to keep it high. Unfortunately, he was unable to push it away from Lucy, and had to keep holding it. "Michael…" She breathed.

"It's okay, Lucy. I've got it. I can hold it." Mike tried comforting her, but not even he knew how long that would last. He wasn't sure where he was finding the strength to hold it up in the first place, but it was there. One thing was certain, Mike could save himself still, but at the cost of Lucy's life. That was a price he could not pay.

Yet, this was a price Lucy was willing to take. She still cared for Mike. "You have to let me go!" She said, feeling herself getting weaker, the pain going away as her body was getting numb. "You'll die too!"

"Then I'll die too." Mike said firmly through gritted teeth. "Your brother said they called the fire department… they'll be here soon, they can help us! But we have to stay strong."

"You can't hold up the beam for that long!" Lucy cried, exerting herself in an effort to get through to Mike. "This is suicide! Just… just go!"

"Sorry, but I'm gonna be like you this time." Mike grinned through strained muscles. "Hard headed and stubborn!"

There was no convincing Mike. Lucy's heart sank, thinking that she was going to be the reason her friend died. All of her thoughts seemed to be dissipating though, with her mind going fuzzy. "I d-don't feel so good, M-Mike… I c-can't f-feel my b-body."

"Stay with me, Lucy!" Mike urged her. "We can do this!"

"I feel so tired, Mike." Lucy whispered, feeling lightheaded. Her pulse was slowing down, and Mike could see it in her face that she was about to pass out. She needed to stay conscious.

"Don't go to sleep!" Mike pleaded. "You have to stay awake. I…" He had to think of something. "I- I bet I can stay awake longer than you!"

It was far too late for that, though. Mike saw one brief look at her baby blue eyes as she used the last of her consciousness to look at his. Her eyes shut and she moved no more. "LUCY!" Mike screamed, but she didn't respond. "Wake up! Wake! Up!"

Still nothing.

"Please…" Mike whimpered. "Don't leave me… don't go where I can't protect you… where I can't love you…"

The weight of the beam was now really starting to come down on Mike. He couldn't give up now, the fire department must almost be here! Lucy was still going to be okay, he had to believe that! But as the minutes ticked by, his strength began to fail little by little. Mike's muscles screamed at him to let go, and his heart was pounding harder than it ever had before.

Mike shut his eyes tight and focused what energy he had into keeping the beam safely above Lucy. If he let it fall on her, she would surely be lost for good. He thought about all of the wonderful times he and Lucy had together. Countless hours sitting quietly underneath their favorite tree, a tree he had long since stopped associating with Sandy. He thought about the times they got ice cream, or played video games together. The times they helped each other when they fell, got hurt, almost drowned. Lucy's beautiful blue eyes, her smile that made his heart stop, the sweet melody of her voice.

Mike fought with all of his might to keep the beam from coming down on him, but more than that, he was fighting for her.

Tears rolled down his cheeks as he thought about the future. He was fighting for that, too. For all of the countless hours they had yet to spend sitting under that tree, the beautiful songs Lucy had yet to sing, and all the wonderful things he knew she was going to do. He hoped that, in the end, he would get to be there for all of it, too. And even if this be the end for them, he would be happy knowing that he got to spend it with her.

The rain and wind were cutting into Mike like knives now, but he couldn't hear any of it. He was soaked to the bone, lashed and beat. His legs and arms were getting shaky, and he knew that any moment, he would collapse and both of them would be crushed.

But for the first time that night, fate smiled upon the two families. Unbeknownst to Mike, the fire department had arrived, and the firefighters rushed upstairs after a frantic conversation with their parents. Mike opened his eyes one last time, and through blurry vision, he saw them come in through the door. There was a moment where the men stood in total shock at the sight of this teen holding up such a heavy load. Mike whispered for help, but he didn't know if they heard. The men running toward him was the last thing he saw before his body gave out and darkness took him for its own.

The first thing Mike heard was a steady beeping sound. He was enveloped in warmth, and the feeling of cloth covering him. This must be heaven, he thought. But wait - why did heaven have a beeping noise? Mike feared opening his eyes, not wanting to know where he'd ended up. Ignorance couldn't be his blanket forever, though, and he had to take a look.

He was laying on his back, with nothing but a tiled ceiling above him. To his left was a heart monitor and an IV bag. Following the IV tube, Mike saw it led to underneath the blanket he was using, and no doubt ending in his arm. To his right was a small table, some chairs, and a window. It was bright outside, Mike could see through the blinds. Someone had left them cracked for him. The table had a vase and some flowers. On the far wall was a TV, but it was turned off at the moment.

A nurse walked in, preparing to do a checkup, looking at her clipboard. She looked up and smiled when she saw him up. "Oh, good to see you're awake now, Michael. Your family will be happy to hear that! And I'm happy to see it, too. How are you feeling?"

"Where's Lucy? Is she okay?" Mike asked as quickly as he could form the words in his mind.

"Try not to exert yourself right now. You're stable, but you still need to save your energy." The nurse said as she looked over the machine monitoring him. "The first thing we need to do is contact your family and let them know you're awake."

"I just need to know that she's okay." Mike said, fear gripping him. He sat up, and the beeps on the heart monitor began to hasten. The nurse smiled reassuringly.

"I wasn't assigned to Lucy, but you both came in at the same time." She said calmly, trying to get his heart rate down. "Let's just see about your family first, okay?"

Mike swallowed, his mouth going dry. The nurse couldn't make any statements she wasn't sure of. She hoped for Mike's sake that Lucy was okay, but she hadn't been given any information on her. Her priority was Mike. "Just try to relax. I'll call your family. They'll be here soon, I'm sure."

With that, the nurse left the hospital room and closed the door behind her. Mike laid back down, doubt settling in. He had failed her. Despite all his might, he had failed her in the end. His chest felt tight and tears welled up in his eyes. "No… no…" He sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Lucy…" The korat curled up to cry. "I'm so, so sorry…"

Mike cried to himself until he couldn't bring anymore tears. Yet, his sorrow felt just as strong. His promise was broken, the one he would have died to keep. He wished desperately that they would trade places, that he was dead and not her. Anything, he'd give anything.

By the time his family arrived, Mike had fallen silent again. They all rushed in, with his mother hugging him tightly. "Oh, my sweet Michael… I'm so happy you're okay!" She sobbed.

"We came just as soon as we heard." His dad said, stoic as ever, but anyone could see the relief in his eyes. Even Haley looked like she was holding back her own tears as she stood silently at the end of his bed, looking down.

But once more, all Mike could do was ask about Lucy. His family did not have any answers for him. "We came straight to your room." His father said, as his mother was too emotional to talk. "Both you and Lucy were in a rough way when they pulled you from the house. You both were just…" His father paused. "Lifeless. We really thought we lost you. The firemen said you were holding up a beam and then just collapsed."

That was it. That was the smoking gun. Though Mike's tears were spent, his chest heaved with sadness. "I failed her… I tried so hard and I still failed her…"

"Now don't say that!" His mother said. "I'm sure if you pulled through, she will too. We can go see her right after this and let you know how she is!"

However, Mike's family didn't need to check up on Lucy for him. Instead, there was a small knock at the door. Everyone looked over to see Lucy's family there. "Come in." Mike's dad said.

The khao manees entered and Lucy's mom spoke before anyone else could. "Yes, Michael. She is awake and okay." Everyone let out a sigh of relief, and if Mike could have spared them, he would have let out tears of joy. "Thank you for protecting my daughter."

"Yeah, Mike." Jordan said. "You're not such a dweeb afterall."

"No." Haley agreed. "He's the bravest brother anyone could have. An idiot for running into a collapsing house! But a brave idiot." Everyone else silently agreed.

"Can I see her?" Mike asked, sitting up.

"I think it's best if you both get your rest for now. You'll have plenty of time to see each other later." His mom said.

"But-" Mike protested.

"No buts!" His mom said. "You've been through a lot."

"You'll see each other soon enough." Lucy's dad said. "Believe me, she's just as worried about you as you are about her."

"Fine…" Mike said, laying back down.

"For now, what all happened up there in the house?" Lucy's mom asked. "Lucy said she passed out after you caught the beam. Her memory of the night is still catching up with her.

It was a painful thing to remember, but Mike regaled the story. From slipping past the tree on the stairs, to being unable to lift it off Lucy's leg, to holding up the beam as Lucy passed out. Both families were able to fill in the rest. The firefighters had rushed upstairs, Mike knew that, but as he passed out himself, they were able to catch the beam and hold it up. A third firefighter caught him and carried him out, and a fourth used a saw to cut the branch off Lucy's leg and carry her out too.

The families convened at the hospital, still during the height of the storm, and worked out the situation with the doctors. Mike and Lucy were rushed into the emergency care unit to be stabilized, and then moved to other rooms once things were looking on the up and up. All there was left to do was wait for them to wake up, and now they had. The next step was waiting a day to be sure no other complications arose, and then they would be sent home. However, Lucy would need the aid of a wheelchair, as the branch had broken both of her legs. Mike winced, but he was happy she was still alive.

Both families gave their farewells to Mike, with them also going to check up on Lucy before leaving. Mike's mother promised she would be back soon with all sorts of sweets and things for him to do, gave him another tearful hug, and left.

And so Mike was alone again with his thoughts. Lucy being okay was all he could ever ask for, but his heart still grieved that she had to suffer through so much pain. There was nothing he could have done to help her legs, but he still felt awful. Now came the question of how their reuniting would go, and Mike's heart sank even more. He was glad Lucy was okay, but he knew what was coming for him.

She was going to yell at him, as she always did. This was all going to be his fault. Most likely her fists would fly. Then she would cry, and yell some more. Afterwards it would be like nothing happened, and things would be business as usual. Make no mistake, he would suffer a thousand punches if it meant she was alive, but he was not looking forward to the coming chew-out session.

The next day, Mike was permitted by his nurse to leave his room. This was in an effort to monitor how well he did getting back on his feet as well. He brought with him a book his mother had brought him the evening before, and was looking for a peaceful place to read it. The hospital had a courtyard where patients could meander and enjoy the outdoors while they stayed. Mike found a shady, comfortable spot under a tree in one of the corners to sit under.

Mike took a moment to appreciate his surroundings. Maybe it was more than just that, though. He was appreciative that he was still alive, and in one piece. And more than that, so was Lucy. It was a gorgeous day, nary a cloud in sight. A cool breeze blew through the leaves of the tree he was under. It seemed as though it had mostly survived the hurricane. With everything being so peaceful, it was hard to believe that not two days prior there had been the storm of the century raging through Roseville.

Mike cracked his book open and got to reading. He would be going home that evening, and felt like a book could make the next few hours breeze by. Just as Mike was getting pulled in by the story, he heard a wheelchair roll up in front of him. He looked up to see Lucy sitting in it, being pushed by a nurse. "Michael?" The nurse said. "You have a visitor. She was adamant that she come see you."

This was a nice way of putting it. Ever since she woke up, she had been demanding to see Mike. The doctors and nurses were not entirely on board, as she had sustained some critical injuries and they felt like she needed to rest more. Lucy was hearing none of it, and refused any treatment until she saw Mike. Having to mind their bedside manners, the nurses conceded and permitted her thirty minutes out of bed to see him. "I'll give you two some space. Remember Lucy, thirty minutes and it's back to bed."

Lucy did not respond to the nurse as she walked off. Her gaze remained intensely fixed on Mike, who stared back at her. He knew what was coming, and he sat tensed up. He closed his book and sat it aside. "Good morning, Lucy." He said calmly. "Go on. Let's get it over with."

But the yelling did not come. Instead, the girl made a move to lift herself off her chair. Mike's eyes went wide. "Lucy, what are you doing?!" He lunged forward to catch her, and not a moment too soon because Lucy fell forward. She had very little strength in her legs, both of which were wrapped in bandages. Mike held her in his arms, while Lucy wrapped hers around his torso. Then, in the quietest of voices, she whispered, "I'm so happy you're okay."

Mike froze. This was very un-Lucy like. "I- I'm happy you're okay too…" He said, not knowing if this was some sort of trick. Lucy had pulled this lovey dovey bait and switch on him before. "How are your legs?"

"They're still there." Lucy said, releasing her hug on the korat. Mike helped her to the tree so she could lean back on it. He then took his spot next to her. "They're sore, but I can at least feel them again. Don't worry, jerkface, I'm still gonna be able to kick your butt after all of this is through."

"Ah, haha…" Mike laughed anxiously. So, his crimes were not to go unpunished. "Well, that's good to hear…"

Lucy sidled closer to him, brushing her fur up against his. Mike leaned forward a little, hands awkwardly placed in his lap. "Thank you for saving my life. Again." The girl ssid softly.

"I made a promise, remember?" Mike said, looking at her. "I'll always-"

"Always protect me, I know." Lucy finished, having been through his whole noble speech before. "But why? Why did you make that promise? You don't owe me anything."

"It's because…" Mike started. It was because he loved her. She might not ever feel the same, but Mike couldn't stand to live in a world without her. She was precious to him, and he felt a need to protect her, even if it came at a cost to himself. His well being, him getting chewed out by her, even his life if need be. "Because… you know… it's the right thing to do?"

Lucy frowned. She knew that was a load and then some. "Don't lie to me, Mike. I know why." She looked up at him. "You're always fussing because I'm never honest about how I feel, and now you're going to lie to me about how you feel?"

"It's not a-" Mike was cut off by a sudden movement from Lucy, one that connected their lips. Lucy felt herself falling over, so she stabilized herself by placing her hands on Mike's shoulders. After a few shocking moments, Lucy broke the kiss and looked at Mike's face to admire her handywork.

"You don't have to kiss me everytime I save you." Mike sighed, remembering what happened the last time a kiss from her got his hopes up. "I don't expect anything in return."

"It wasn't just for you, jerkface." Lucy folded her arms. "I did it for me, too."

Mike blinked stupidly at her. "What?"

The khao manee positioned herself back the way she was sitting before and looked up at the leaves of the tree. "Before I passed out, I made a promise, too."

"What was that?"

"That if we made it through this, I would start being more honest about how I felt." She looked at him and took his hand. "And this… this is how I feel… How I really feel."

Mike looked up at the sky, not knowing what to say. He'd always hoped Lucy would one day break down her walls and open up to him this way, but never imagined how he would react to it. He was happy, for sure, but it all felt so surreal. Finally he looked at Lucy, who was off in her own thoughts, and said "Thank you for being honest with me. I… I'm really happy you feel the same way!"

The two snuggled up to each other. Lucy picked up Mike's book. "What's this about? It looks interesting."

"It is!" Mike smiled brightly. "Want me to read it you?"

"Yeah." Lucy nodded. "I'd like that."

And so Mike went back to the start, and read aloud to her until it was time for her to go. Even after, Mike followed her to her room and they continued to talk as they always had, except now there was no tension between them. Now they could look into each other's eyes, hold each other's hands, and express their feelings without being embarrassed.

And they couldn't have been happier.