Loid and Yor stood just as Sylvia exited from Anya's room, and gently closed the door behind her.

"Is everything alright?" asked Loid worriedly.

Sylvia met Loid's eyes, and then Yor's, before she gave an exhausted sigh. Debriefing parents was certainly not in her job description, but the Forger's were definitely a special case. She could almost laugh at the absurdity of it all - a WISE agent, a Garden assassin, and a telepath all living under one roof as a family?

It was ridiculous, and she really shouldn't have allowed it, but what the WISE upper management didn't know wouldn't hurt them. At this point, Sylvia had known Yor vicariously for almost twelve years, while she had a role in watching Anya grow up. She had known Twilight even longer than that.

But there was one person that Sylvia trusted more than anyone else, and that was herself. Her intuition had never been wrong.

So, she had made the executive decision that the Forger family could stay as they are. It was risky, but something in Sylvia's gut told her that it was the right path. Both Loid and Yor had the analytics and physical skills needed to protect Anya, and although Sylvia had taken a slight risk in enrolling Anya as a spy, her telepathy would return the favour in protecting her parents tenfold. They were stronger as a unit together - she was sure of it.

Sylvia knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would do everything in her power to protect them.

She pursed her lips, wondering how much she should disclose.

"From what I can tell, it appears that the Director is mingling with the upper classes somewhat, although I don't know in what capacity. She could be a relative, a political associate, an old school friend, or even someone that married up and got lucky, and that's just assuming that they are either personable enough or wealthy enough to gain those sorts of connections."

Sylvia sighed. "Unfortunately, this doesn't help me to narrow anything down, but at least we know where to start looking."

Loid sighed wearily. He knew the pain of having a near-impossible case.

"What about CCTV footage?" Yor gasped. "There were cameras in the ceiling when we went!"

Sylvia shook her head. "No luck. It seems that the recording equipment in the testing rooms were designed to focus on the subjects at all times, so the Director wasn't ever focused on. The best we have is her height and general appearance - not including her face - but it's too general to make any specific conclusions."

Loid had crossed his arms in thought, but at that moment raised his head to speak. "If the Director has connections to the upper class, then it's likely she will be turning to them for intel, or to gather resources. I'll get my informants to alert me of any suspicious activity."

Sylvia nodded in acknowledgement, and continued: "In any case, when Anya is ready, we'd like to hear more of what she has to say. Until then," she turned to Yor. "I won't ask Anya any more about the Director. I don't want to cause her too much distress at a time that she needs to recover. We'll try to handle as much as we can ourselves."

With that, Sylvia donned her hat, and left the Forgers behind.

Anya was almost looking forward to going back to Eden. It was nice to have a break from classes, but her time recovering was nowhere near as much of a holiday as she hoped it would be.

Damian did visit a couple more times to pass on her assignments, but he said that he couldn't stay very long to help her through them. Anya knew that he had enough to complete for his own classes, but she did also wonder if he felt uncomfortable being alone with her again. Since his last visit, he hadn't quite managed to look her in the eye.

Not to mention, that Loid and Yor were on full alert almost constantly, jumping at any disturbances in the neighbourhood, and they immediately ushered Anya to 'get down!' if they heard something that they interpreted as strange. It took a lot of effort on Anya's part to try to convince them that they were, in fact, safe.

She didn't feel safe, but someone had to talk some sense into her parents. Being a literal mind reader helped, and it meant that Anya could tell them if the people outside had actually malicious intentions or if they were just some random passers by.

So she was almost looking forward to going back to school - if it wasn't for the knowledge that she would have to get an injection on her first day back.

It certainly didn't help when Anya finally gathered her courage and picked up the phone to the school nurse. It took all the strength she had, as well as Loid's encouragement, to actually arrange another vaccination appointment. So far, Anya had managed to resist the temptation to cancel it.

She hoped that Damian would remember his promise to go with her. What if she had another panic attack, or worse, another flashback?

By the time she arrived at the school gates, she was a nervous wreck.

Damian waited for her at the gates, as he had done so many times before. He gave Anya a shy wave as she approached, before he noticed Loid's presence. Anya briefly wondered if he had forgotten that her Mama and Papa would be taking her to and from school from now on.

"Hello, er, Mister Forger," said Damian, before he straightened. "Sir."

"Hi, Damian," said Loid, not unkindly. "Thanks for all your help this week. We honestly don't know what we would have done without you."

"It's no problem," said Damian quickly. "I'm just glad Anya's better now."

Loid's eyes darkened into an indecipherable look, before he patted Anya on the back in encouragement, and directed his attention towards her. "Good luck at school today Anya, and remember to call us if you need anything."

And it's okay to change your mind.

"Thanks Papa," Anya sighed, and gave her father a parting hug, but privately she knew that if Damian was there with her, then she would be okay.

Only once Mr Forger was out of sight, did Damian offer his arm to Anya to hold on to.

She looked far too pale, and he wondered if she was really feeling ready enough to come back to school, but Anya shot him a glare.

"I am ready! I'm just nervous about my vaccination."

Damian tensed. Had she already forgotten about their code?

She must have heard that too, because reddened and stared at the ground as they walked. "Sorry, I forgot."

Just then, someone crashed into Anya's back, tearing her from his grasp.

"Anyaaa!" squealed Becky. "I'm so happy you're back! You wouldn't believe the torture I had to go through, seeing Damian's miserable face as he moped every day, knowing that you weren't there for him to stare at."

"Becky!" Damian groaned.

"What? It's not like I'm lying," she grinned and threaded her own arm with Anya's.

It took everything in him to grit his teeth and not throw an insult or a retort back to her, but he was more afraid of what Anya might think of him.

But it looked like Anya wasn't fully paying attention, or if she was, then the teasing had no effect. A painful grimace was stuck on her face and, even worse, she seemed to have turned a pale shade of green.

Luckily, Becky had enough sense not to interrogate Anya directly, so it was only once they had arrived at the classroom that Becky allowed Anya to enter first and get herself settled, while she spun to face Damian.

She jabbed her thumb behind her and whispered: "What's up with her?"

"Er," said Damian. He wondered where to start, and was about to say something along the lines of 'what isn't up with her', when a fragment of the truth fell out of his mouth. "Her vaccination has been rescheduled to today."

Becky's face fell. "Oh."

"Yeah," Damian grimaced, but didn't elaborate. He hadn't forgotten about the last time, either.

Frankly, it wasn't a memory that Damian liked to revisit. He had never in his life seen Anya look so terrified. He could even pinpoint the exact moment in the nurse's office that her eyes glazed over and she went somewhere else entirely.

He didn't know what had happened in the lab when she was younger, but he knew it must have been bad. Her reaction was shocking, but it gave Damian the gnawing feeling that the story behind it was much, much worse.

As he sat behind them in his usual seat, Damian examined her. Anya's leg jiggled uncontrollably, and she kept wringing her hands under the desk, making it almost impossible for her to write notes.

During class, Anya's painful fidgeting even caught the teacher's eye.

"Eyes on the board, Miss Forger," said Mr Swan, not unkindly.

Anyone watching would have immediately known that something was wrong, but even Damian could see that Anya was trying her absolute best, and his heart went out to her.

He did his best to take notes (intending to let her copy them later), while Anya's eyes followed the clock all morning. When the bell finally rang, signalling the end of class, and her impending appointment, Anya looked ashen, and her hands trampled as she packed her blank notebook bag into her bag.

Damian sighed, and gathered his things. "I'd better go with her," he said casually to Becky. "Cover for me in the next class, will you?"

Becky lifted a cheeky eyebrow at him. "I'm going to tell them you're in the gym storage cupboard together."

"Becky!" Damian felt heat flood his face. "Don't you dare!"

Becky laughed, and wandered away, fully aware of the effect of her words on him.

Damian shook his head. That girl. Everyone, even the teachers, knew what students did in the gym storage cupboard. He tried to calm his heart as he followed Anya to the infirmary, and attempted to put Becky's teasing out of his mind.

As he suspected, Anya had barely noticed that he had been walking closely behind her the whole time to the infirmary. She didn't even react when he stood next to her.

"Hey," said Damian, and gave her a gentle tap on the shoulder, and Anya jolted up. Even as her eyes landed on him, he had the powerful sense that she had just looked right through him

"Right, Damian, there you are," she muttered almost to herself, and jumped when the infirmary door opened right in front of them.

"Over here, love," said the nurse, and gestured for Anya to follow her.

Anya pressed her lips into a thin line, and glanced at Damian with wide, watery eyes. It made his heart ache for her.

"Do you…" His eyes flicked to the expectant nurse. "Do you want me to come in with you?"

Anya glanced distrustfully at the nurse, before taking a deep breath and nodding at him. He followed her into the infirmary, the same one that they had been in so many times before, but he couldn't explain why it felt so different. Probably because now that he knew what she had been through (sort of), he could see why the clinical setting was so stressful to her.

He hoped desperately that she would be okay.

Damian noticed Anya's pace become hesitant and slow, and without thinking much about it, he put a gentle hand on her lower back, in an effort to encourage her to keep walking. While the nurse did her job to get the preparations ready, Damian pulled up another chair and sat opposite Anya.

Her breathing had become shallow and ragged, with a hollow look in her eyes. Damian recognised that look all too well. She balled her hands into tight fists, scrunching the material of her uniform.

As the nurse returned, she eyed Anya warily. "Are you alright, love? Do you need a minute?"

"She'll be okay," said Damian quietly, and offered his upturned hands to Anya. As she took them, he brushed his thumb over hers and she jolted in his grasp.

Her eyes flared with a questioning look, and Damian nodded to Anya, confirming the signal.

He breathed deeply, and tried to think of a message that could help her feel more relaxed.

You're safe here. You're at Eden with me, and it's okay. You're safe.

Feeling a bit stupid, Damian carried on.

You really are brave for doing this, he thought, and she tightened her hold on his hands. Maybe that caught her attention. Damian took that as his sign to continue.

In fact, you're the most fearless person I have ever met. It's really amazing. I see you trying your hardest in everything, even if you are scared of failing, you never hold back.

In the corner of his eye, he saw the nurse roll Anya's sleeve up her arm, past the layers of bandages, and Anya's fingers stiffened as she squeezed her eyes shut.

He had to keep going. He had to distract her as much as possible.

You're so, so brave. Even when there are things that scare you, you don't let them stop you.

You're honest. He lifted his lips in a wry smile. So painfully honest. You're the exact opposite of all the stuffy bastards here in Eden. You don't pretend to like people based on their birth. You're unapologetically yourself and that's why people feel drawn to you.

The nurse prepped the vial and held it closer to Anya's skin. She squeezed his hand even tighter, and he suppressed a wince at her stinging grip.

You're crazy strong, and strange, but in a cool way. Noone has any idea what you're going to do next at any given point which is hilarious and sometimes stressful but mostly exciting. You're a literal breath of fresh air.

A quiet whimper escaped Anya and she started to shudder with tears.

And… Damian cheeks flushed without his permission. I've always thought you were beautiful.

At that, Anya whipped her head up in surprise, tears flying from her face, at the same time that the nurse stuck a plaster onto her arm.

"All done!" said the nurse cheerfully. "Just sit tight for about fifteen minutes, your boyfriend can stay to comfort you, okay?" Then, she gathered her pieces together, and bustled herself away.

Before, Damian would have snapped back something to the effect of 'she's not my girlfriend!' with vicious antagonism, but as Damian held on to the hands of the hiccupping, crying girl in front of him, the words died in his chest.

He couldn't help the emotion that surged through him. How did she do it? How did she face a fear so horrible, so awful, that he couldn't even begin to comprehend its depth?

It confirmed what he already knew: that no matter what life threw her way, she had the power to fight, and to get back up, no matter what. It was truly amazing.

Tears pricked his eyes as he fell to his knees before her. Damian pulled her towards him, and Anya gasped through her tears in surprise.

"You did it," he breathed into her hair. "You did so good."

With shaking fingers, Anya returned his embrace, buried her head into his shoulder, and cried.

Anya shuddered and sobbed against him while he held her and stroked her hair in what he hoped was a soothing movement. Something he thought he would never be able to do.

"I'm so proud of you," he whispered hoarsely into her ear.

He could have given it to her in a thought, but he knew that sometimes, saying things out loud made them matter more.

It was some time before Anya stopped crying, and allowed herself to be held by him. She partly worried that his shoulder was damp from her tears, and that she had ruined his uniform for the rest of the day, but he didn't seem to mind. More than that, he wasn't in a hurry to push her away.

Even though the tears had long passed, she couldn't stop shaking, and gasping for breath. Is that what happened when people cried? They felt like they had no more control over their own body?

She hated it, but she couldn't physically let go of him. It was easier to let his arms cradle her, while she tried to calm herself enough to give him back his own space.

Yet, even while her breath evened out, and she felt her muscles relax the tension she held, she still didn't let go.

Neither of them did.

Anya couldn't recall if they had ever been this close before, not since he carried her out of the lab. She didn't remember the escape very well. There were only flashes, sensations, and an undercurrent of panic and dread - but this felt different.

Damian held her securely, and the blazing warmth of his hands permeated through her uniform, igniting her skin below it. A part of her hoped that they could stay like that for as long as possible.

The fatigue of her ordeal started to catch up with her, and Anya's eyes became heavier and heavier, until she didn't even notice herself leaning her full weight against his shoulder, and the promise of sleep started to overtake her.

Anya distantly felt her body being lifted into the air, and gently placed on something soft. Warm clouds covered her body, lulling her further into sleep.

And as she drifted away, even though he hadn't given her the signal, a thought floated out to her:

I'm such an idiot. Did I seriously just…

Anya creased her brows in confusion. He had comforted her and made her feel safe and he was… annoyed?

It was the last thing she noticed before sleep took her completely, and the last word was lost to her.

…confess?

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You guys have NO IDEA how long I've been waiting to post this!
And it is definitely signalling the start of the Damianya content you have all been waiting for