It was quiet in the room; just before dawn, the whole house was quiet, really. It was dark too, apart from the faint light coming in through the window, as the world outside slowly turned from night into morning. There was some other kind of sound and light inside - shallow breathing, and the glow of a monitor.

Gawain slid off the armchair and hit his elbow.

"Ow sh*t." he muttered, rolling onto his back on the floor. He'd been sleeping in that damned armchair for two days now, and he was getting sick of it. Not to mention tired.

His leg fell asleep; sitting up, he winced and started moving it around to feel the blood flowing again.

He looked up at Kate; she was still asleep. She had been, for two days now. She was not really sleeping either...
Gawain sighed, standing up and limping over to the bed. The fire elemental was slowly reginaing her body temperature, but she was still in a coma. He had been watching over her on and off since they brought her in from the rain; Jensen brough food reguarly, and all the others came in from time to time to visit and take care of Kate, but he didn't really feel like leaving her alone for long. Hence, the armchair.

Gawain yawned, and scratched the back of is neck. In the darkness of the room he could barely make out her pale face and dark hair. Touching her hand he made sure she was warm enough; he knew Jensen would kill him if anything happened to her on his watch. As if.

Kate laid in the grass on a warm summer day, the kind of day where she could just spend all of it basking in the warmth of the sun. She released a contented sigh as her eyes began to flutter closed and a smile played on her lips. These days where few and far in between for Kate but when they happened she did everything in her power to get outside and escape her mother and her lessons. She couldn’t recall at the moment how she had succeeded at this today but she really didn’t care. All that mattered was that she was out in the middle of the grounds, to the point where the house was doll sized in the distance. It would take them all a while to find her out here.

How did you get out here Kate?

Kate thought for a second and couldn’t remember. How had she gotten out here? “I walked.” That was really the only thing that made sense.

Do you remember walking? Do you remember ducking out of lessons or sneaking out of the house?

“Um…” Kate couldn’t remember, “no, but that doesn’t mean anything…”

Kate you never forget anything. Why aren’t you worried about this?

Kate sat up and looked around to see that no one was there. She shook her head, “The heat must be getting to me.” She laid back down and looked up at the green leaves of the trees above her.

You don’t get hot enough for that. Not anymore. And besides, it’s December.

Kate sat up once more, “No it’s not. It’s obviously the summer.”

It’s December 15th actually.

“But it can’t be.”

Don’t you remember. You came home because your mother died.

“What are you talking about? How can you say such a thing?”

I can say it because it’s true. Your mother died on the 10th of December, 5 days ago.

“No, your lieing.”

Kate you know I’m telling the truth. None of this is real. You need to go back to the real world now. It’s time to wake up.

“Who are you?”

You think you would recognize me. We have only been together your whole life.

Kate was suddenly surrounded in a ring of fire. She quickly pulled in her legs and began to panic.

I’m not going to hurt you. You are a very important investment to me.

“What do you mean?” The fear could be heard in Kate’s voice as she pulled her knees to her chest defensively. She knew the fire wouldn’t hurt her skin but she couldn’t help but be afraid of it.

Without you there is no me, which means it’s time to wake up Katherine. It’s time to go back to the house and wake up.

“No,” Kate shook her head, “I don’t want to.”

You have to.

“But I…”

WAKE UP NOW!! The fire came crashing down around her and she hid her head under her arms.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Kate woke up with a gasp in the safety of her mother’s old bed.

"Whoa!" Gawain jumped and almost fell again as Kate suddenly gasped and opened her eyes. Losing his balance, he sat down onto the edge of her bed, and leaned over to look at her.

"Kate?" he was trying to see in the faint light if she was really awake "Kate, it's okay, ya're safe."

He took a deep breath; the worst was over now, right? She was awake. She felt warm too, as he touched her hand - it would have been a fever for anyone else, but for her, it was normal. Healthy.

"How are ya feeling?" he asked, turning on the light on the bedsde table to see her better. The sun was not up yet.

Kate looked around at the dark wood and burgundy walls of what was her mothers room. She was dazed and confused about how she had gotten here. The last things she could remember were all fuzzy and it made her head hurt to try and think about it.

Kate lifted her hand to her aching head only to find a tube taped to her forearm.

Kate’s eyes snapped shut at the sudden light, her other hand rushing up to protect them. Kate felt something hard and plastic touch her forehead and for the first time she noticed the pressure on her middle finger.

Kate pulled the hand away and squinted, letting her eyes adjusted to the long forgotten light. What was going on? Why was she hooked up to a heart monitor?

She turned to look at Gawain, “How did I get here?”

>>“How did I get here?”

"You..." Gawain bit his lips, and put a hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back down. "Easy, Kate. You have been out for two days."

He really did not know what to say. So he decided to change the subject.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked; there was a tray on the table with water and two glasses. He poured water water into one of them, and offered it to her.

"You ran out into the rain, Kate." he sighed, looking at her.

>>You…Easy, Kate. You have been out for two days.

Gawain pushed Kate back down onto the pillows below. It seemed like he was afraid to tell her what she did that ended with her in this bed, hooked up to these machines.

>>Do you want something to drink?

She watched him pour the water and took it when it was offered, maybe now her throat would stop hurting. Everything seemed to hurt. Her chest hurt with every rise and fall her body ached as she tried to move it. It was obvious she had put herself through some kind of trauma, if only she could remember what.

>>You ran out into the rain, Kate.

At first Kate was shocked to think that she would do something like that, but the more she thought the more the blurs became coherent pictures. She remembered lying in her room and making her decision. She remembered standing at the door and running out into the rain. She remembered the feeling of the drops falling on her skin and she couldn’t help but smile.

Kate was smiling. That confused Gawain. Why was she smiling? Maybe it was the drugs. Did the doctor give her drugs?

"You were freezing cold" he said, trying to keep the emotions out of his voice. He was... what was he? Upset? Worried? It felt like the anger a prent would feel when her child does something incredibly stupid.

"I brought you in." he added "The doctor says you need some rest, but ya're gonna be fine." he finished, trailing off. That was all he was willing to say. He alos hoped she really was going to be fine. And not just her body.

Why did she smile?....

>>You were freezing cold. I brought you in. The doctor says you need some rest, but ya're gonna be fine.

“Thank you.” Kate looked into Gawain’s eyes and couldn’t tell how he was feeling, “Thank you for saving me,” she thought for a moment before speaking again, “I suppose, that wasn’t the best choice I have ever made, but I made it and I don’t’ know if I would change it.”

Kate really didn’t know if she would go back and change it. She had felt invigorated before it all went black. She had felt amazing and now she was still alive. Was it really such a bad decision then?

>>“Thank you. Thank you for saving me. I suppose, that wasn’t the best choice I have ever made, but I made it and I don’t’ know if I would change it.”

Gawain blinked, then leaned back to glare at her.

"Now ain't that **** awesome" he commented "Kate, have you any *** idea how worried ya made everyone?! I have been sleeping in that damned armchair for two days, an' I swear to God, if ya ever try anythin' that **** stupid again..."

He trailed off. So yeah, that probably was not the best way to talk to a person who's just woken up from a coma. But the pressure of the past two days was suddenly too much; he had to let her know how worried everyone was, so she wouldn't even think of pulling something like that again.

Staring at her for a long moment, he finally looked away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you."

>>Now ain't that **** awesome" he commented "Kate, have you any *** idea how worried ya made everyone?! I have been sleeping in that damned armchair for two days, an' I swear to God, if ya ever try anythin' that **** stupid again...

Kate looked at Gawain’s face turn red with anger as he yelled at her.

The room quickly went silent except for their breathing until Gawain spoke again.

>>Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you.

“It’s understandable that you did. I’m sorry that I made you so worried. I honestly didn’t know you cared that much. And to tell you the truth I didn’t think about the stupidity of my actions at all. It never accured to me that it would be so cold.”

>>“It’s understandable that you did. I’m sorry that I made you so worried. I honestly didn’t know you cared that much. And to tell you the truth I didn’t think about the stupidity of my actions at all. It never accured to me that it would be so cold.”

Gawain turned back to look at her. She was telling the truth. He could believe her; he could relate. Reaching out hesitantly, he touched er hand.

"Ya scared the crap outta all of us." he said with a half smile "We all care."

He was silent for a while, looking away.

"When my mother went missing, I did all kinds of stupid stuff, 'cuz I really felt like no one cared. I felt like I was all alone in the world. That... feeling of losing control over everything, it can be... overwhelming. I remember." he said quietly

>>Ya scared the crap outta all of us. We all care.

“Sorry.” It was only a sad whisper but that was all she could do. He was sad and she could tell he had been scared, she really hadn’t meant to make him feel that way at all.

>>When my mother went missing, I did all kinds of stupid stuff, 'cuz I really felt like no one cared. I felt like I was all alone in the world. That... feeling of losing control over everything, it can be... overwhelming. I remember.

Kate just looked at him confused for a moment, “What are you talking about?”

>>“What are you talking about?”

Gawain blinked, and thought about it for a moment.

"You running out into the rain, Kate, that's what I'm talkin' about." he said finally "Ya've been keeping it all together, ever since we came here. But ya can't just stay all focused and sh*t and then go and almost get yourself killed. That... just, it shouldn't happen. 'cuz ya're not alone. I did stuff because I was alone, but ya're not. There are a ot of people who care about you." he shrugged "That's what I meant, I guess."

>>You running out into the rain, Kate, that's what I'm talkin' about. Ya've been keeping it all together, ever since we came here. But ya can't just stay all focused and sh*t and then go and almost get yourself killed. That... just, it shouldn't happen. 'cuz ya're not alone. I did stuff because I was alone, but ya're not. There are a ot of people who care about you." he shrugged "That's what I meant, I guess.

Kate sat blinking at him for a moment before speaking. He had the situation all wrong. Yeah sure she felt alone but that had nothing to do with why she ran into the rain, “I didn’t do it because I felt alone. I did it because I didn’t’ want to live on eggshells anymore.”

>>“I didn’t do it because I felt alone. I did it because I didn’t’ want to live on eggshells anymore.”

Gawain blinked at her.

"Yeah well, you know there is a whole friggin' world between livin' on egshells an' freezin' to death." he snapped "Ya're a fire elemental, Kate. Duh."

He really didn't mean to snap. But he was still kind of worried about her, and kind of embarrassed too, that he wasn't with her when she decided to run outside. He knew he was not supposed to blame himself. He did it anyway.