When Ty let go of her, Tses moved off to the side and stood nervously. She picked at the cuts on her hands, and her eyes kept darting back towards the trunk. It didn't seem very threatening, but it made her pulse race and her stomach churn. She couldn't breathe enough air, and even as her tears stopped, she didn't feel 'ok'. Not yet... she didn't know how long it would take for that to happen.

She glanced at the bodies, and her face was empty. Just like with Kystler, she felt disconnected from the concept of death. The fact Ty killed both men didn't seem to bother her in the way it probably should. She saw things in a predator's mentality. If killing someone meant you stayed alive, you did what you had to do. Ty protected her this time. She knew that. Even though it was his father that caused this, he kept her safe, and eventually, she'd make that up to him.

As he held out her tiger, Tses took it and pulled it tight against her in a hug. When her necklace was returned, she reached up her hand and touched it. It felt comforting. "Can we go home now?" She whispered, and shuffled in place. She felt so uncertain, so confused. She didn't feel like Tses... she felt much more like the little street kid who sat on a snowy rooftop by herself. She didn't want to be alone. Not right now.

Ty looked around the room, his gut sinking as he took the scenery in. He'd killed both of them. But he did it for her....so that made it okay, right? Maybe? Grah this was confusing. "Home...." he murmured, moving to unlock the door. "Yeah, let's go home," he said softly, gently taking her hand in his and leading her down the stairs, where he removed the non-monetary items from the envelope and set it on the counter.

He bit his lip as they walked, looking over at her. "I know, I caused alot of pain, and alot of trouble these past couple of weeks...I thought I needed time alone, but....I was wrong. What I needed was you and Butterfly..."

As they left behind the shop, Tses glanced at her hand in Ty's. Her skin stung where it was raw, but her fingertips tingled with his touch. It felt like forever since she held his hand, but it was familiar and comforting. In a way, it made her feel like he hadn't left. But then the fear rose again and the sadness and she had to push past it all. She held onto the tiger with one arm, and ran her thumb across the back of his hand as he talked. "You'll have to see your sister soon. She was really upset." She said, and then got quiet again. As she thought, she felt her thoughts starting to formulate and she found herself talking more.

"Kystler's dead.... Jacob found out what was happening with him, and he helped get rid of him.... I wished you were there though..." She looked at him and then around as they walked. It was cold outside, and after walking for a little bit, she realized how cold her feet felt. She glanced down and realized during the kidnapping she hadn't even bothered to put on her shoes. She was walking barefoot, and she could see the little scars on her feet where old scars had healed over. "Fish... how far is it to the apartment?" She asked slowly, hoping it wasn't too far. It would be very cold by then.

Holding her hand made him feel so much better, almost like he never left. "I will. I'd went by your place but you weren't home, so I started for hers. But then something hit me. Your window was unlocked, so I went back to check everything out," he explained.

"Yeah, Jacob's alright. Said he helped you, which was great....glad someone was there for you when I didn't have the balls to go outside. Trying to get me to reform, which....I don't know what to think about. But I did get 70 bucks out of him. Bets." He smiled softly.

"I shoulda been there. I should have faced my father before instead of this happening....and your house isn't too far." He led her in then out of an alley that put them just a few streets over from where they were going.

He said the house wasn't too far, but Tses felt exhausted. Her body hurt, her head was starting to swim, and she was still dizzy from lack of oxygen not to mention carbon dioxide inhalation from being trapped in such a confined space. She tried to smile as Ty talked about the $70 from Jacob, but she it faded and slowly, she stopped walking, pulling Ty to a stop with her.

"Ty... I gotta take a break, it's cold and I'm tired and... I'm sorry." She whispered, sinking back against the wall to the right of them. Her feet were tingling with cold, and her brain was so fuzzy and jumbled. She shut her eyes for a second, trying to gather the strength to keep going. But it just made her feel more drained. Her mind kept sending her the fresh memories of the dark enclosed space, and she squeezed Ty's hand a little tighter.

Ty looked at her as she stopped, then for the first time realized she was bare-footed. No wonder she was cold...

"Tses, we need to get you home. But I'll tell you what." Releasing her hand, he scooped her up in his arms, his face having stopped bleeding by now. Luckily it wasn't too far. Ty held her close to him as he walked down the street to her apartment. When it finally came into view, he carried her inside, setting her down so she could walk the rest of the way and let him in.

Typically, Tses would object to being carried, but under the circumstances, it felt like an allowable action. Cold, tired, and shivering, she nestled against Ty and shut her eyes, comforted by the action. She didn't like feeling helpless, but she was learning to enjoy being cared about. He had found her, regardless of all their fighting, and regardless of his own emotional problems. It was... nice. She had hope again. Hope that even when things were bad, he would return. They messed up, but he'd fixed it, and she enjoyed the moment while she could.

It was a clear day out, and she could feel the sun touch her face as they moved. It was warm, and pushed through the biting cold to reassure her. She'd only been captive a day, but it felt like eternity. An eternity of uncertainty of a rescue that wasn't coming. Every time she started to think about it, she clutched the tiger just a little tighter, and felt small and insignificant. She wished she were stronger, but she wasn't after all.

As they reached the apartment, Tses settled onto her own two feet, and moved to the apartment door. She didn't have a key, but that never bothered her as she created a tiny little energy orb and popped the lock with it. It drained little bits of energy from her as she did, but at least it was fairly soon after the full moon, and she had enough left over reserves. padding into the apartment, Tses moved to the bed and grabbed the comforter off it, then settled onto the couch and buried herself under it, bare feet tucked into the couch. She clutched the little tiger, and watched Ty quietly, not sure what to say.

Ty followed her into the apartment, which still gave him an uneasy feeling. When she grabbed the comforter, he walked over to a kitchen chair and draped his denim jacket over it, then tucked the shades into the pocket. Fighting the awkward silence, he went into the bathroom, fixing his hair and looking at the scratch on his face. Part of him knew he still wouldn't be the same old Ty he was, but he just hoped to keep as much of the old him as possible.

Making his way back into the couch, he kicked his shoes off under the table before joining her under the blanket, though not making contact with her right yet. "I know things haven't exactly been easy the past few weeks...I'm not saying I want your pity. Just your forgiveness..." he started, then sighed. "I never meant to hurt anyone...especially not you or Butterfly..." his voice cracked as tears threatened to come out of his eyes again.

The fabric of the comforter slowly warmed her up, but while it comforted her body, it didn't help much with her mind. There was still a part of her trapped in that trunk, trying desperately to escape. alone alone alone it echoed in her brain, and she buried her face in the comforter while Ty moved to the bathroom. alone alone alone She was yelling at that piece of her mind to shut up, but it was a broken record. You'll always be alone. Just like this. In an apartment with no pictures, no identity. No one would know who lived here if you ever went missing. Ty showed up this time, but he won't next time. You'll just be alone alone alone. Silly little girl. Alone----

Then, Ty was there. She looked up as she slipped under the blanket, and her eyes caught his. He looked so.... regretful. Why did it take so long for him to feel sorry? Why hadn't he figured it out sooner? Part of her was still hurt, still angry. But that side of her didn't matter. She learned her lesson last time. Pushing people away only hurt them both in the end. So she reached out, and took his hand, giving a small genuine smile. "You came back. And that's the most important thing to me.... it may take a while to really.... get over it... but I have been dumb to push you away before when I needed you." Slowly, she wiggled her way under his arm. She didn't care if he didn't feel cuddly. She just need to next to him and feel safe.

Ty gratefully accepted the hand. "I know....I was just so wrapped up in my own problems. I lost track of everything else. I ended up pushing you away But never again. And like I said, I always come back. I'm not leaving like that again...." He leaned against her when she wiggled under his arm and tears ran down his cheeks.

He liked that she was cuddly, but he knew it was because of what all had happened. Because of him. "I was trying to keep you from being hurt, because I didn't like what I was becoming....I was scared." He clung to her, nuzzling the top of her head with his cheek. "I guess the saying's true....you hurt the ones you love the most."

Tses sighed slightly as she sank against him. For the first time, she felt content. She didn't feel worried about being tough or being 'her'. She wasn't even trying to be cuddly for his sake either. she just needed the contact, needed to know someone was there. Her back was starting to hurt and her shoulders were bruises were forming, but that was a normal discomfort. She wasn't worried about going anywhere right now. This was enough.

"No matter who you are, or what you become, I'd still care about you. So, you got a side that's darker. It happens to the best of us." Her words seemed to flounder a little, and weren't as clear or comforting as she would like. But she followed it up by giving him a quick peck on the cheek, then blushing slightly and settling back into her cuddling. She had trouble with showing emotions, but felt better being able to push through some of her resistance at least for now. She wondered if she would start falling back to 'normal' soon, but the inner turmoil occurring in her mind reminded her it could be awhile if she did.

Ty closed his eyes, brushing the tears away, letting his fingers linger over the blackened eye. His hands then dried themselves on his shirt before moving to run through her hair. He figured it was only a matter of time before she became her usual self again, but he was going to enjoy this. She was so warm, so comforting. She may not have even known it, but she was letting him know that even though he screwed up, even though he made her think he'd left her....she still loved him.

His other hand reached over, fingers resting on the part of his cheek that received the kiss, and he smiled. "Thank you, Tses. You may not always feel like you are, but you're a great girlfriend. Every couple has their moments, but you've always pulled through when I needed it. I'm just sorry you can't really say the same."

His voice trailed off, and he gulped, hard. "I love you, Tses..."

Tses was staring at the comforter in front of her, looking at the tiny little strings in the fabric. After being stuck in the dark for so long, it was nice to see things in the light. She clung to Ty's hand, feeling the rougher and smoother textures of his skin, and she listened to his voice, enjoying the ever so subtle accent that tended to leak through when something bothered him. She didn't feel very comforting or reassuring. If anything, she felt needy and childish. But he kept saying she was a good girlfriend. She didn't know if she believed it...

She'd been so mad. When she was with Chrys, she had prank called several random strangers just to get her anger at him out. She'd been reckless and stupid and hurt, but now it all felt silly. She didn't feel like she should be mad, and all she felt were the lingering traces of the saddness, and the ever present fear that was taking over her mind. The apartment seemed so big, made her feel so vulnerable. This wasn't a house; this was a cage. One she'd be trapped in forever by herself.

"You make up for your mistakes. You always make me feel better." Tses said, looking up at him. She buried her emotions again, and gave him a small smile. "I love you too, Ty." She returned the words, not tripping over them this time. It felt nice. Felt normal. Yet so strange to come from her.

Ty just lost himself in the moment, focusing on the warmth of her body against his, the comforter adding to it. Those words bounced in his head, and it made him happy; it was the first time she'd ever straight up told him she loved him. And he knew she meant it. She had to. With all he'd done there was no other explanation. If she didn't, he'd have been kicked out and/or slapped by now.

"I just wanna make you happy. I always have," he whispered. "From the time we met I knew there was something about you. Something different. Something...special. Something I liked. Alot."

Tses chuckled slightly, and glanced away from him, picking at the comforter and setting her little Tiger on her knees. She didn't feel so cold now, and for the moment, the fear was suppressed in her mind. "Something special when you met me? What? My snarky attitude and me laughing at you getting attacked by a dog? Or my graceful tumble through the skylight? I'm just a will-o'-the-wisp. A little light in the darkness that leads people astray."

She always loved those old celtic legends. There were a few times she listened in on an older homeless man in Chicago, as he told stories to the other kids. Her favorite had been about the Will-o-the-wisp, because they seemed so ghostly and innocent, but then they caused so much damage. Their ethereal light reminded her much of her moonlight glowing abilities, and she wondered if perhaps the will-o-the wisps were just misunderstood.