"The only way you could hurt me is if you left again."

He didn't exactly know what she was talking about, but all of that stuff could be sorted out later. For now, they shouldn't be distressing, or freaking out about everything. For christ sake, they'd just confessed their love for each other; the only thing he wanted to worry about was how best to make her happy and comfortable again.

"It was my choice to be reckless, and get myself beat up. I did it. Not you. If you can live with it, I'll probably get myself beat up even more in the future... But if you stay, I'll be a happy beaten man." He smiled the best he could, despite her doubts, and turned to the omelet on the bed. "Now... the food's gonna get cold. I, eh... Hope there's enough for two."

Something about the way he spoke dragged her from her thoughts. She glanced over at him, making sure to keep her eyes pinned on the floor.

Could she live with such a burden? The idea of him putting himself in harms was was ditsressing... but. if she did leave, he would be alone. There would be no one to tend to his wounds, to yell at him for being so reckless in the first place... No, she knew that if she left she'd never survive without him. Not anymore, anyway.

His own confession came back to her, and she sniffled, smiling despite the fact that her mood hadn't changed all that much. She was still unsure... still hurting, and still very, very frightened.

... but having him close by made all of that better somehow. Dropping her hands from her hair, she wiped the tears away from her cheeks and clamed Sloth down. The large snake was uncomfortable being so close to the man who had given him the scar on his face. She turned slightly so that she could see the plate of food she had brought, and giggled.

"I brought it for you... actually. I am not all that hungry." Really, if she had intended to feed herself as well, she would have cleared out half of the fridge. Reaching out to take the plate, she help it out to him and smiled, watching his hands in the absence of her glasses. "... I thought you looked awfully hungry when I woke up, so I wanted to make sure you were fed. I do hope I made it alright."

Part of him knew the omelet was for him... He smiled warmly as he finally willed himself away from her, turning to head over to the bed. He eyed the omelet for a moment; it looked good, but the sight of the mess on his bed drew his eyes rather quickly. He spun slowly to look over to her.

"Thank you...They just came back, huh?" He motioned to the snakes writhing about on her head. "You can use my shower to wash off, if you'd like. I have some towels and some clean clothes... eh... They may be a little big on you, but we'll find you something better later... I can clean up and eat. That sound good?" He stood there awkwardly, awaiting her response. He wasn't sure what all to say... What to do...

He'd just gotten paid; maybe they could go get her some clothes? Maybe he was thinking too far ahead, though. She probably had a million questions... Some of which he might not answer truthfully.

Gently, she touched her hair, and the newly born snakes within. It was still a bit of a mystery, but she wasn't in the mood to question it right now.

It did bother her a little though, that he had gone to the church. He knew about what had happened to her, at the very least that she had been attacked. She didn't very well like that... nor did she really like the notion that he had been trying to track her down.

"Yes... a shower would do me some good, you as well it seems. Um... How much did you hear... about.. well, you know..."

She asked quietly, standing and turning her back to him. Sloth peered at him from over her shoulder, orange beady orange eyes locked on. Among the many things she wanted to say, to ask, that was hovering at the top of her list... as well as how she had gotten into his room in the first place.

"...Do you..um, have anything I can wear... like glasses?" She asked after a moment. She was tired of having to stare at the floor, or the walls. She wanted to look at him like a normal person.

"I went there... I'm technically an honorable member of the police department, and it was a crime scene. When I saw it, I knew the snakes were yours... It scared me, a lot. If I'd only been there to defend you..." His eyes wandered down to the floor, which had suddenly gotten rather interesting. The one thing Saphirus regretted the most in any instance was a failure to protect those he cared for. Protecting people, and punishing those responsible for their pain were the two things he knew how to do well... When he failed at them, he felt useless.

"You just got back, so I don't want you thinking about that... But some time, I'll want to know what happened. For now, though... Lets not think of that stuff, lets just enjoy ourselves"

He smiled a little, and looked up to her, careful to avoid eye contact. "I'll find some while you're in the shower. Sam probably has a pair laying around somewhere.

She nodded, a little slowly, and dropped her gaze to the floor as well.

It was probably best that they both.. uh, took some time to think of some things. There was a lot to talk about, after all. Much had happened since she had, well... left.

Andrea shifted on her feet, before turning to look toward the bathroom. A shower would do her some good. She would get clean, clear her head a little.... maybe try and figure out how the snakes had just sprung back up after so long.

"yeah... I... I guess it can wait. Probably for the best." She turned, and sighed. "...Are there, um... towels I can use... and, um... clothes for after?"

She squirmed, and chewed on her bottom lip. She loved him and all, but that didn't mean she would feel comfortable running around naked in his room...

"Oh, yeah... Well.. Towels are in the bathroom, and... um... one sec."

He turned and headed for his dresser, opening it, and rifling through a very disorganized mess of clothes. "Yeah, i'm sorry if it all doesn't fit too well, but... lets see... a shirt... Some boxers... Work out shorts... aaand... well, I don't have any... eh... brasbutimsurethats... not important." He paused, looked down at the jumble of clothing in his hands, and then up to her.

He then walked over, and held it out to her. "I'll eat real quick, and then find you some glasses... Then... Well... What do you want to do? I asked for today off, so we're free to do anything if you want."

She couldn't help but lean a little and attempt to look around him as he dug through his dresser. His comment of having requested the day off struck her as a little odd. How long had she been out? How long had she been in his bed?? Orange eyes narrowed suspiciously for a moment, before she shrugged the feeling off. He had her clothes in hand, anyway...

A shirt she needed, yes. Boxer shorts...err, she'd probably live with them. Running shorts...? Sure!

.... no bra?

Not happening. She'd wear her's again, dirty or not. With a little nervous giggle, and a blush that covered most of her cheeks, she accepted the clothing and fidgeted her way toward the bathroom.

"...Um... thanks. I'll... I'll be back out in a few..."

With that, she turned and shut herself in the bathroom. Careful to avoid the mirror, she peeled her soiled clothing off and started the hot water. It would feel good to relax a little, and maybe she'd have her thoughts all straightened out when she was done. Yeah... then she'd be able to ask him things and not sound like an idiot while she was as it.

Everything she did was adorable; at some point he'd forgotten that, and it was great to relearn it. He felt like a puppy who, for the longest time, had spied a bone the size of his head through a shop window. When he finally got his hands on it, he didn't know what to do with it, or himself. Was it wrong to feel that way? Still, the puppy analogy wasn't quite right; she wasn't a bone to him, or any other object for that matter. It worked, though...

She loved him! He hadn't heard those words spoken to him in a long time... No use bringing up old memories now, though. Today would be a happy day.

When she came out, she would see before her a man, still tired looking, but happy, holding in his arms a pair of sun glasses, a blanket, and what appeared to be a picnic basket.

He grinned a little, and motioned toward the empty plate on the bed. "It was great. I had an idea how we could spend the day... It's freakishly good outside for this time of year. Wanna go for a picnic? Catch up?"

He gave her his biggest, beggiest smile as he handed out the sun glasses.

She stood, dark hair dripping, and the snakes that lived within didn't look at all happy for their shared shower. Andrea stared at the man before her, his shirt clinging in various places, but loose enough that it wasn't restricting. She had donned the work out shorts that he had given her, and her gloves had been rinsed out and tugged back on.

Why was he holding-- ?

"It was great. I had an idea how we could spend the day... It's freakishly good outside for this time of year. Wanna go for a picnic? Catch up?"

...oh. A picnic! All thoughts of dragging back up the questions that had plagued her before the shower slipped from her mind, and she smiled. He had glasses for her, even.

"That truly sounds just... wonderful." Padding forward, she took the glasses from him gently, and slipped them onto the bridge of her nose. She locked eyes with him, finally... and stood on her tippy toes to kiss him delicately on the cheek.

His cheesy smile turned into a genuine one when she agreed to go on a picnic with him. To be honest, he had no clue what he was doing; he wasn't even sure how to throw a picnic. That kinda stuff didn't really fall in line with his skill set. Still, it seemed like something she would enjoy, so he'd thrown a bunch of stuff into a basket that had been laying around in the kitchen, and come back as quickly as he could, after grabbing a pair of glasses from the garage.

He was sure they were just someone's driving glasses, and he'd return them unharmed later, anyway; besides, he was sure Andrea needed them more than some rich kid, right? It was good to be able to look into her eyes again, that was for sure. His heart fluttered a little as she leaned in to kiss his cheek, and he couldn't help but stand there motionless for a moment, smiling pleasantly, before he realized she might be staring at him.

"Oh, yeah, we'd better head out. There's this nice place on the lawn that none of the kids play by... C'mon!" He grabbed her gloved hand in his own, and headed toward the cozy little spot.

The way he was acting... it was... adorable. The smile, the stunned and happy look. She felt her heart flutter a little, and her blush intensified. She couldn’t figure out why, not really, but ever since she had met him she had felt like a silly, love struck child in his presence. There was something about him that affected her so, and she love it with all of her being.

“Ah- wait! Shoes!!”

Barefoot, since there was no possible way for her tiny feet to fit into any of his shoes. With a giggle, she put up no further arguments and allowed herself to be dragged from the room, and out into the garden...

(end/Continued in....)