When the light of morning leaked into Kit's room, he awoke in agony.

Not a single part of him had been saved from the pain. His muscles burned, his bones ached and his skin stung. He felt thoroughly battered from head to toe.

Slowly the recollection of everything that had happened the night before began to hit him, and the fear caught in his chest. He racked his brain desperately for any memory of what might had happened. Only to come up empty.

Trying to straighten up, only to find even this simple action almost impossible. He relented to trying to look around the room with very limited movement. "Hello?" even his voice felt hoarse and rough. Like somebody had taken a sheet of sandpaper to his vocal chords.

"You're awake," a voice spoke. So happy that it sounded as though somebody had expected him not to.

"Unfortunately," Kit grimaced in response. Wishing that he had stayed asleep, for only then it seemed that he could gain some small relief from the pain he was in. He managed to turn his head just enough to see that he was talking to Max.

Max seemed genuinely upset by this, the younger man frowned. "I'm really sorry," he stammered on his words. "They're using the pain drugs on the others injured in the fire, there wasn't enough left for you."

"It's not your fault," Kit interrupted before the younger man could continue. Understanding, even if he resented the fact a little bit. "They'll probably need it a lot more than me right now," he admitted. Trying to convince himself of that more than anything else.

The knowledge alone that Max was ok helped lessen the pain somewhat, though not be very much. Right now it felt like nothing could ever relieve him of this pain, except for maybe one thing.

Stumbling over his own tongue, Kit struggled to find a way of wording it properly. "Is everyone ok?" The words hurt him to say, but not just in the physical sense. The worry of what might have happened to his friends hurt more than any wound could have done.

Forcing his face to remain neutral, Max spoke sternly for what was probably the first time in his entire life. "Not now, you need to worry about healing. Not about everyone else," he insisted. In a tone which clearly indicated that he wasn't going to be argued with.

Any other time, it would have amused Kit highly in spite of the pain filling him.

Looking down at the white sheets covering him, Kit hesitated. The next question evading him even more than the one before it. Kit spoke gently, choosing his word's carefully. "Did, did Rom..."

"Romany survived," Max interrupted before Kit had the chance to fully get the words out. A glint of amusement lighting the younger man's eyes. "She's hurt, but she'll survive. Your moment of 'heroism' saved her from most of the flames. She's battered from the fight, and will be sore for a few days with a couple of scars to remember the experience by. But otherwise, I think she'll be ok."

In spite of it all, a slight smile lit Kit's face. He rested his head against the pillow and let out a hefty sigh. He could worry about everything else later, from what he could tell, all those he truly cared about were ok. He could worry about the consequences later.

"She's been asking to see you, can I let her in?" Max seemed to word his own statement as carefully as Kit had done. Glancing down at his friend, uncertain of himself.

"Depends, how beaten up do I look?"

"Like you've been through hell."

"I'm pretty sure last night counted as hell, so that's fair enough." Kit chuckled weakly, the truth to his words adding a weight to them.

Max didn't respond, only straightened up and made for the door. He looked back before he exited though, pausing as though to say something. Then at last minute changing his mind, and leaving before Kit had the chance to ask.

For a moment, he watched the empty space which his friend had left. Lips parted with the ghost of a question on his tongue. It closed when there came a gentle knock at the door, and Kit straightened.

"Can I come in?" came a cautious voice from outside of the door.

"Of course," came the equally nervous response of the young wolf. His breath caught in his throat, waiting to see the true consequence of what had happened the night before. Fearful for what he would be confronted with.

The door clicked open, to reveal the young woman. Her skin was flushed red, burnt but not terribly. Something that would heal quickly even for a human. She was bruised, badly, but Kit guessed that he too would be covered black and blue from the fall.

He drew his eyes across the younger woman, searching for any signs of terrible injury. He thanked God when he was unable to find any.

"Honestly Kit, my eyes are here." She said, gesturing jokingly to her dark eyes. Kit snorted softly but didn't say anything in response.

She approached, cautiously. Like a deer uncertain of what lurked beneath the waters of a stream, yet whose thirst drew them closer. "Am I ok to sit?" She asked, nudging the edge of his bed with her knee.

"Five years I stayed on that island, I've been trampled, bitten, scratched and nearly killed by some of the worst creatures you can possibly imagine. I think I can survive with you sitting on the bed."

"You're an arse even after near death experiences, anyone ever told you?"

"Once or twice," Kit joked quietly.

Romany settled herself at the edge of the bed, as though she thought as much as breathing on Kit was going to hurt him further.

"I'm ok, Rom," Kit said shifting as best as he could to the left to allow her more room. Trying not to wince outwardly when he did. "You can sit down, you're hurt too you know."

"Not nearly as badly as you," she insisted. The concerned look not leaving her face. Now it was her turn to carefully scour her gaze across his form.

Kit became all too conscious of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt, but she didn't seem to care or notice.

He shrugged his shoulders, becoming slightly more accustomed to movement now and it didn't hurt as much. "I'm a wolf, I heal quick. It's nothing to worry about," he promised. Managing to speak with conviction for the first time that morning.

She paused, running her fingers across his shoulder very gently. Softer then were she to be using a feather to touch him. His heart responded to her touch, his heart racing very suddenly, and he had to regain his concentration for a moment. Losing himself in the depth of her dark brown eyes.

Kit couldn't remember noticing how beautifully dark they were. How beautiful the woman before him was.

"Thank you for saving me," her words snapped him from his thoughts.

"It was really returning the favour, you've done it, what? Twice now?"

"Perhaps I should start a tally," grunted Romany. Grinning a little now, "For every point you owe me a beer."

"Just gives me motivation to save your arse more, I've not touched a drop of the stuff in five years." Kit replied, wincing slightly at the cheesiness of his own words.

She pretended to recoil, but from how dramatized her movement was. Kit guessed that she merely joked.

"Do you need motivation in order to save me?" she said, mockingly.

He caught her chin with a finger, pulling it towards him gently so that they made eye contact. More animal than he had intended the gesture to be. But in that moment he didn't care. "I will never need motivation to save you."

Romany didn't move from where his gentle grip held her, she looked deep into his eyes for a second. She seemed to think, "Good. Me neither."

He hesitated, not sure of what to do, what to say. His heart lightened with happiness in that second.

That was when she leant in and pressed her lips to his.

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

Author's Note

So what do you think of Chromany? (Yes, that is Kit and Romany's ship name. Can we accept that it's the best thing ever?) I really love the two, and wanted them to end up together. I hope you guys like the pairing and think they're a good match. Please, do tell me what you think of them in the comments and remember to vote.

Have a lovely day

Madelynn