On a day when she was stacking the shelves in the back, Sage walked in with a furrowed brow.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Lauren asked, brushing her bangs from her damp forehead.

Sage hesitated. "Uh, nothing. Just a weird customer. No worries."

Glancing over her shoulder to look at the purple-haired teen, she noticed the tight smile on their pallid face. But it was obvious they did not want to talk about it anymore.

Lauren chose her words carefully, not wanting to overstep or upset the teen further. "Okay, well, if they come back, let me know. I don't want you dealing with creeps, alright?"

Sage lost their grimace and gained a genuine beam, shoving at the blonde woman playfully. "Oh, yeah, like I'm gonna let you deal with one? Fat chance. I'm not letting you drown behind the counter."

Lauren stuck her tongue out jokingly before moving on to more important topics. "Hey, when was your father's business trip again?"

"Oh, next Wednesday. It's still cool if I spend the night, right?"

"Of course. I'm sure Lycros will be happy to see you."

Sage rolled their eyes with a lopsided smile. They oozed sarcasm way before they opened their mouth. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll be leaping for joy out of the water when I walk in the door. Maybe he'll tell me how much he missed me."

You have no idea, Lauren thought to herself with a chuckle.

And then they left back out to the front with a wave, leaving the blonde to her back room duties.

The week passed by peacefully, and Sage had no issues making their way over from school as per usual. Lauren made some peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, paired with a glass of oat-milk and chickpea chips, always ensuring that the vegan teen had snacks galore at the apartment for nights just like these.

For dinner, Lauren had consulted with Lycros on what to make before Sage got there — and they settled on spaghetti — and then she removed the alphabet and easy-responses charts. The secret of Lycros' ability to speak was still just that — a secret One that, unless Lycros changed his mind, Lauren would never break. The bell-mirror toy remained, bobbing on the water and slowly circulating around the tank. It made both Lycros and Lauren feel better about still being able to communicate, or at least allow him to be able to alert if he needed something.

Sage knocked on the door soon after three in the afternoon, their backpack on one shoulder and an overnight duffle bag on the other.

"Man, you've really fancied up the place," Sage remarked as they peeked their head around the doorframe and took in the sights. "You sure take a while to cozy up to a place, huh?"

Lauren giggled. "Yeah, something like that. Come on in, you can put your stuff in my room."

"I know where to put it," Sage scoffed with a grin.

One of the first things Lauren bought for the apartment, long before Lycros blessed it with his presence, was a trundle bed. Sage had nowhere to go after school if the pet store were not open, so Lauren would offer to hang out with them at a restaurant or park until their father got home. Sage never liked to stay home alone, and Lauren completely understood it, even though they both had their own reasons as to why.

After so much time together, Lauren became somewhat of a mother figure for Sage. Whenever their father was called into work overnight, Lauren pulled out the trundle bed, so they were both cozy in their respective spaces. After the first time Sage spent the night, they both tried to fight for the couch out of politeness. Lauren settled the spat and saved up for a decent trundle bed so the argument could be laid to rest once and for all.

"What's for dinner?" Sage asked, crossing the threshold and shifting the weight of their bag from their shoulder to the crook of their arm.

"Spaghetti. I got nutritional yeast to use in place of parmesan."

Sage snapped their fingers in approval, "You're a good woman, Ren."

The next few hours were homely and lovely. Sage did their homework in the living room next to Lycros while eating their after-school snack. Lauren sat beside them, listening to the music playing softly on the radio and skimming through a magazine. When Sage was presented with a problem they did not know how to solve, Lauren was there to help, and Lycros watched the two attentively, no doubt wishing that he could chime in with some answers. Lauren would make it up to him somehow.

After the sky became peppered with pink clouds and stars to the east, Lauren went to work on dinner. Sage took this time to doodle pictures of Lycros.

"He's so photogenic," they remarked.

They peeked up from the paper to catch a better glimpse of the fish that, if anyone else was looking, would think he was just staying in a particularly good pose. Lauren, on the other hand, knew all too well that Lycros was delicately posing. She kept her laughter to herself. He really enjoyed Sage's presence. If they had a sandwich that had any sort of vegetable, they would sneak him pieces of greens when Lauren was not looking. eat the piece of tomato floating on the water one day. She had a good laugh about that one. She reminded him to take it easy, making sure he did not overeat and hurt himself.

When they were done drawing, Lauren was delighted to hang the picture on the fridge, enjoying the artistic skill the young teen had. They had managed to get the best angles of Lycros, and it showed in the shading and overall composition. A prized object for sure.

After dinner, and Sage's colorful stories of their friends and family, it was nighttime. A winter chill had settled through the city, the threat of snow heavy on the weather radar, calling for a blizzard to start at any point during the night.

Usually, on the nights Sage was over, there was not much Lauren could do about the nightly routine. She could not exactly read aloud or talk to the fish for lengthy periods of time without seeming crazy, nor could she do much about checking the locks until after Sage fell asleep, so she had a brief conversation with Lycros while the teen freshened up for the night.

"You doing okay? Need anything before we go to bed?"

Lycros shook himself to resemble a "no."

She simpered softly, placing her hand in the tank and holding Lycros when he curled into her palm. He had gotten bigger again. He was now bigger than her hand, his head the size of her palm, and she wondered just how big he would get. His scales were still a sleek black, but some had completely turned an effervescent gold, checking him like a chess board.

She had finally removed his old pineapple hut and replaced it with a large, colorful hide. It was originally a dull, unflattering thing, but Sage worked their magic on the hide, gluing fake anemones and colorful plastic grasses to it with aquarium-safe silicone They also made sure to paint it with fish-safe paints in a pastel tie-dye print. By the time they were done, it looked less like a rock and more like a hippie went to town on an undersea art project.

And Lycros loved it.

It was big enough for him to hide in, as well as had enough room to move around in it. It brightened up the apartment even more. Of course, the pineapple hut still sat on the coffee table, reminding Lauren every so often just how small he had once been.

Lycros leaned into her touch, and she welcomed it. "Alrighty, well, ring the bell if you need anything, okay?"

Lycros turned and swam into his hide. Lauren made sure his lights were timed to switch on in the morning and off the floor lamp. When the threat of winter's breath threatened to sweep the land, Lauren made sure to invest in a tank heater, ensuring her friend was warm and comfortable. Lycros appreciated it, especially as the temps plummeted that night. She made sure it was working correctly and that the water did not exceed a certain limit before she bade him goodnight.

Sage met Lauren soon after in the bedroom, and it did not take long for either to fall fast asleep in their respective beds, curled up in thick comforters as the snow began to blow around outside like a snow globe.

Lauren woke up with a start when she heard the bell in the fish tank ringing. She groaned, turning to the clock on the wall and reading the time. 3:38 AM Peeking over the edge of the trundle bed, she could see the serene face of Sage fast asleep beside her. Their purple hair was sprawled over the pillow, a thin line of drool seeing from their mouth.

Lauren chuckled to herself before rolling out of bed to see what Lycros needed.

Walking across the cold wooden floor sobered her up from the drug known as sleep, and she realized just how urgent the ringing sounded. Crossing from her room to the living room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she flicked on the light beside the tank The ringing continued as her friend slammed his body repeatedly against the mirror-bell.

"What's wrong Lycros?" she asked, brows furrowed. She shivered, hands rubbing the sides of her arms as she wondered absently why it was so cold in there.

The fish was scrambling around, much to Lauren's confusion. She watched as Lycros angled his body, pointing at something, before swimming back to the mirror and violently slamming himself against it.

Bewildered, she slowly turned, eyes shifting across wooden slates, the couch, and to the door. And then she felt all the blood drain out of her body.

The door was wide open.

Snow was blowing in in drives, coating the inside of the apartment in a blanket of white. And a familiar body stood in the doorway, blocking her from being able to close it fully.

"There you are, Luce," the familiar stranger drawled. "Didja miss me?"

Oh no.

Without thinking of much besides the sleeping, defenseless child in her room, Lauren immediately sprinted back to where she came from, slamming the door behind her and locking it. She held her body against the wood, feeling her ex-husband's violent slamming against the thin barrier. It would not be long before he broke through. The commotion woke up the poor kid in the trundle bed, making them sit up and dart their frightened eyes around.

"What's going on—"

"Never mind that!" Lauren hissed. "Go out the emergency door and go across the alley to Ms. Friedman's apartment and call the police. Tell them someone broke in."

Sage froze, eyes as big as saucers. "What...?"

" Now, Sage! Run! "

That broke the frozen spell on her coworker, and Sage grabbed their phone before dashing out the emergency exit, right as Jesse tore the door down, sending Lauren flying across the bedroom screaming. She grunted as she hit her forehead on the edge of the bed, stars flying across her vision. Heat and sharpness flared from where she slammed her forehead against the wood. She moaned low, hands flying up to hold onto her aching head.

"I told you once," he said, eerily calm. Coldness washed over her upon hearing the voice that only appeared in her nightmares. "I told you twice. I'll tell you as many times as I can to get it through your thick skull." He lurched forward and snatched Lauren's ankle, tugging her from the floor and to him. She yelped as he tightened his fingers into her bone. "You are mine, my wife, and the only way you're leaving me is in a body bag."

She snapped out of her dizziness, trying to hold on to everything, anything, just so she could be free of him. "Get off of me! " she screeched, clutching frantically as Jesse dragged her through the living room. a good-sized encyclopedia that she used as a door prop in the summer and launched it with all her might, celebrating the small victory when it bounced off Jesse's head.

He grunted, releasing her while he bent over, clutching his bloodied wound.

Lauren had always worried something like this would happen. The bat she kept for emergencies was currently on the other side of her bedroom. Unreachable as he stood between her and the room with the weapon.

She had to get out, bat or no bat. Now.

Luckily in her paranoia, she kept Lycros' old tank, even though he had outgrown it tremendously. She grabbed it, trying to put it in the enclosure long enough to get water and her friend. Lycros tried to help, trying to fit himself into the tank that dwarfed his current one.

But Jesse recovered quicker than she thought, wrapping his fist around her ponytail and dunking her into the fish tank, losing the smaller cage to the water.

She screamed and thrashed in his hold, feeling the bubbles tickle the sides of her cheeks. She tried to push up from the water, but her captor held tight.

" You have no one to blame but yourself, Lucia! " Jesse roared before ripping her up from her watery torment.

Lauren sputtered and coughed up copious amounts of water, still struggling in his hold. "Fuck you, you fucking psychopath! Everything is your fault!"

She had never spoken like that to the man who far surpassed her in both strength and height when they were married. But Lauren had a lot of growth these last few months. All thanks to a certain sentient goldfish.

Jesse briefly let go of Lauren's hair, most likely in shock at her sharp tongue, and she rushed to go help her fish. Then Jesse cracked his knuckles across her cheek, sending her skyrocketing into the couch. All the while, poor Lycros slammed himself into the bell. He was still trying to help her even as blood erupted from her nose and poured all over the couch.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that! " he howled, pouncing forward and grabbing hold of the front of her pajamas as her head lolled back. "You're not in charge here!" He held her over the tank again, her ponytail touching the surface. He was going to dunk her again; she was sure of it. Jesse leaned in close, sour whiskey breath on her cheek. "I have been looking for you for two years. You did good this time. Except you turned on your computer."

Hazily, Lauren cursed herself for her stupidity. She never used that old thing. She could not afford a new one, so she kept the old one for emergencies. After two years, how could she slip up so badly?

No, it was not her fault. She should be free to live her life without the fear of death lingering over her shoulder at every move.

Lycros ran into the bell fervently, drawing her attention finally. As well as Jesse's.

He grown. "I'm going to kill you and fillet that annoying goddamn fish, and there is nothing you can do about it, Lucia."

She suddenly saw red. Why go after a helpless creature who was intelligent and kind and loving and knew of her deepest secrets? "You leave him alone, you fucking monster," she squealed, kicking at his shins and clawing at his arms. tore her fingernails across his face, snagging on one of his eyes. A small thrill of victory went through her as blood and saline coated her fingertips. Even if he held true to his promise of killing her, he would not get out of this unscathed.

Jesse roared and smacked her again, this time, she felt her nose crack, sharp pain blossoming throughout her skull and sinuses. He continued shouting abuses at her, but her ears were ringing from all the head trauma she had sustained in such a short amount of time.

Her head rolled to the side. With heavy-lidded eyes, she locked gazes with Lycros' singular golden orb.

When had it turned such a vibrant shade of yellow? Had it not always been black?

How pretty, she thought absently. Just like my dream. Like sunlight.

A drop of blood trickled down her nose and dropped into the water, crimson swirling around as it circulated with the pump. Lycros did not frenzy, did not dash madly around the tank. He just stared at her, as though memorizing the details of her face. Strangely, she was doing the same, eyes bleakly tracing over each scale, his gills, the scarring on his missing eye.

Sage would take care of him, but they probably would never realize just how intelligent he is. They would probably never set up an alphabet chart for him, or ask his opinion on furniture colors, or discuss books, or listen to music and dance to it together. But he would be content with them. He would have to be. He would have to be okay.

She was going to die here, she had accepted it. Maybe Jesse would only take her. She prayed she would be the only casualty and that Lycros would be spared.

This was it. The final escape attempt.

At least she found happiness here. In Sage. Their father. Her boss. The pet store. Her apartment. Lycros. Her walls had been lowered because of Lycros.

Had he been human, she would not have minded spending the rest of her life with him.

She smiled softly at her friend, blood trickling from her mouth as she whispered, "I'm sorry."

And into the water, she went.

"You're not even fucking listening to me, you useless cunt! " Violence upon violence hurdled out of Jesse's mouth but all she could focus on was Lycros, staring at her with one aureate eye, as though something crafted from the Gods peered back at her.

Lauren choked as the water stung the abrasions on her face, threads of blood leaching out into the water. Fluid entered her lungs, and she flailed against her assassin fruitlessly.

Ask me for help, a voice said in her head. Familiar, like that of the man from her dreams. Ask me. Free me.

She thrashed about, barely noticing the voice in her head that was nearly drowned out by Jesse's yelling.

Lauren — Lucia. Ask me to help you. Free me from the curse. Ask for help.

Her eyes widened as she suffocated in the waters of her beloved friend, blackness creeping into the edges of her vision. Again, the voice was barely there, but this time she picked it up among the sounds of raging water, her own wild heartbeat, and Jesse's verbal beratement. Even if this was just her mind playing tricks on her as the chemicals in her brain scrambled before death, there is no use in not trying it.

With trembling lips, she mouthed out her wish with a slew of bubbles and her last breath: Help me.

And then the blackness tunneled and closed in.

Lauren went limp in the water, eyes wide and still, gaze dead.

Suddenly, the light returned to Lauren's eyes as she was launched backward once more, except instead of being thrown into yet another part of her apartment, she was being cradled against a large, sculpted chest. She watched with hazy eyes as the water quite literally was pulled from her lungs. The water twisted and swirled away from her mouth, dancing in midair, manipulated by the hand hovering above her.

Lauren inhaled violently, greedily, once all the water was removed, curling in on herself as she regained breath. With dizzying sights, she locked eyes on her savior. And her breath was lost once again.

Inky black tresses.

A strong, curved jaw.

And one golden eye.

Eyes wide, she immediately whipped her head to assess the situation at the fish tank, now nothing but a puddle of glass and water. No fish anywhere. No Lycros.

If Lycros was not in the tank, then...

Distantly, she noticed the clusters of black and orange scales all along the man's tanned flesh, only confirming her beliefs further.

Lycros was not a goldfish. Not anymore, at least.

Jesse was a few feet away, lying belly-up on the floor. He groaned and sat up, also having been thrown back from the violent force, shards of aquarium glass embedded in his forearms and cheeks. Drunkenly, he turned to view the cause of the tank explosion, hand holding his injured eye.

"What the fuck?" Jesse slurred, taking in the man holding onto Lauren's quivering form. "Who the fuck're you?"

"I am Lycros, youngest son of Uraesela and Oridian, exiled prince of Lemuria. God of aquatic life, the sea—" he boomed, voice loud and radiant and smooth like waves hitting the beach "—and revenge ."

Lauren shivered, the snow not to blame.

Jesse snickered, missing everything the Fish God had said. "Oh, you have a new man, Lucia? Did the little tramp tell you that she's married?"

Lauren winced at Jesse's words, leaning against Lycros' bare chest for help. He curled his hands around her a little tighter, never once hurting her on purpose. It comforted her greatly, feeling the heat from his skin against her chilled form. She did absently realize that the man did not have clothes on, but she was in so much pain that she could not afford to dwell on that.

It seemed that in his drunken haze, Jesse did not make the connection that the man before him was not exactly a man. Good. He would never go against Lycros when sober.

Lycros ignored him, as he tenderly kneeled and placed a slightly disoriented Lauren on the ground behind him. "Stay behind me; this will be over soon."

He stood tall before the threat, and she faintly realized — with pain throbbing her consciousness away piece by piece — that Lycros was far taller than the man who had beaten her black and blue. Standing straight, Jesse was six-foot-two. was a full head above her. She knew that like the back of her hand, unfortunately. She knew everything about him, and all he knew about her was that she was his, which was never true, to begin with. Lauren was her own person, never belonging to anyone but herself. She knew that now.

However, seeing them in backlit snow, Lycros was almost as tall as the ceiling, which at its peak was around seven-foot-five. Had she been in her right mind, she would have been in awe of just how Godly this man before her was. It was somehow comforting and terrifying all at once to see that Lycros was a full head above Jesse. The shoe was now on the other foot.

Lycros' hand twitched, black claws glistening in the moonlight, golden eye dangerous and accusing. "Why do you hurt her so?"

Jesse snorted. "Why? Because she's a dumb fucking bitch who needs to know her place. Sorry to break up your little romance, but I'm taking my wife back with me — dead or alive ."

"You are wrong. She is not yours and she is not going anywhere."

Jesse tried to retort, but in the time it took for him to open his mouth, Lycros had crossed the space between them, grabbing the man by the throat and yanking him up to his eye level. Jesse's eyes bulged from his skull, a nervous sweat pouring from his prominent brow as noticeable sobriety hit him suddenly. He choked violently, his guttural throat sounds ringing in the tense air, hands scrambling for purchase on Lycros' forearm. Lauren winced at the sight but tried to keep her eyes open long en to watch the outcome.

Lycros spoke calmly, rationally. Which was frightening and attractive all in one breath. "Your days of bullying the weak have come to an end."

As though realizing it was all over, Jesse began to plead as much as one can with a massive hand crushing one's windpipe. "Oh, God. Wait, please, no, no, no, no —"

Jesse tried to squirm out of the God's hold, limbs flailing like a kitten in its mother's maw. Before her eyes, Jesse seemed to shrink as he pleaded and screamed, voice dimming like a dying flame. Lauren rubbed her eyes, and her suspicions were confirmed. Smaller and smaller Jesse became, sprouting fins and a tail before he, too, was now a small, insignificant goldfish. Her jaw nearly hit the floor. Did she actually see that, or was she actually about to die in the water and her oxygen-deprived brain imagined it all?

"What shall you have me do, my Queen?" Lycros asked, bending to one knee — head down, one hand over his heart while the other held onto the creature that had once been human. "Gut him? Keep him in a fish tank to mock? Dry him out?"

Lauren was flabbergasted, absolutely shocked, but she could not stop herself when the corners of her mouth lifted despite her swollen face trying to deny the motion. "'My queen?'" she asked softly, reaching out and lifting his chin to take a better look at him.

"Yes," he whispered back equally as gently, as though worried to frighten her. "If you'll have me."

She hummed thoughtfully, hand reaching out and tucking his inky locks behind a pointed ear. He leaned his head into her palm, much like how her beloved goldfish had done. "May I have time to think on this decision?"

Lycros smiled, a simper so warm and so lovely that it rivaled the sun. "Of course. You have all the time in the world. Now, as for this cretin?"

Lauren looked down at Lycros' palm, watching the dull-scaled guppy of her ex-husband flop around pathetically, gasping for water. He seemed so small, so insignificant. He was nothing. Even if this was an oxygen-deprived hallucination, it felt unexpectedly nice to see Jesse be so small and unworthy after so long of it being the other way around.

Lauren swallowed before making her verdict. "Do what you think is a fitting punishment, Lycros. I'm done with him."

Shark-sharp teeth exposed themselves from behind the God's full lips as he grinned an awful simper that made her shiver in anticipation. "Of course. As you wish, my Queen."

Lycros stood once more, a God in a human apartment. He appeared so out of place but also so at home at the same time. Maybe because this was his home. And a God protects its domain.

"I am going to do to you what my brother was never able to, and you will not be able to escape your fate like I." The Sea God angled his head back, pinning the guppy's tail between his thumb and pointer finger claw. "But just know that I am going to thoroughly enjoy this," he muttered as his tongue uncurled from his mouth—

And chomped down on the fish unceremoniously.

Lauren grimaced slightly when she swore she could hear Jesse's shrill cries in between Lycros' chewing. But she had said it was his decision. And he chose to eat the man that once made her so little.

"Thank you," she whispered wearily.

Everything went black after that.

Waking up, she squinted against vibrant white light and vibrant white walls. The smell of antiseptic hit her nose just as the sound of a heart monitor beeped nearby. Lauren groaned as the pain hit her suddenly, her head pounding with the memories of what had happened.

"You're awake!" A voice cried, their clammy hands clamping down onto Lauren's.

Forcing her eyes to move, she peered through bleary sights at the teen next to her. Red-faced and red-eyed, Sage sat with messy purple hair and the same pajamas as before. Dark circles beneath their eyes were evident of them not sleeping a wink.

"Are you okay?" Lauren croaked, eyes drifting around looking for any sign of injury on the child.

Sage sniffled, letting out a laugh, "You look like you went ten rounds with Ali, and you ask if I'm okay?"

Lauren tried to smile, but everything hurt too badly.

She found out through the police and Sage that Jesse had taken advantage of the fact that Sage smoked, and when they went out to light their cigarette on the stairs, he took a gamble that Sage would not lock it like Lauren would. And they had done exactly what he anticipated. They had only done the chain lock instead of all three deadbolts.

Sage could not stop the endless stream of tears and apologies, and Lauren made sure to assure them that he would have gotten to her anyway, locks or no locks. It was absolutely, unequivocally not their fault. Sage's father and their boss, Robin, shared the same sentiments, making sure the young teen knew that none of what had happened was a result of their actions. But Lauren knew deep down that this would take quite a while to overcome, and for them to fully realize that this had not been their fault.

Digging more, she also learned that Jesse had gotten her location from her laptop, as he claimed, and spent weeks figuring out her schedule so he could ambush her. Sage showing up had been but a bit of an obstacle in his plans, their smoking Habit allowed him to continue where he left off in his planning. Luckily, Lauren's quick thinking saved Sage from certain death, and they made it across the street easily on bare feet in the snow.

Lauren also found out that the weird customer that Sage had dealt with weeks prior had been Jesse, scoping out the business to assess that Lauren had, indeed, worked there.

Police had found countless pictures of Lauren coming to and from work, pictures of her door, pictures of her from her kitchen window that overlooked the street. They had also found concerning items in his trunk: rope, duct tape, a shovel, a duffle bag, and so much more that Lauren eventually tuned out their discoveries to save her mind from wondering about the "what if's."

"And now? Where is he now?" she asked cautiously. She remembered the events before her eventual collapse, but she dared not believe them, even though she was obviously somehow alive. The nurse even remarked on how there was no evidence of water in her lungs that had been consistent with drowning. She was still trying to wrap her head around that one.

The detective nearest her hesitated, looking at his partner briefly. "We're not sure. We think our sirens startled him and he ran. You're very lucky to be alive, Ms. Greene. God was looking out for you that night, for sure. If you can remember anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to call."

She nods slowly, mulling over the information as she took the business card from the man's hand.

So, Jesse was missing.

That did not mean a huge, black-haired, Goldfish-God with shark teeth turned him into a measly fish and ate him.

Right?

The nurse decided that it was time for Lauren to rest, gingerly ushering the visitors out with loosely based promises of tomorrow.

"Wait," Lauren called out, her hand jutting out to grab Sage's wrist. "What about Lycros?"

Sage sadly shook her head. "They didn't find him, Ren. The aquarium was shattered."

Lauren loosened her grip with a soft nod and watched her visitors leave for the day, mind reeling.

Only a day later, she was released from the hospital with a broken nose and fractured orbital bone. She was instructed to take her pain pills and use lots of ice packs. The nose break was clean, no fragments of bone knocked loose, so it was an easy slide back into place.

While cops scoured the scene, she was set up in a pleasant hotel. But she still needed to collect some items, and as soon as she had clearance, she leaped at the opportunity.

Lauren stepped up to the threshold of her apartment, vacantly noting the crime scene tape. Opening the door with the guiding detective at her side, she was greeted with shattered glass and the phantom image of Jesse's face scarred into her corneas. She shook the image free from her head, opting to wring her hands together and keep them busy to avoid thinking of the man who had almost killed her.

Stepping past the glass that was being meticulously removed from the hired crime scene cleaner, heading into the bedroom, and grabbing some clothes and essentials, she packed any and everything which she could think of. Toiletries, winter wear, work clothes. She crouched down to the floor, reaching into her drawer to grab some extra undergarments before she left.

Her fingers brushed over a magazine sprawled under the dresser. Rubbing the page corner between her thumb and forefinger, she thought about how excited Lycros would get when she read to him. How happy he would be chiming in with his own thoughts and opinions. And now he, too, was gone.

Hot tears suddenly filled her eyes, burning her aching nose when she sniffled. The floodgates broke, unable to hold back her emotions as she tried not to lose her grip on her tears in front of all these people working the crime scene.

"Excuse me, sir, you can't come in here," a cop spoke up distantly behind her.

"I am with Lauren," the deep, familiar voice replied.

At the sound of her name, Lauren peered over her shoulder, seeing a dark shape that blocked out the morning sun. She blinked her eyes into focus, and nearly fell over.

Lycros.

He was real.

And he was here.

Gulping as a waterfall of tears fall through the valley of her face, she dropped all in her shaking hands. Scrambling to her feet, Lauren hopped over piles of evidence and passed perplexed police officers as she slammed into the abnormally tall man, tears in soaking his T-Shirt.

"You're here," she sobbed. She was so small compared to his hulking form, coming up to just above his hips.

"I'm here, My Heart. I'm here." He placed his large hands on her back, gently rubbing his thumb in circles on her pea coat.

Lauren felt the warmth of his skin soaking into hers and squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to hold onto him a little longer, worried he would escape her grasp. He was back in her arms, finally, and she had never felt more complete.