Gifted

25: Together At Last

Charles

I walked into the cabin of the ship we had boarded, not wanting to ride with Hera in such an emotional and physical state of instability. The passenger ship was not crowded, though more so than I preferred. I had paid extra for a private cabin.

The moment we had set foot on the ship, I asked the captain to officially marry us, even though we had already said our vows. Now my bride was sitting on the window seat (the porthole was about five feet in diameter in all directions, with cushions at the bottom of the wide windowsill), staring outside. Her hair was French braided, tumbling down her back in a thick rope of hair, and her grey eyes were distant.

"Hera, aren't you hungry?" I asked softly. She shook her head, and I sat beside her, taking her hand. "You've been very quiet, love. Tell me you aren't still upset."

"What haven't I got to be upset about?" she asked quietly. "Beside the fact we're finally married." I smiled.

"What have you got to be upset about when you think of that?" I asked, leaning forward and kissing her lips gently. "Come eat something."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I'm not hungry." She turned back outside. "And if you ask me again, you're not welcome in my bed tonight." I leaned back.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "What are you worried about?"

"How many men have you seen," she whispered, "fall to the ground around you, dying around you?" I took her hands again.

"It's gone now," I whispered. "You don't have to think about it."

"But how can I stop, Charles?" she whispered. "How can I forget the horror I saw?"

"Please don't talk like this, Hera," I begged. "I know you've seen horrible things, and you've been hurt, but we'll be home soon, and we'll see Eva and your family, and we'll have a peaceful life." Her eyes started to shine.

"Eva..." She smiled faintly. "We're all a family now, aren't we?"

"Yes, yes, we are," I said with a smile. "That's all that matters anymore." She smiled a faint smile.

"Maybe I have reason to be happy after all," she whispered as I leaned forward, sliding her arm around my neck.

"You have every reason in the world to be happy, Hera Bradford," I whispered as I kissed her. She reached up and pulled the ribbon from my hair, and it fell around my face. She exhaled quietly, her breath flowing over my skin. She smelled good. She was mine now, and nothing felt quite so good.

Hera

I felt Charles' face buried in my hair, his breathing hot on my neck. I stared across the cabin at the maps and charts on the walls, staring but not seeing. Only feeling.

I felt his skin, his clothes, his breath. I felt his heartbeat, his lungs expanding and contracting evenly. I felt his arm draped over me, his fingers cradling mine as he slept quietly.

I felt the horror that lingered in my chest since those two days I was locked in that room, the stench of death burning in my nostrils. My breathing escalated, and I felt my eyes burning, squeezing them shut. Finally I sat up, pulling on a dressing gown and walking to the window. The sea was calm, the moon shining down with the stars. Hugging myself, I willed those thoughts away.

I heard movement behind me and turned, watching Charles grope across the bed, then open his eyes slowly. I turned away as he laid them on me.

"What are you doing?" he exhaled groggily. "Come get back in bed, Hera." I didn't answer. "Hera?" I heard him get up and walk over to me, putting his arms around me from behind. I felt him kiss my shoulder where the dressing gown and nightdress slipped off, where my neck and shoulder met, and I closed my eyes. I had him. He had me. I was safe again. Then why did these memories haunt me?