Million Reasons

Chapter Forty One: Lionheart

Howling ghosts they reappear
In mountains that are stacked with fear
But you're a king and I'm a lionheart
A lionheart

Of Monsters and Men - King & Lionheart

It was the crying that woke Maggie. She had been alone and fast asleep, tangled up in Antonio's bed sheets when those low terrified whimpers had pierced the veil of sleep. Her heart was pounding against her ribs as she surveyed the room in disorientation, her mind actively seeking out the source of the offending sound. She'd left the ajar before she'd come to bed in case one of the kids needed anything, now she was glad she had the forethought to do such a thing.

Her blue eyes were blurred from sleep as she stripped away the sheets from her weary form, looking down at herself to ensure she was appropriately dressed. Deeming her black tank top and grey sweats fine, she took those first steps outside of Antonio's bedroom and onto the landing. The other two rooms were just down the hall from theirs and she could already tell who the perpetrator was without having to lay eyes upon them. She paused for a moment outside of Diego's bedroom, she twisted the handle before peeking her head in through the small gap that she had created.

Diego's room was dark save for the small yellow nightlight that lit up the ceiling like a sea of stars. She had been surprised when Antonio had first purchased it but when he had plugged the illumination in she had been astonished by it's brilliance. It was like a galaxy was shining upon the ceiling above them. The perfect gift for his son who was utterly obsessed by the concept of space.

Maggie's eyes came to rest on the small single bed pressed up against the left wall by the window. Diego's quivering form was curled up into the fetal position in the center of the constellations themed covers. The sheets were drawn up around his shoulders, covering everything save for those dark eyes of his as he peered back at her, his eyes glistening.

"Hey." Maggie said softly, before stepping into the room and closing the door gently behind her as not to wake up Eva.

Diego said nothing as Maggie took a seat on the edge of the mattress, her hands pressed between her knees, maintaining a safe enough distance and proximity to make the young boy feel secure.

"Bad dreams?" she asked him, tilting her head in his general direction as Diego wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. The young boy nodded before, pulling the sheets away from his face to view Maggie as she sat there in the dark.

She didn't want to question him, she thought that the pushing made it worse somehow and she didn't want him to relive the nightmares that plagued his dreams. It was bad enough that the monsters had once visited his waking world and given him something to be scared about. This was a new place for him, a strange place and she understood that he would be unsettled here especially without either of his parents to anchor his insecurities. She didn't want to tell him that his father shared the same set of fears.

Antonio's dreams were tainted by the memories of his son's abduction, the anxiety of that time riled up inside him sometimes and she had awoken him several times over the past couple of months from the nightmares that plagued him. It was those nights that the two of them would stay up talking. Antonio would nestle against her body, their legs entangled, his face buried in her hair as she hummed under her breath. Her fingers would comb lightly through his dark hair until she felt her lover's breathing even out once more as he slipped into sleep. She wasn't sure what it was about the old Irish lullaby, her mother had used to sing to her as a child but it always seemed to relax Antonio and she was glad for that.

"My dad says that you have them sometimes too." Diego spoke for the first time since she had entered the room. His words surprised Maggie but on some level she understood why Antonio had disclosed that secret to his son. Bad dreams were a normal after a traumatic event and to understand that adults suffered to would give Diego confidence that he would not be viewed as a child for expressing the fact he suffered from them.

"I do." Maggie admitted shuffling backwards until her back was against the wall, she drew her knees up so that her elbows were resting on them as she spoke. "I went through some scary stuff when I was away."

"Like what happened to me?" Diego questioned, his voice piqued with interest at the thought that there was someone in the world who got what had had been through.

"It was different." Maggie informed him with a kindly look. "But I know what it's like to wake up scared."

"Sometimes I think I'm still there." Diego said quietly, pulling himself into a sitting position against the headboard. "Still tied to that chair when they make me do that video for my dad."

It was a vivid image, one that made Maggie's throat tight and her chest literally ache at the thought of that this child had been through. She couldn't imagine how terrified he must have been in that situation.

"The men that hurt you..." Maggie began as she frowned trying to search for the right words. "...they're gone and there is no way anyone can ever hurt you like that again. Your safe here, with Eva and your dad."

"And you." Diego reminded her pointedly, settling back down into the bed.

"And me." Maggie assured him with a firm nod, drawing the covers up to his chin and tucking them in around him. "If you need anything I'm just down the hall."

Diego nodded drowsily, his dark eyelashes already beginning to flutter closed as he watched the movement of the stars on the ceiling. Maggie moved quietly towards the door and slipping through it quietly before finding herself face to face with Antonio.

His clean shaven features were grizzled and rough tonight, a dusting of stubble framed his jaw line giving him a dangerous edge that she usually found irresistible. His dark eyes were on hers, deep and soulful as he took her hand and led her to their bedroom, shutting the door silently behind them. His warm hands encompassed her delicate features, his finely sculptured lips brushed along her hairline before he pressed a butterfly kiss to her forehead.

"Thank you." he murmured, tilting her head up until their gaze was level.

She could see her entire universe in those eyes of his, there was nothing she wouldn't give him if he asked and he knew he never needed to. The exhaustion was beginning to show on those handsome features of his and she could tell from the way his shoulders dipped that he was dog tired.

Maggie reached for the hem of his shirt, drawing it up along his broad chest as he held his arms up to assist her motions. His dark brown eyes stayed fixed on hers the whole time as she helped to remove the rest of his clothes, leaving him clad in fitted black boxer shorts. There was something so intimate stirring between the two of them right now, Maggie could feel it shifting in the air as her fingertips trailed along the white rivets that marred his chest. Her palm came to rest upon the space where his heart beat in his chest. Antonio covered her small hand with his, clasping her hand against his chest so she could feel each and every individual beat underneath her fingertips.

"I can never tell you how much I appreciate all that you've done tonight." He told her earnestly. "For me and the kids."

A small smile graced Maggie's pert pink lips before she pressed the gentlest of kisses to Antonio's mouth and led his weary form to bed.