Valkyrie (Complete)

24: The Shadow

Valkyrie is pulled from her sleep by a sudden sound outside. She was resting on the couch, giving her still-broken leg a chance to ease up on the throbbing pain after a day of being on her feet. A loud noise comes again and she moves to the window to see what it is, only for a shadow to cross the window.

The image of the shadow caused by the boulder flashes through her mind and she jumps back from the window, falling over a chair in the process. The fall doesn't register in her mind though. All she can see is the boulder falling, over and over again, crushing her beneath it.

Her hands fly up to cover her face and she curls herself into as small of a ball as she can, her bad leg sticking out. She can't help the whimpers and small screams that come from her as she fights the memory, and it's like it's happening all over again. She pushes herself until her back is against the wall and her side is pressed to the couch, boxing her in. It feels safe to have a corner at her back.

Tears fall down her cheeks and she sniffles, giving up on fighting it off. There's no point. It won't leave her alone, won't go away until it's played itself through.

Hands touch her arms and try to pull them away from her face, startling her. She screams and attempts to get the person to let go, but they don't. Her breaths are harsh and labored and a dull ache has settled in her chest, likely from aggravating the freshly-healed areas with her sudden thrashing.

"Val, honey, calm down," comes a grunted voice. The other person forces her arms to the floor and pins her legs down with his. His breath hits her face and she finally calms slightly as she realizes that she can't get out from under the person. "That's right, just breathe. You're okay."

Her breaths slow and her tears stop falling. She realizes that it's Phoenix above her. He has a concerned look on his face and all she wants to do is cry again. "Get off," she whimpers.

"What?" He doesn't seem to have heard her.

"Get off!" She yells, panic rushing through her veins once more. He has her pinned to the floor, and she doesn't like it. She refuses to be pinned down any longer and she feels like it's suffocating, feels like she's back in the cave. She screams again and tries to buck Phoenix off, thrashing around as much as she can. One of her hands gets loose and she feels it hit something but she can't tell what, and then suddenly the weight is gone.

She's pulled upright and she gasps, sucking air into her lungs as if she hasn't breathed in ages. Gentle fingers wipe under her eyes and down her cheeks, brushing her tears away. Strong arms wrap around her waist, but not too tight so she can still move, and only now does she realize how much her body is shaking.

"What happened?" He whispers, his breath tickling her ear.

"I-I don't know," she murmurs. "There was a loud noise, and.... and-" She gasps as it floods back and her memory threatens to take over once again.

"Shh," he cooes softly. "It's okay, sweetheart. You're safe. You're here with me, and you're safe."

She turns her head so it's resting in the crook of his neck and leans against him. "It was like my nightmare, except I was awake," she murmurs, finally coming up with a way for him to understand.

"How? I don't understand how it got that bad so quickly while you were awake."

"I don't know either," she replies. "There was a shadow, and then suddenly it didn't stop."

He kisses the side of her head fiercely. "There's nothing outside that will hurt you, I promise."

She trembles against him and his arms tighten. It's heartbreaking to see her like this, so upset and frightened by something as normal as a shadow. The way she had tries to fight him off clearly showed how desperate she was and he thinks that if she was fully healed, she probably would have been able to fight him off. It's incredibly hard to see her this way. He still remembers how carefree she was just months ago, and in that person's place is a shell.

"I feel safest with you," she tells him quietly, planting a quick kiss against his jaw. "I feel like nothing will hurt me when you're around."

That does it- his heart breaks and tears of his own well in his eyes. She looks at him questioningly. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just so sorry for what's happened in the last few months. I know that this is hard for you and days like today and like the day we came back to town make me want to take away all your pain, but I can't. I want to help, but there's nothing I can do. I want to change it all. I hate seeing you so upset, and feeling you shake when I hold you breaks my heart. I want to erase all your pain and make it so you were the same girl you were before the Ankathians came because you seemed so much happier. I just wish I could do something."

"But then we wouldn't be where we are right now," she replies. "I'm not the same girl as before, you're right, but I'm okay with that. It means I have you."

He stares at her. "You're telling me that you wouldn't change it all so you could have your dad back and your powers back?"

She shrugs helplessly. "I mean yeah, if I could, I might, but there isn't any point even thinking about it. It can't be done, so all I have to do is accept it. I hate that shadows seem to scare me now and that I have nightmares and this stupid leg brace, but I'm with you now, and you make me happy."

He doesn't even have the words to explain how he's feeling. It feels as though his heart is going to burst from his chest and he feels like love is an understatement for what he feels for her. He leans down and kisses her slowly, until they both need to breathe. "I love you so, so much," he tells her. "So damn much, you have no idea."

She smiles up at him, the corners of her mouth facing up for the first time in a little while. "I think I know how much, because I love you more."

He doesn't say anything in response, just leans forward slightly and presses a kiss to her forehead. She sighs and rests her head against his chest, listening to the beating of his heart.