The ocean was covered in the sunset's rays. Niall swam beneath her and called to her. She dove after him and he let out a cry. Laughing, she swam faster and wrapped her hand around his dorsal fin. He took her up to the surface and into the air. They dove back into the ocean and he pulled her down from the surface. She smiled and closed her eyes. "There you are!" Opening her eyes, she found Liam looking at her and Niall was missing. She was in her room sitting on her window sill and looked around her room. "Father really wants to see you." "Liam." "Hurry back to us." "What are you talking about?" He opened his mouth to speak but fell silent. She looked out her window and found Úna watching her. She swam outside and found herself swimming in the witch's lair. "You made a mistake Eábha." Her eyes closed and she said "I had to release him." The witch smiled and said "You'll die along with your precious father." Her eyes opened when the beam slid through her stomach like a sword and she felt herself leave a dock. "Eve!" Her eyes jerked open when she felt a cloth running over her face and she tried focusing her vision. Slowly she became aware of the strong arms holding her. She looked up into his face and found him watching her with the same intense mask. "You okay?" She closed her eyes and nodded. He ran the cloth along her neck and put it in the bowl. "Nightmare?" "I think so." His hand slid through her soft hair and she leaned closer to his chest. She could hear his steady heart beat and let it lure her back into a calm state. Looking out her windows, she found the morning sun in the sky and looked up at him. "How long have you been up?" "All night." She sat up and said "You should have rested." His usual scowl captured his face and one eyebrow went up. She felt like laughing and a smirk captured her face. He let it light up the room and felt some of his nerves relax. She ran her fingers through her hair and carefully pushed the bedding off her. He watched her climb out of bed and his eyes were trapped on her small form. Her nightshirt rested at mid thigh and moved with each step. He watched her dig out some clean clothes and saw the marks fading on her skin. He climbed off the bed and stopped her as she approached her bathroom. His hand caught her wrist and she looked back at him. The jolt returned for both of them and he found her eyes pulling him back under their spell. "You shouldn't be up yet." She smirked and said "I'll be fine." His eyes narrowed and he pulled her to the mirror by her dresser. He forced her to look at her reflection and her eyes slowly met his. She had known what she had to look like and hated how he might see her. "Your body hasn't recovered from that idiot's assault." The mentioning of Christopher made her turn around to face him and put the clothes on the dresser. "Where is he?" "In confinement." Her eyes sparked in surprise and she asked "You didn't kill him?" His scowl deepened and he looked away. His arms crossed at his chest and he bit back a growl. "Not yet." She felt a smile capture her face and she brushed a brief kiss over his jaw. The contact sent fire through him and he looked back at her. She grabbed her clothes and disappeared into her bathroom. He looked back at the mirror and saw the surprise showing in his eyes. His skin was still burning and he looked back at the closed bathroom. Quietly he approached the room and his hand rested on the handle. He could hear the water in the tub moving and leaned his head against the cool wood. A quiet hiss came from the other side and he closed his eyes. He could hear her painful movements and the effort she took to keep the pain hidden. "Eve." "I'm fine." He stepped back and looked at the door. Her voice was almost shaky and he took a deep breath. He could hear the quiet painful sounds and closed his eyes. The water moved as she stepped out and wrapped her robe around her. He held his breath and heard something fall over. Pushing the door open, he found her holding an arm around her stomach and leaning against the edge of a table. He saw the black water in the tub and turned back to her. She had her face hidden beneath her hair and was barely holding herself up. Silently he approached her and his hands rested on her small hips. She looked up at him and he could almost see tears in her ocean blue eyes. He didn't say a word and lifted her off her feet. One arm wrapped around his neck and he carried her back into the bedroom. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Carefully he sat her down on the bed and she winced as she took a deep breath. "Where does it hurt?" She looked up at him and said "I'll be fine." His eyes narrowed and he knelt in front of her. She watched him raise his hands to her stomach and carefully press. When he touched her right side, she bit her lip to keep the cry in and looked away. He brushed the hair out of her face and took a deep breath. "Can I look?" She slowly looked back at him and secured the robe enough as he unfastened it. He carefully slid it to her side and exposed a black bruise resting on top of her ribs. He let her fix her robe and stepped back. She watched him run a hand through his hair as she tied her robe and took a deep breath. "Maybe Abigail was right." "About?" "Getting you to the doctor." She stood up and quickly said "No." He looked back at her and saw the determination in her eyes. The light was enough proof for him that he made the right call. "You have to rest then." She let out a sigh and sat back down. Resting was just going to delay the work she could still get down. Her time was going to be running out if she let herself heal properly. "I can't stay in here until I'm better." He shook his head with a smirk and said "I never said you had to." She looked up and found his smirk very relaxing. He glanced at the windows and the sun glistened in his brown eyes. "Just no trips into the valley without me or Oric." "Is that all?" He saw the start of a smirk on her face and shook his head. "I'm being serious." She nodded and he continued. "Don't spend all day riding either." "Am I allowed to go down to the beach?" He couldn't help but smirk at the slow smile on her face and nodded. She laughed and slowly stood up. He watched her approach and felt his pulse jump. "I'll try and keep all of that in mind." He felt her eyes pulling him in and a sudden need to touch her soft skin to see what else hurt came over him. She walked over to her dresser and the feeling passed. He watched her grab her clothes and head back into the bathroom.