Healing Hands of Time

Alex nodded slowly, stroking her hair. "I wasn't worried about me." he said, "They didn't threaten me any bodily harm. They were after you."

Thatch blinked at this. "Why her?"
Door smiled a bit, turning her head. "One of them was a sore loser."

"And the other was a psychotic manipulator." he grumbled. "That I almost married, God help us."

Door sniffed, tightening her arms around Alex. "It won't happen again," she said, trying to convince herself as much as anyone else. "Ever, ever again."

"Seems to me that you two have more escapades than all of us combined," Thatch said jokingly.

Alex nodded, and Aislin laughed, "What are we gonna do with them?"

Thatch shrugged. "What can we do with them?"

"Leave us alone in some corner. Feed us on occasion. We'll make do with that," Door said quietly, smiling.

Aislin laughed, "Not sure Thatch would agree to the whole leaving you alone thing."

Turning her face, Door grinned at her brother.

Who shook his head and walked away, throwing his hands up. "I'm staying out of this one."

Aislin laughed, tossing a pillow at him from her place on the couch.

Ariel grinned, crossing her legs. "Who's hungry?"

Thatch smiled, grabbing the pillow mid-flight.

"Famished, actually," Door admitted from Alex's shirt.

Ariel nodded, standing, and grabbing Aislin by the hand. "Off we go, to feed the masses."

"I'll help," Thatch added, following. Tremor glanced between his siblings, nodded at Alex, and followed his brother.

Door sighed again, loosening her hold around Alex. "D'you think things will ever go back to normal?"

Alex blinked. "How do you mean?"

"I mean... oh, I don't know..." She pursed her lips, frowning. "It's just that... so much has happened, and it feels like it would be... wrong, somehow, to go back to the way things were so quickly... I want things to get better, but... I don't know..."

Alex nodded. "I know what you mean. I have a lot of righting to do..."

He was quiet for a moment. "...A lot of righting..."

"You won't be alone," she said softly, looking up at him. "You don't have to do it by yourself..."

"That's...great to know." he said quietly.

After a moment, he spoke again, "Do you think any less of me because of...what I almost did...?"

She opened her mouth to automatically say 'no', but paused, hesitating. Did she?

But... Almost getting married was nothing compared to almost... drowning.

"No," she murmured. "I don't."

"Not even when I almost killed that girl?"

His tone was deathly quiet.

Door's breath caught in her throat as the scene played back in her mind. Alex, with his hands at that girl's throat, threatening to break her neck; kicking out the window and dangling her out of it...

She stared up at him, uncertainty in her eyes. "Alex, I..."

Alex was quiet, processing things. "I see." he said grimly.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," she pleaded. "It's just... You really changed, and... I'd be lying if I said that you didn't scare me..."

Alex wouldn't acknowledge her; just sat there silently, staring ahead.

Taking a moment to calm himself, he spoke, his tone full of repressed anger. "I did it for you, you know." he said.

"Alex..." She shook her head, trying to convince him. "I know that. I'm not mad at you; I understand, but..." Placing a hand on his shoulder, she swallowed. "Please..."

Alexander sat quietly, quelling his anger. He sighed. "...I know...I know."