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“I’m getting worse because of you.” The realization was invigorating. For the first time in weeks, she felt like she could see clearly.
“The wraith made it so I didn’t see the worst parts of you. You put me down. You undercut me.” She was getting angry. “You tried to isolate me from my friends. And they warned me.” Ace warned me.
“You’re not yourself right now. This is the wraith talking. Clearly-”
“No! It’s the wraith’s fault that we lasted this long.” She was using almost all of the energy she had left, but she felt something of her old self again and this couldn’t wait. “This whole time it’s been manipulating me, and feeding off of my vulnerabilities.” She was done. “We’re not doing this anymore, Gil.”
He looked genuinely hurt. “You’re breaking up with me? Now?” She had no response apart from a simple nod. “You’ll regret this.” And just as quickly as he had come into The Claw not even ten minutes prior, he left. Gil’s anger could be terrifying. And maybe later she would linger on what exactly he meant when he told her she would regret this.
But she was exhausted. That argument had taken more out of her than she cared to admit. She couldn’t believe she had let herself get so lost. She reached back to the stair railing and took a deep breath to steady herself. Her anger was giving way and she couldn’t hold the tears back. She felt a sob coming up that she wasn’t sure she could fight off.
“Hey.” Ace.
She straightened up and tried to pull herself together. It was a natural defense mechanism. Even though she knew she didn’t need her defenses around him, she couldn’t help it.
He reached for her as he came into the room. She knew he had probably been eavesdropping, but she didn’t care. She was just thankful she wouldn’t have to explain anything to him. He seemed to always know what was going on with her. Whether she realized it or not. His hand on her arm was comforting and solid. Just like him.
“All this time the wraith made you think there was no separating you from it.” His voice was soft. An intense contrast from Gil.
She took a shaky breath, trying to fill her lungs with a full breath of air seemed impossible. So much for pulling myself together.
“You just proved that wrong.” She could only nod, not trusting her voice. She looked down and tried to swallow down another sob. But the moment she looked back up into his eyes, she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
It came out like a half laugh/half sob. She was losing her control. A feeling she had become all too acquainted with recently.
He immediately put his arms around her and drew her close. She closed her eyes and laid her head on his chest. She let him be the strength she so desperately needed right now. His arms were tight, and without them, she didn’t think she would still be standing. “It’s okay.” He whispered softly into her hair. She didn’t even know his voice could get any softer. But it was the most comforting thing she could think of right now. This was only the second time she could recall them hugging, the first being an impulse from her after almost losing him, but she was getting used to it. Despite the circumstances, she hadn’t felt so safe in a long time.
He started rubbing her back and she tried to match her breaths to his rhythm. “You’re gonna beat this, you know. Just like every other monster we’ve come across.” She wanted to believe him, but she was having trouble seeing an end to this that didn’t end her life. “And we will all be right here to help you. We’re not going anywhere.”
She knew he was right. Whatever ups and downs their crew had, at the end of the day, they always pulled together and found their way back to each other. No one was left behind.
Slowly, she felt her strength returning. She let herself breath in his comfort for another minute before pulling back. Her tears were still there, but she didn’t mind. Not around him. “I should have trusted you. You warned me, and I should have listened. I’m sorry.”
“No.” He looked down at her, keeping his hands on her arms. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so harsh. You were dealing with a lot.”
She gave him a sad smile, recalling their conversation on the deck that night.
“I didn’t want to be right, you know. I just wanted you to be okay.”
“I really appreciate that.” The words were familiar. The same ones she had told him when he offered to be there for her if she ever needed to talk. That was back when she had just learned of her heritage and Owen had been killed. A lot had happened since then, in such a short amount of time. Maybe when all of this was over, she’d finally take him up on that offer.
“Hey.” George appeared in the doorway. “We got everything we need from Hannah, we’re ready when you are.”
She looked back at Ace. He rubbed her arms once more and gave a small squeeze before letting go. “What do you say we go kick a monster out of your house?”