#chapterfour

The night crawlers fold in around Abbot. Bodies close. Familiar. Shoulder to shoulder in the loose, practiced circle that’s more ritual than organization at this point. You step in between Shen and Ellis, shifting automatically to make space—and someone fills it first. Closer than expected. Rowan. You don’t have time to adjust before his arm comes around your shoulders. Not tight. Not showy. Just… there. Settling. Like it belongs. You don’t move. Not because it’s unfamiliar. Because it isn’t. Because this one isn’t thoughtless. You feel it before you understand it. You don’t look at him. You don’t move away. You stay where you are. “We are the night crawlers—” The chant carries. Voices rise. Energy lifts. Across the circle, Shen’s voice stutters—just slightly—when he sees Rowan’s arm around your shoulder, before he picks it back up. Ellis’s gaze flicks once—quick, sharp—before finishing the line. Crus doesn’t miss it. He doesn’t look away either. Even Lena’s eyes cut across the circle for half a second before snapping back to Abbot. And Abbot— For a single beat, his voice doesn’t come in on time. Then it does. “HOOHAH!” The group breaks. Bodies separate. Movement resumes. Rowan’s arm drops as if nothing had happened. Like it was nothing. But something did.

The shift moves. It always does. By 7:38 p.m., the board is already worse than it should be. Flu complaints stack in triage. A wrist fracture turns into a debate over discharge timing. A man insists his dizziness is “philosophical.” You fall into motion. Assess. Decide. Act. Same rhythm. Same pace.

Room eight. Elderly patient. Weakness. Vitals not terrible. You step in, already building the picture. “Tell me what’s been going on,” you say. Behind you—movement. Presence. You don’t look. You expect it. “Could be dehydration,” Rowan says, stepping beside you, already scanning the chart. You blink once. Adjust. You glance at the monitor again. Heart rate doesn’t quite match the story. Skin tone’s off. Not enough to call—but enough to hold. “Maybe,” you say. “Let’s not anchor there.” “Fair.” He nods. Moves with you. It works. Easy. Too easy. You finish the exam and step into the hallway. You don’t realize until then—you were waiting. For something that used to happen without you having to ask for it. And didn’t. Back at the station, Ellis watches you sit. “You’re thinking too loud.” “I’m charting,” you answer, not looking up. But your eyes move anyway. Across the room. Abbot is there. Reviewing the board. Exactly where he should be. And somehow—not where you expected him to be.

The next case comes faster. Room five. Confused patient. Family members talking over each other. Nothing critical. Everything messy. You step in. Sort voices. Pull structure out of noise. “Okay,” you say, louder than the room but calmer. “One at a time.” The noise drops. You start building the plan. You feel it again—that instinct. That second voice. You pause. Just long enough to expect—Nothing. You don’t realize you expected it until it isn’t there. You step forward anyway. “Let’s get labs and imaging.” You run it again in your head—pain pattern, onset, vitals. It still doesn’t track clean. “CBC, CMP, lipase,” you add. “Let’s not miss pancreatitis.” “Agreed,” Rowan says immediately. Already moving. The room responds. To you. You don’t realize how much you’re used to something else—until it isn’t there.

Room eleven. Shortness of breath. You step in, already reading the monitor. “O2’s trending down.” “I see it,” Rowan says. You adjust. He follows. Again—easy. Again—different. Across the doorway, Abbot pauses. Just briefly. His gaze moves between you. Then back to the chart. He doesn’t step in. He doesn’t move at all. And the room adjusts around it. You notice. This time, it sticks.

At 10:22 p.m., the department stalls just enough to breathe. You lean over the station, finishing notes. The cursor blinks in a steady rhythm. Rowan sets a chart beside your hand. “You’re adjusting,” he says. You don’t look up. “I’ve been here longer than you.” “Yeah,” he says. “That’s not what I meant.” You glance at him. He’s watching you. Not pushing. Just… tracking. “You don’t stall,” he says. “Most people do. Even when they know what they’re looking at.” You shift slightly in your chair. “I’m not most people.” “ I noticed.” A beat. “You commit,” he adds. “Even when it’s not clean. That’s what makes a good doctor.” Your fingers pause over the keyboard. Just for a second. That’s not how anyone’s ever put it. You don’t know what to do with that. The cursor blinks. Then— “Room ten.” Abbot’s voice cuts across the station. Not loud. Still cuts through everything. You look up. He’s already watching you. “Don’t anchor too early,” he says. Not correct. Not quite. Something else. You hold his gaze for a fraction longer than you should. Then look back at the screen. “Working on it.” Rowan doesn’t move. Doesn’t react. But the space between the three of you feels different now. Sharper. Harder to ignore. The shift resets. Work fills the space again.

At 2:11 a.m., you reach on your tiptoes for a chart on the top rack. A hand appears beside yours. Rowan. He pulls it down easily. Glances at you. Then the shelf. “You look kinda cute down there.” You straighten slowly, taking the chart. “The air must be too thin up there.” He smiles. Actually smiles. “I’ll come down and check.” You pat his shoulder. “Don’t. You’ll get lost.” He huffs out a quiet laugh. Steps back. Still watching you for half a second longer than necessary. Across the hall—Abbot’s posture stills. Not rigid. Not obvious. Just… held.

Near sunrise, the board finally thins. The air shifts. Less sharp. More tired. You grab your jacket. Head toward the exit. Footsteps behind you. Rowan. “Heading out already?” he asks. “That’s usually how leaving works.” “I’m new,” he says. “I need guidance.” That pulls a real laugh from you. He notices immediately. Of course he does. “Do you want to get a coffee sometime?” he asks. “When we’re not covered in other people’s blood.” It’s casual. Easy. You open your mouth—and the door opens. Abbot stands there. Already outside. One hand on the handle. Cold air spills in. It hits your face first. His eyes move. Rowan. You. Back again. Nothing on his face. Everything in the pause. He steps aside. You pass through first. His hand touches the center of your back. Light. Guiding. Gone immediately. You don’t react. Three steps later—your pulse does.

“Well, that’s part of what is good about being in a large group right?” he offered a comforting smile, “we can look out for each other.”

“Yeah, well if we had left you idiots in Diamond City like I thought the plan was, we would be able to move a lot quieter, and might even be home by now,” Bo growled at the talking pair.

“Bo,” Lou sighed, “we voted, it was two to one…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” she gritted her jaw.

“And…?” Lou prompted her friend.

Bo sighed heavily, “once a vote is made, everyone accepts the outcome, no questions.”

“That was your rule,” Lou smiled.

“Never thought the bastard would come back to bite me in the ass so hard.” She caught Dean out of the corner of her sight, “hey!” she hissed at him, “don’t go somewhere we can see you!”

“Oh,” Dean backed away from the doorway he was crouched in, “I just thought maybe there would be something in there.”

“That’s fine,” Lou joined him near the doorway, “but she is right, if you go out of sight we might not realize something happened to you.”

“I know,” Dean frowned, “I wasn’t going to go in alone.”

“Alright then,” Lou smiled, “let’s go take a look.”

“There is no chance there’s anything left in there,” Bo grumbled as she sat down on the sidewalk.

“We should rest while they’re in there,” Ellie sat next to Bo, “we are almost home though.” She craned her neck to look down the road, “only a couples miles left.”

Sam joined Ellie on the sidewalk, “Cas?” he glanced up at the angel who was trying to look in one of the boarded up windows of the building Dean and Lou had gone into.

“I should have gone in with them,” the angel gave up and sat down.

“They’ll be alright,” Ellie handed them water, “Lou knows what she is doing. The only person better suited to go in there would be Boden.”

Bo chuckled to herself.

The four sat in silence for almost twenty minutes before Castiel broke the silence.

“I am going in to find them,” he stood up.

“They’re fine,” Bo rolled her eyes.

“It’s been too long…” Castiel began to protest but was interrupted by Lou appearing in the doorway.

“Sorry that took so long,” Lou grinned, “Dean found a safe that needed opened.”

“Really?” Ellie elbowed Bo. “What was in it?”

“Someone’s cap stash, and a 10mm pistol,” Lou held up the metal tin and shook it, “seems like someone was hiding their backup goodies here.”

“Good find!” Ellie grinned at Dean who emerged from behind Lou.

“Here,” Lou handed him the tin, “you found them, they’re yours.”

“You picked the lock,” he looked at her, “you should get some of it too.”

“Nah,” she winked at him, “you keep it.”

“Let’s go, radroaches, I wanna get home,” Bo stood up and began walking down the street again.

“Yeah, we need to get back before it gets dark,” Lou followed her, “this isn’t the place to be when the sun goes down.”

“What time is it? What time is it?” Ellie pulled on Sam’s Pip-Boy.

“Um,” Sam pressed a small black button, causing the screen to flicker, “I don’t know.”

“Well, we have about…” Ellie looked up at the sky, “an hour of sun left.” She looked at the little green and black screen. She reached up and turned the top dial, the screen flickered again and a small map appeared. “Ah, there, it’s 7:00. So the sun sets at about 8:00!” she grinned from ear to ear.

“How did you do that?” Sam looked closer at the screen.

“We will take a better look at it when we get home,” she began to follow the group, “we’ll make a real vault dweller out of you yet.”

“This is where you live?” Dean leaned back staring up at the huge skyscraper in front of them.

“Sure is,” Bo walked towards the front doors. “Oh, and you see that little piece of rebar there?” she pointed to a piece of the twisted metal about a foot long sticking out of some concrete.

“Yeah, what about it?” Dean followed her.

“Those are all around the outside and inside of the building,” she stepped through the entrance, the doors hanging useless on their hinges, “they mark where we have buried landmines, so be careful.”

“Not much to look at, is it?” Dean stopped in what used to be a gigantic foyer to the building. The wallpaper was peeling down the walls, and the once red carpet had faded a long time ago.

“That’s the point,” Lou passed Dean, “it’s supposed to look abandoned. Less it looks like someone lives here, less likely you are to get raided.”

“Makes sense,” Sam nodded passing Dean as well.

The group crossed the lobby making their way to the elevators to the right side of the lobby.

“Does that even still work?” Sam looked around the lobby as Bo pressed the button to call the car.

A hissing and popping from the intercom by the button console prevented Sam from getting an answer.

“What is the music of life?” an electronic voice came over the intercom.

“It’s us Handsy, skip the bull-shit and just let us up,” Bo sighed.

“That is incorrect, the elevator car will not be deployed,” the voice replied followed by silence.

“Damn it, Ellie!” Bo glared at the grinning girl, “I hate your fucking robot, I’m tired and I just want to get home.”

“If you’d just answer the question, he would send the elevator,” Ellie continued to grin.

Bo angrily pressed the button again.

“What is the music of life?” the voice asked again.

Bo rolled her eyes and sighed deeply, “silence, my brother.”

“Very good, ma’am, the car is on the way,” the voice replied before cutting off again.

“What is that from?” Sam rubbed his chin, “it sounded familiar.”

“It’s from a comic I read when I was little,” Ellie smiled up at him, “added precaution, you know.”

The elevator creaked as it settled and opened the doors for them.

“I don’t think…” Dean took a step back, “how about you just tell us what floor to meet you on, and we will take the stairs.”

“Dean, I don’t think…” Sam began.

“You can if you’d like,” Bo stepped into the car, “but all the stairwells are collapsed at the third floor, and we are going to twenty-four.”

“Come on,” Lou patted him on the shoulder, “it’s perfectly safe, I promise.”

She followed Ellie, Sam, and Castiel onto the elevator.

“This is insane…” Dean mumbled as he joined them.

The elevator lurched as it began to slowly climb the shaft. It rocked back and forth, the bare bulb hanging from the ceiling seemed to pop and fizzle in time with each lurch. By the time they reached the twenty-fourth floor, all the color had drained from Dean’s face.

“See?” Lou smiled at him as the doors shuddered open, “perfectly safe.”

“Welcome home, ma’am!” a cheerful voice with a thick English accent called from the other room.

“Thank you, Handsy!” Ellie set her bag down by the elevator door and sighed heavily. “It’s good to be home.”

“Hell yeah it is,” Bo grinned as she hurried across the room and through a doorway, “I’ll see you suckers later.”

“Dinner in an hour,” Lou called after her.

“Roger!” Bo’s muffled voice could be heard from beyond the walls.

The guys slowly filed out of the elevator, taking in their surroundings.

“This looks like it was a waiting area,” Sam glanced around the large room, his eyes resting on the receiving desk opposite the elevator.

“Yeah?” Lou set her bag and the wrapped bundle on the desk. “Ellie thinks it was an extension of Robco before the bombs fell.”

“I don’t think it was,” Ellie sighed, “I know it was.”

Lou chuckled, “right.”

“Welcome home Miss Louise!” the accented voice called again as a slow moving robot rounded the corner.

“Hello, Handsy,” Lou was pulling items out of her back and sorting them on the desk.

“Miss Elenore,” the robot’s frame slowly began to turn towards Ellie, but froze when its sensors picked up the three men clumped in front of the open elevator. “Intruders!” the mechanical voice raised in pitch as the machine gun end at the end of its right arm began to spin.

“Abort!” Lou screamed, “abort, abort!”

“Handsy!” Ellie jumped between the robot and the guys, “initiate protocol 46, Newcomer Input.”

The machine gun slowed to a stop as the arm lowered back down, “protocol initiated, awaiting Input.”

“Handsy, input three new profiles, security level…” Ellie glanced back at the three men before returning to the robot, “blue.”

“Profile four created, input identifier,” the robot stood motionless as it awaited information.

Ellie motioned for Dean to speak. “Say your name, full name is best,” she whispered

“Uh, Dean,” he hesitated, “Dean Winchester.”

“Input received, profile identifier, Uh Dean Dean Winchester saved.”

“Override profile identifier,” Ellie rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger.

“Profile identifier overridden, awaiting profile identifier input,” the robot whirred, the motion could be seen through the clear covering on its shoulders.

Ellie motioned again.

“Dean Winchester,” Dean stated, his voice stern.

“Input received, profile identifier, Dean Winchester saved,” there was a pause, “input pronoun preference.”

“Male, or female…” Ellie whispered.

“Male, for sure male,” Dean smiled, “all male.”

“Input received, pronoun preference saved for profile, Dean Winchester.”

“You next,” Ellie motioned at Sam.

“Profile five created, input identifier.”

“Sam Winchester.” Sam shrugged.

Ellie gave him a grin and a thumbs up.

“Input received, profile identifier, Sam Winchester saved. Input pronoun preference.”

“Male,” Sam nodded.

“Input received, pronoun preference saved for profile, Sam Winchester.”

“Now you,” Ellie smiled and motioned at Castiel.

“Profile six created, input identifier.”

Castiel cleared his throat, “Castiel.”

“Input received, profile identifier, Castiel saved. Input pronoun preference.”

Silence.

Lou put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at the angel.

“Input received, profile identifier, Castiel saved. Input pronoun preference,” the robot repeated.

“Neither, I am not male or female,” Castiel shifted on his feet.

“Response not recorded, input invalid, awaiting pronoun preference input for profile, Castiel.”

“I am not…” Castiel was interrupted by Dean grabbing his arm.

“Just tell the robot what to call you,” Dean whispered, “so we can get this over with.”

“Dean, you know I am not innately male or female, as an angel I…” Castiel was cut off by Sam this time.

“I think the robot only has two input values for this command, Cas.” Sam smiled an encouraging half smile, “maybe you could go with the gender of your vessel.”

“Jimmy identified himself as a human male,” Castiel looked down at his body, “I suppose in this case it is not untrue that I am a human male.”

“Awaiting pronoun preference input for profile, Castiel,” the robot repeated.

“Male,” Castiel answered.

“Input received, pronoun preference saved for profile, Castiel,” the robot began to move again, walking slowly towards the three men. “Welcome home, Sirs.”

“Uhhh,” Dean grimaced as the robot approached him and began to reach an arm out to him, “thanks.” Dean extended his arm for a handshake.

The robot’s claw moved past Dean’s extended hand and around to behind him, “good job!” the robot exclaimed as it gave Dean one quick swat on the butt.

“What the!?” Dean jumped back and raised both hands in the air.

Lou erupted in laughter.

“No, no, no, no…” Sam held his hands up and began to back away as the robot turned towards him.

“Handsy, you can skip the formalities,” Ellie giggled.

“Very good Miss Elenore,” the robot began to whirr again as it turned back to face her. “While you were out there was a glitch in the power grid. No security features were affected, however, I believe the water heater is offline.”

“Thanks Handsy,” Ellie sighed as she opened her bag and began to pull items out, “I hope no one had their heart set on a shower tonight, the water heater is going to have to wait until tomorrow.”

“What was that?” Dean was still standing with his arms in the air.

Lou chuckled, “Mr. Hansy is a bit of a…” she paused, “project.”

“Handsy is just fine the way he is,” Ellie sniffed.

“When we first found this place she found that old Protectron bot still in its power station,” Lou began to pile some of the items back into her bag. “The only thing she couldn’t manage to fix was the fried personality-interface card. The only viable one she was able to find was a card from a Mr. Handy, the bots made for helping in homes a long time ago.”

“It was an excellent find!” Ellie’s eyes lit up, “the Mr. Handy bots are rare to find in a semi-functioning state anymore, and to have one that wasn’t owned with a functioning personality card was amazing luck!”

“But,” Lou sighed, “there was a problem getting the card to fit.”

“It took some finesse,” Ellie grinned.

“She used a hammer,” Lou rolled her eyes, “it messed up some of the basic interaction parts of his personality matrix. If you don’t tell him that he can forgo the formal greeting with you, that’s how he will greet you every time.”

“How do I do that?” Dean frowned.

“Just tell him,” Lou smiled, “now that the three of you have profiles with him, he will respond to you like he does us.”

“Mostly,” Ellie zipped her bag up, “you only have blue level clearance, so you can’t alter anything outside of your personal interaction specifications.”

“That’s okay,” Sam gave her a half smile, “thank you for everything you guys have done for us.”

“People look out for people out here,” Lou zipped her bag up as well, “it’s the right thing to do.”

“Yeah, but you have shared your food, kept us alive, and now you’ve invited us into your home,” Sam walked over to Ellie and took her hand in his, “seriously, thank you.”

“Oh,” Ellie’s cheeks turned red, “like Lou said,” she pulled her hand from his and quickly made her way across the room to where Lou stood, “it’s the right thing to do.”

“We will go make dinner,” Lou took Ellie’s arm in her own, “you three make yourselves at home. The whole floor is ours, with a few exceptions.”

“Basically,” Ellie grinned, “if a door doesn’t open, it’s not meant to.”

The two girls turned and disappeared through the door way.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Dean rubbed his temples, “does anyone else understand any of what we have been through today?”

Castiel shrugged, “I must admit, I have a hard time keeping up with what is going on with humans most of the time anyway.”

“You are a human now, Cas,” Dean frowned, “no more of this, ‘I am not this,’ and ‘you humans’ crap, alright?”

The angel nodded.

“What about you Sammy?” Dean held his arms out, “are you managing to understand all of this?”

Sam also shrugged, “I don’t really understand most of it, but that’s how most of our lives have been Dean, always surrounded by things we don’t really understand.”

“No,” Dean pointed firmly at Sam’s chest, “I understand vampires, and werewolves, and, and, and even demons. I understand demons, Sammy, but I don’t understand any of this…” he motioned to the room around them.

“It’s survival, Dean,” Sam made his way over to where Lou had laid her items out on the table, “pure and simple survival. I don’t understand a lot of the jargon, but I understand the struggle to stay alive. I can see it in their faces, and the faces of those people living in Diamond City…”

“Fenway Park,” Dean corrected him.

Sam sighed, “I recognize the fight to survive, I just figure the details we will pick up along the way.”

“You don’t think we can find a way home, do you?” Dean stared at his brother.

“Dean, look around,” Sam pointed to a dirty window, “there is nothing anymore. I don’t even know if any of the supernatural things we are used to hunting are still around. I don’t see a way home… all I see now is survival, which like I said before, isn’t that different from how we lived back home.”

“Unbelievable,” Dean shook his head, “Cas, are you buying this?”

“It does seem as though a way home is impossible,” Castiel looked at the items Lou had laid out, his fingers lightly touching each item, “even as a human I should be able to sense any angels around, and I haven’t felt anything.”

“Come on,” Sam patted Dean’s shoulder, “let’s look around, see if we can find anything we can make sense of.”

Dean turned around to follow his brother before pausing at the table the other two had been standing next to. The items on the table looked all too familiar, the countless amounts and kinds of ammo, the barrage of weapons, and the non-perishable foods. Perhaps Sam was more right than he cared to admit, survival had always been a large part of their lives.

“I am sorry we don’t have enough sleeping bags,” Lou unrolled the spare rolled up sleeping bag, “we really only anticipated it being a backup for one of us. Honestly, we were lucky to have that spare mattress as well.”

“They will work just fine,” Sam smiled, “thank you.”

“Yes,” Castiel gave her a small smile as well, “thank you.”

“Alright nerds,” Ellie leaned on the doorway, the single lit lantern in her hand, “technically it’s lights out after dark, but we are making an exception for you. I would suggest getting it out as soon as you can manage though.”

“If you need light for anything though,” Lou joined her in the doorway, “the room with the double doors will have a fire going all night. There aren’t any windows in there so we are able to keep light going in it all night.”

“Noted,” Dean nodded at the two girls, “we really appreciate you guys.”

“Just know that we will put you to work,” Ellie grinned, “you three gotta earn your keep.”

“Lights out!” Bo yelled from down the hall, “if I can’t have lights on in my room to read my Silver Shroud comics, then you radroaches don’t get light in yours!”

Lou sighed, “see you in the morning.”

“Night,” Dean winked at her.

Once the girls were out of sight Sam shoved his brother. “No, Dean,” Sam glared at him, “just no.”

“What?” Dean shrugged.

“We live with them!” Sam whispered angrily, “the last thing we need is for you to mess around with one of them and get us all kicked out.”

“Or worse,” Cas sat down on the floor, “I think in the case of those girls, it would be worse than just getting kicked out.”

Sam pointed at Cas in agreement.

“Alright, alright,” Dean held his hands up in the air, “I hear ya, loud and clear.”

“Good,” Sam fiddled with the latch on his PipBoy, “now, how are we doing this with only two sleeping spots?”

“I will sleep on the ground,” Castiel rested his head in his hands, “I am not used to needing sleep, so I will not notice the difference between a bed and the floor.”

“Cas you’re still getting better,” Dean frowned, “you shouldn’t be the one to sleep on the floor.”

“I am fine,” Castiel wadded up one of the blankets Lou had given them and rested his head on it as he lay down, “you both carried bags today, you should rest.”

Sam sighed, “if you start to get too uncomfortable, wake us up, alright?”

“Okay,” Dean sat on the sleeping bag, “but tomorrow night you get the mattress.”

Castiel nodded.

“Better put this light out before Miss Tightwad comes after us,” Dean leaned forward and turned the handle on the lantern until the flame was snuffed out.

Castiel rolled over on the hard floor, he didn’t want to admit it, but his chest still hurt. He was having trouble falling asleep. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed since the dark had settled into the room, but it was long enough for Dean to start snoring.

He sighed as he pushed himself up from the floor. Moving as silently as he could, he made his way out of the room and followed the faint glow coming from down the hall. The doors to the large room had been sealed as best as they could be, an attempt to keep in as much light as possible. Castiel hesitated before pushing the doors open. He didn’t know how late it was, and he didn’t want to bother anyone who was using the lit room for something.

Instead of opening the doors he turned and headed further down the long hallway, making his way back to the room where the elevator had been located. As he rounded the corner his eyes caught sight of a person sitting in the window closest to the elevator. He froze, startled at first, but then he recognized the color of Lou’s hair.

She was sitting in the window sill, a leg hanging out the opening where glass used to be, her body turned mostly away from him, a shoulder leaning against the frame of the window. The heavy jacket and leather pants she had been wearing through the day had been replaced with a simple white sleeveless shirt and some shorts. Her hair that had been pulled up and stuffed under a helmet was in a loose braid that hung down her back. The moonlight was getting caught in the loose hair around her head, creating a halo.

Castiel took a step backwards, trying to back up without being detected.

Lou’s head whipped around, her eyes catching his, and for a moment he could see tears.

“Hey you,” she smiled, the sadness he had witnessed a moment before disappearing, “what’re you doing up?”

“I, uh…” the angel tried to return her smile, “I can’t sleep.”

“Me either,” she motioned for him to join her, “come over here and look at the stars with me.”

Castiel crossed the room and stood next to the window.

“Sometimes when the world seems too terrible, I like to look at the stars,” she looked up at the clear night sky, “they remind me that before the war there were people looking up at those very same stars.”

“Actually, most of the stars you are seeing died a long time ago,” Castiel looked up at the sky as well.

She laughed softly, “you’re a strange one, aren’t you?”

“I have been told that, yes,” his eyes lingered on the sky, where his home used to be.

“Well, it’s alright if they’re all dead even,” she sighed, “that’s almost more comforting.”

“How so?” his eyes left the sky and looked at the woman sitting next to him.

“It makes it seem more normal that I can still see all the people I love that have died when I close my eyes,” her gaze seemed lost in the sky.

He stared at her. She was smiling, but there was deep pain buried in her expression. He suddenly felt as though he was glimpsing a part of her he wasn’t meant to see and forced his eyes from her face, they settled on a scar that was coming out from under her shirt. It was like a welt, a deeper color than the rest of her skin, it stretched over her shoulder blade and arched up towards her shoulder.

“You have scars,” he mused, wishing he had the power to heal it for her.

“What?” she looked at his face, and realized he was looking at her shoulder, “oh, yeah.” Her fingers reached up and ran over the smooth surface of the damaged skin, “we all have scars here, some are just more obvious than others.”

“It’s hard living here, isn’t it?” Castiel looked back out the window, “I had no idea a war would make the world look like this.”

“War is a terrible thing,” Lou stared at him, “but you would know that, wouldn’t you, soldier?”

Castiel’s eyes met hers, “how did you know that I was a soldier?”

“It’s etched into your face,” she smiled softly, “my father was a soldier before he met my mom, he had the look too.”

“Where is he now?” his eyebrows knitted together.

“He died when I was nineteen,” her smile faded, “raiders came through our area and killed everyone on our farm.”

“But you survived,” Castiel sat on the edge of the windowsill next to her.

“I was gone when they came through,” she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, “I’m the only one from my family left.”

“There was a time when I thought I had no family. I felt they had turned away from me,” he smiled, “but a wise man once said, ‘family don’t end in blood.’ It might not be any of my business, but while those two girls don’t look like blood, they sure do look like your sisters.”

She returned his smile, “you’re right.” She released her legs and let them dangle over the edge of the windowsill, “even though you’re a bit odd… you’re a good guy.”

A moment passed between the two of them before Lou’s eyes suddenly tore away from his.

“I…” she was flushed, “I’m sorry, I…” she stood up and wrapped her arms around herself, “I shouldn’t be here, not with…” she paused when her eyes met his again, “with you.” She began to back away, “it’s not you, please don’t think it’s you… I just…” she turned away from him, “it’s me, I just shouldn’t be here.”

Before Castiel could stop her she hurried from the room.

Lou closed the door to her room behind herself as quietly as she could. The moonlight coming in through the boards nailed over the window on the far side of her room gave everything a beautiful blue haze. She wrapped her arms around herself.

“What are you doing, Louise?” she whispered to herself, “you know better.”

The sting of tears filled her eyes as they welled up and spilled down her cheeks.

“You know better!” she scolded herself.

She let her body slide down the door until she was sitting on the concrete surface. Her fingers wrapped around the silver locket that hung around her neck, her thumb running over the etching on the front.

“I am so sorry baby,” she breathed, “I am so, so sorry.”

------------------------- 

Feeling the sense of warmth surround him, Harry walked into the community centre. Shivers coursed through him as he rubbed his arms trying to initiate some sort of quick heat to warm his core. The droplets of rain smeared across his black jacket dampening his hands.

Discarding his pair of wellies Harry stepped forward into the main area of the community centre. Cots were evenly dispersed as people; women, children… families had been evacuated from the regions the flood had over took. The sounds of children playing gently coursed through the room filling the void of silence.

A child ran across in front of him chasing another nearly running into the prince. Harry let out a light giggle watching the two run by. Mason, the British Red Cross aide worker led them to an area where they could sit down and warm up before departing on the next area that needed to be re-enforced.

Harry, William and the soldiers had split up dispersing into two groups to conquer a vaster area of the flood. They had laid bags of sand to build a barrier wall to keep the waters of the flood from coming any further into the small village. The rain had let up for a moment as the group travelled back to the base at the community centre needing a well deserved break after hours of hard labor.

Lowering himself down onto a steel fold up chair Harry relaxed leaning back. Crossing his arms Harry scanned the area his sights landing on a blonde haired woman with her back turned away from him. His eyes roved up and down her body taking in the view of her curves like the rest of the soldiers eying her up.

Mason had walked across the room stopping at her side giving her a gentle smile. Her head turned slightly towards him attentively listening, as the two seemed to have delved into a deep conversation. The blonde woman reached down for the radio that was secured by her hip. Speaking into it she responded, Harry hearing the quiet radio disturbance in the space between them.

The breath evaporated from his chest as if a pile of bricks had just landed on him. The blonde had looked back over her shoulder revealing her identity.

 It was Sophia Cromwell.

 This revelation stirred a mixture of emotions within the prince. In a way, he was excited to see her evident by the way his heart paced quickly, but the memory of their shared fight dampened that thought. He had spoken to her poorly, words of a lesser man. That night a different side of him was brought to life, one he had quickly buried never wishing it to see the light again. Harry had said unspeakable things to Sophia that night, all of which he had regretted.

It had been three weeks since their confrontation, having not spoken to the other since. Harry even attempted to return to her home and apologize in the following days, but he could not bring himself to invade her life again. Sophia had made it very clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. He had sat in his car parked across from her flat building, debating what to do. Harry wanted to show Sophia that he was different, that what he had said to her was not who he truly was. Watching her return to her flat building with a friend he decided it was best to leave her be.

Sophia had started to make her way towards the group of soldiers with Mason in tow. Realizing that Sophia was working with the Red Cross and not a mere volunteer Harry angled his body away from her, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable with him here.

“Thank you guys for coming and helping out today. The families and myself appreciate it and cannot thank you enough. We need all the hands we can get at this point. Warm up; get as dry as you can.” A light giggle escaped her lips before she continued. “I will be taking you to another site to put up more barriers in the next while.” Sophia thanked them kindly, her soft voice was calm and collected despite the stress Harry was sure she was feeling in the wake of the floods. 

Thinking Sophia had left Harry turned his head only to lock in her sparkling blue eyes. He could see the immediate worry forming on her face, her mouth parting slightly in shock. Her gaze dropped to the floor as she nervously brushed a piece of her blonde locks behind her ear. Turning on her heel, Harry watched her walk away with Mason.

It was all he could to not follow in her footsteps. He didn’t mean for this to happen, hell he didn’t even know that Sophia worked for the Red Cross; another fact that yet surprised him.

Half-hour later, Sophia had returned sporting a pair of black wellies and a warmer jacket. Leading the group of men to an awaiting bus she sat down in the front engaging in conversation with the driver. Harry bravely sat in the aisle across from her, an action to which she was well aware of.

Her head turned slowly to the side glancing at the prince offering him a small smile that faded. 

Why was he here? She thought to herself feeling a stirring of anger within her. Their last confrontation had ended poorly, each one yelling at the other. The next few days after the fight had made Sophia sick to her stomach at the mere thought of the words he had said to her. Now he was here at her work invading another side of her life he was not welcomed to.

The weight in the seat beside her sank, indicating that someone was beside her. Her eyes lifted to find Harry smirking down at her with bright eyes. A spark of anger ignited within her. How did he have the nerve to do that or was he just plain cocky?

“What are you doing?” She spoke with a low whisper as she glared at him wanting to make the message clear she did not wish to be in his presence.

“Well. This spot was free so I figured I would join you!” Harry’s smile spread.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Harry acted as if nothing had happened which further nerved the blonde. Crossing her arms defensively Sophia turned her head away from the prince staring out the window in an attempt to ignore him. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?

Sensing his body in a closer proximity to her, Sophia turned her head sharply with her gaze still averted downwards in fear that his capturing blue eyes would put her under his spell again. The prince remained quiet as he sat beside her for the majority of the ride.

“I’m sorry Sophia…” his deep voice was quiet yet sincere. His eyes trailed down catching her gaze holding it for a moment as she searched his blue orbs. Closing her eyes she felt the pang of the words he had spoken that night to her. Her breath began to quicken as the anger continued to build from within her.

“I want to explain that what I said is not who I am.” He continued as she silently stewed in a bout of anger and hurt.

Opening her eyes she couldn’t look at the prince, not wanting him to see the budding tears that had formed in her eyes. She was here to work, this is her work place, her job and yet he thought that now was a good time to talk?

“I cannot do this right now your highness.” Her voice broke at the end, alerting Harry to the fact that now was not the time to bring it up. Silently he was kicking himself for thinking so, but was quickly replaced by the title she continued to use for him. It was a fact that Harry could not blame her for, especially since he had forced her to call him his rightful title in a power move to remind her of her place, an action he regretted amongst many.

For the rest of the short trip, the two remained silent. Harry not wanting to make matters worst with Sophia he let the conversation drop. Finally having arrived at their destination he could take a sigh of relief. Being in close proximity to the blonde again was excruciating. 

The soldiers departed the bus and immediately got to work seeing the water level rising and needing to work quickly to build up the barrier. The rain poured down harder not helping with the situation. Sophia made sure that everyone was taking breaks huddling in the heated bus to dry off and stay warm. Soldiers argued with her stating they did not need breaks, but she put her foot down explaining the need to keep the body warm and if they truly wanted to help they would listen to her.

Harry could not help but be amused at her commanding voice she bestowed upon the disagreeable soldiers having to put them into place. His barking laugh at the matter caused the Sophia to glance back at her shoulder at him. Harry could tell she was desperately trying to hold in her laughter of the situation.

“God why are men so difficult!” She giggled walking away from them trudging through the knee high water towards the prince. Making a place in line she pitched in with the help standing opposite of the prince helping to place the sand bags on top of the barrier.

“Sorry they are giving you a hard time.” Harry offered politely catching her flash a wide grin at his words.

“I can handle it Harry.” She warmly replied. Harry nearly froze in place at the use of his name nearly getting plowed over by a hard bag of sand being tossed towards his body. Quickly reacting he softened the blow with a low grunt. Hearing a laugh his head sprang towards Sophia staring at him as she tried to stifle her laughter.

“Pay attention.” Sophia giggled lightly, not being able to help but mess with the ginger prince just a little bit.

 Sophia’s POV

 Sophia turned back her focus to the job at hand. Her hands were cold and slippery from the constant rain beating down on them as she caught another sand bag being tossed in her direction. She was impressed at how hard the soldiers had been working, lending a much appreciated hand.

Harry had traded places with the soldier handing her the bags after taking a warm up break. Turning her body Harry gently handed her the sand bag feeling the warmth of his hands as her chilled fingers brushed up against them sending a shock wave coursing through her.

His simple touch continued that stir of emotions she felt inside of her. Despite their less than civil interaction, she could not get the thought of him out of her head. After their fight she buried the budding feelings she had for him, not wanting to be with a man who spoke and thought so poorly of her. But seeing him here today she found them slowly starting to be uncovered again. In all truth her feelings for Harry still lingered no matter how hard she tried to dismiss them. 

“Sophia…” his voice was laced with concern. “You need to get warm.” Sophia caught a glimpse of his worried expression he held for her. 

“I am fine Harry.” She insisted as he handed her another bag of sand. Turning around she gasped lightly, caught off guard by his sudden close proximity as he towered over her.

He gently grabbed her hand surrounding his around them as she instantly felt a numbing warmth flood between her fingers. The cool numbing slowly starting to dissipate.

“You are freezing.” Harry spoke down towards her as he rubbed his hands together creating some friction stimulating warmth. His soft touch caused her mind to cloud over, unable to formulate a response. Sophia was still caught off guard at his gesture, frozen in stance just like her hands.

This was the man she had come to know that night at the masquerade ball. The man she had fallen hard for, but had shown his true colors that night he had come to her flat unannounced. Confusion surrounded her mind not knowing what to do. Their connection was so palpable between them, so undeniable, but was it worth it? Would they just fight like they had done the other night?

Her features softened relishing in the gentle touch he provided her with. Finding a source of courage she glanced up at him locking with his blue eyes. They softened in a pleading way, a silent appeal for her to reconsider them talking.

“Harry…” she was finally able to force out of her lips. “People can see.” Sophia quietly urged not wanting to get in trouble at work.

He immediately dropped her hand thinking he may have over stepped her boundaries. Sophia pursed her lips together willing herself not to reach out and grab his hand.

“Come take a break with me. No one is there right now.” A warm smile formed on her lips as she watched his face light up in contrast to the dark grey skies. Beads of rain trickled down his face coming from his soaking wet ginger hair. Nodding happily he agreed to her changed mind.

End POV

 “Wales you already got a break slacker!” One of his army mates bantered with him earning an eye roll from the prince. Harry followed the blonde as they waded through the water. Sophia glanced back over her shoulder gauging the prince’s reaction to the tease not being able to stop the smile spreading across her lips.

Reaching the bus she propped the door open feeling instant warmth surround her. The pair started to take off their outer layers hanging it over the seats hoping for it to dry off. Pulling off her wellies Sophia rubbed her cool bare feet as she shivered.

“See? I told you that you needed one.” Harry gave her a wink that only elicited a small groan from the blonde sitting across from him knowing that he was indeed right.

They fell into an awkward silence, neither one knowing what to say to the other. Sophia fidgeted in her seat feeling uncomfortable under Harry’s blue-eyed gaze. Harry knew that he had limited time to speak with her before other members of his unit came in to interrupt. Not wanting to waste a second further Harry began to speak.

“Sophia.” Her eyes lifted giving Harry her full attention. Harry knew all along what he had wanted to say to her, but now his words were failing him. How would she believe him after hearing the words he had spoken that night.

“I don’t know what to say to you to make you believe that I am not that man.” Harry sincerely spoke, taking a brief moment to lock eyes with the blonde woman. He wanted her to truly hear what he was about to say next.

“I am sorry. I know what I said to you was….” He paused searching for the right word. “terrible and words of a lesser man, but I said that in a moment of anger. I came to your home in anger thinking of how you had deceived me that night. 

Sophia searched into the depths of the prince’s eyes knowing deep down that what he was saying was the truth. But these were only words; she needed to see actions that proved what he spoke of.

“I don’t know what your intentions were that night. But I am willing to have a civil conversation with you and find out what is going on. You deserve at least that.” Harry let his words sink in further as Sophia lowered her gaze deep in thought.

Inching to the edge of his seat he bravely reached out and tenderly grasped one of her hands. “Let me show you that I am different. Will you consider an apology dinner? A private place where we can talk further?” Harry softly spoke to her growing silent as he waited for her response.

Sophia stared down at her hand in his. Her mind was screaming out internally, begging her not to trust this man for the exact reasons she had already witnessed. Her heart was fluttering lightly in her chest, feeling the gentle yet reassuring touch his hand was giving her. Her heart battled with her mind; her body a mixture of anger, confusion, but also a sense of sincerity.

Her lips opened slightly, allowing her to breathe in a deep sigh. Sophia had decided her answer hoping that it would not come back to haunt her in the future. Lifting her head her heart nearly stopped as she locked with his piercing blue eyes making her fear of falling under his spell become true.

“Ok.” She began to answer. “You get one last chance…” Sophia paused taking a moment for Harry to really hear her words. “Show me that you aren’t that man Harry. You truly did hurt me that night, and I am surely stupid for allowing you another chance to do so.” Sophia confessed, hoping that there would be a different outcome this time.

“I will be here until the end of the week then I am heading back to London.” Sophia slowly took her hand back from the prince.

“Can I come get you Thursday for dinner? My base is only twenty minutes away.” Harry asked hopefully wanting to ensure a plan before he left.

“Nonsense.” Sophia replied with a light frown. “I will bring my own car. I don’t want you to have to drop me off as well.” She fibbed. The truth being she wanted a get away if needed.

“Alright.” Harry tossed his arms up with a smile. “I offered.”

Sophia shook her head at the prince. “I will make sure that is noted Harry.”  A light giggle escaped her lips.

“Well it’s a date then.” Harry effortlessly smiled.

“It’s not a date.” Sophia made sure he understood that as she stood up grabbing her things and heading back out into the rain. She slowly stepped down onto the stairs leading out of the bus; pushing the door open she took one last glance back at the prince.