She took his hand, and squeezed it, sensing his panic. Her breathing had returned to normal, and the aftershocks of pain were dying down. "Seriously, Francis," she said eventually. "Everything's okay."
He pulled his face away immediately after she was up, then crossed them behind his back self-consciously. "You say that.. but it's not okay." His voice was gravelly, but soft. "What I did was not okay at all."
"It won't happen again," she soothed. "Please don't worry. I'm fine." She reached over to lightly touch his shoulder, unsure if he would back away or not.
"But I did. What I did inflicted pain." He sighed, looking a bit frustrated, though it wasn't at her. "I don't know how you can't see this. We're you scared?"
She hesitated, her arms wrapping around her waist. "I mean... For a moment there, I was. But only for a moment. I'm not afraid of you."
He tensed, unsure what to do. "But you were.. You shouldn't be afraid, that's not how... That's not how is supposed to be."
"It's not how it is," she said fiercely. She stepped forward and rested her hands on his arms, her eyes staring desperately into his. "Francis, my darling, I am not afraid of you."
He frowned, lightly brushing her cheek before pulling his hand back. "How do you know? There's no way you could."
Anger crossed her expression. "You would never have hurt me like they were planning to, and you know that."
"There won't be a next time," she said, watching him carefully. She hesitated before her gaze met his. "Right?"
