A/N: I own absolutely nothing. It all belongs to the fabulous, amazing, wonderful Tahereh Mafi.

And I'm leaving my gloves behind

"Love?"

I haven't answered him yet. My lips have been glued together in my confidence, leaving Warner to face my quiet, still figure alone in the dark. I

close

my eyes and breath softly, inhaling the scent left on the pillow next to mine. I sit up slowly, watching him closely. His broken arm - the one that had been mostly blood instead of cotton only hours before - is held steady and straight. It's holding his weight, I notice, and I can't help but smile. Warner is alive.

I am alive.

"I'm fine," I answer, my voice slowly come back to me.

His heavy breathing softens when I answer, but it's still too fast to be normal, and I reach out, placing my arm on his shoulder. I'm almost overtaken by fear that my touch will kill him, will hurt him like all the others, until he takes a shaky sigh and covers my hand in his own. "I'm glad you're awake." He whispers, his hand reaching out to tuck my hair behind my ear. "How are you feeling?"

I pause.

Think.

Smile.

"Strong."

His lips curl into a smile, just at the corners, but it's his eyes - those green, green eyes that seem almost transparent in the filtered moonlight - that show that he is relieved. "That's good. Very good." And then he winces and I lean back, afraid that my touch has hurt him, until he shakes his head softly. "I'm fine. My arm - it's not fully healed."

Sara and Sonya, I think my mouth dropping just a fraction. "Didn't they heal you?"

Warner shakes his head. "No, when they touched me, I was only focused on" his voice wavers, just slightly, "getting you better."

I take his hand into mine, lifting it to my lips and kissing it softly. "Thank you." It isn't necessary to thank him, I can tell by the way his eyes widen just barely, but I want to. "Thank you, Aaron, for saving my life."

He smiles, even laughs softly, before his eyes meet mine again. They are bright and sharp and beautiful and all I want to do is look into them for the rest of my life, swim in their color until the world shuts off and dies. "You should go back to sleep." He says, sliding off of his bed and gently pushing my shoulder, telling me to lay down.

But I don't move. I don't want to.

"Juliette?"

"Where are you going?" I'm surprised by my question, and so is he because he pauses, straightens, runs a hand through his hair.

"I'll go to another room."

"No." I respond, louder than I meant to. "No," I lay down, leaving a large enough space for him also, "stay. Please." I don't mention that I am afraid. Afraid that his father will somehow find me again or I won't wake up if I go to sleep without him by my side. "Please, Aaron." His name is still foreign on my tongue, but I like the way it feels. I like the way my mouth forms the syllables.

He looks at me, wrapped up in his blankets and only takes a moment before lying down next to me. "Go to sleep, love." He says softly, so softly.

My eyelids droop, exhaustion returning. "Don't go..."

I feel his warm hand close around mine, feel his soft lips brush against my knuckles, hear him whisper just before sleep takes me, "I won't ever leave you."

So yeah… Again, I apologize if this sounds totally out of character for these two.

Um.

Reviews/Criticism/other stuff is greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading! :D