On the Hunt

Ellie smiled and hugged them both again, "Thank you. She's only two and a half and wouldn't understand any of this yet." She stepped back and looked kid of shy, "I don't suppose...is it too early for me to ask what the two of you are up to in your lives now? I understand if it is."

Kala, surprisingly, just waved it off. "We'd love to tell you. You need to catch up on what you've missed. We'll talk until dad gets here, then continue later." Virgil nodded at this, both feeling some of that old happiness returning.

She smiled again, "Well, do you both still live at home? Are you going to school?"

For over half an hour, Kala and Virgil worked to fill Ellie in as much as they could on the five years she'd missed. They told her they'd tell her later about how Tiara came to regain her sanity and why she was around now, if she wanted. They did, however, touch on how Tiara actually was running an orphanage now, which was sure to startle Ellie. Eventually, however, they could feel their father's energy approaching. Since he hadn't sped up, and was simply walking, they assumed he was too distracted to have noticed Ellie's presence. So... they waited.

Ellie felt an odd twist of emotions: happiness, pain, regret. They all swirled inside as Kala and Virgil recounted all of the events she'd missed in the last five years. It was healing though, talking with them again. She could see it was healing them too, although they'd all have scars. As time drew on, and the kids confirmed their father was on the way, a nervous tic developed in Ellie's leg, twitching.

There was a pause as Bahara reached the door, and Kala sighed. "Whatever was distracting him, he's finally noticed..." She took Ellie's hand, giving it a squeeze. After a moment, the door opened, and after some hesitant footsteps, Bahara came around the corner, and looked directly at Ellie. His eyes met hers for a long moment, and she'd see that he seemed... far more tired than she'd remember. Like he'd been weighed down by stress for a long time.

"...Ellie..." And then he seemed to faint, collapsing.

She smiled at Kala when she squeezed her hand. Ellie held her breath as she listened to the footsteps. Bahara's gold gaze meeting her silver sent a shock through her system. Five years, five long years since she'd looked in those eyes. He seemed so tired...

"Bahara!" Ellie was suddenly at his side. She drew his head onto her knees and carefully swept his white hair from his face. She wasn't surprised to find tears in her eyes again and one rolled out to fall onto his cheek.

Kala and Virgil both got up, but it was actually Tiara that got there after Ellie, though she hung back the moment she saw Ellie, not wanting to upset her. Kara and Virgil knelt next to their father and Ellie, though it was Tiara who spoke. "He's okay... just before he passed out, I just felt extreme shock from him... he'll be fine..."

Ellie bit her lip, watching Bahara's face for signs of him waking up. "Should we move him?" She flashed back to one of the last times she'd returned home after a hunt. Back before her biology had forced them to admit their feelings for each other, the poor guy had stayed awake waiting for her and she'd found him asleep by her door. She could carry him to his room now, like she had then, but after everything...it didn't seem like it was her place to do that anymore.

Kala placed her hand on Ellie's, and watched her carefully. "Take him. It'll... it'll be normal, for him. He's... sometimes he'll come downstairs, and set a place at the table for you for breakfast, before he remembers. It'll make him happy, to wake up to you being in his life again. Things won't be perfect, but..."

Ellie's eyes went wide as she stared at Kala, "Bahara...he...the whole time?" She looked down at the man passed out in her lap. "Okay, okay I'll...where's his room?" She picked Bahara up in her arms and stood. Getting direction, she went and laid him on his bed. After removing his shoes and socks, (she felt too awkward to do anything more), she stood just watching him sleep for awhile before becoming weary and sitting upright on the bed next him.

It was about an hour later that Bahara stirred, placing a hand over his face and groaning slightly. "Feel's like I hit my head... Ellie, are you awake... right..." He sounded so... defeated, there at the end, and reached for the pillow next to him, to cover his face... only for his hand to land on Ellie's arm. He paused... and his hand started to shake slightly. "...E-Ellie?" His voice was weak, shaky.

Ellie stirred, when she heard Bahara's voice, having drifted to sleep herself maybe fifteen minutes ago. She watched him, guilt for what she'd done gnawing at her. Gently, she placed her free hand over his on her arm, "Yes, it's me. And you did hit your head when you fell, so be careful." She bit her lip, and tears were falling silently, "Bahara, I'm so sorry."

He still had his eyes covered, but Ellie would see him grit his teeth, and a look of almost... anguish, crossing his face. "Ellie... please... please tell me this... that this is real... that I haven't... that I'm not imagining you again... please..."

"This is real," she moved her hand to touch his cheek, "I'm real and you're not dreaming or imagining." She shifted, so she faced him. "You can open your eyes and see me sitting right here."

Bahara hesitantly opened his eyes, and when he saw her, his eyes began to water. "Ellie... you're... really here...." There was a pause... and then Bahara had grabbed Ellie and pulled her tightly to himself, hugging her rather desperately. "Ellie... Ellie....you're really.... I thought..."

Ellie squeaked a little, suddenly finding herself in a desperate Bahara bear-hug. "I'm here. I didn't die and I'm not an illusion." Her arms wrapped around him despite feeling in some part of her that she shouldn't. "You need to know though, Bahara...I could have come back sooner. Could have and didn't. Because I was scared... and foolish and stupid and selfish and..." she cried against his shoulder.

Of all the reactions she might have expected, it likely wasn't for Bahara to tighten his hold and shut her up. "I don't care... I don't care... you came back... you came back... you care... we can talk about the other things later... right now... I just care that you're here..."

"Okay," her voice tight with emotion, "we'll talk later...we'll have time; I already promised Kala and Virgil I wouldn't leave again." She lifted her face from his shoulder so she could look in his eyes, "I missed you."

Bahara's eyes met hers, and she would see the happiness there. "And I missed you... so much..." He didn't say anything after that, just holding Ellie, burying his face in her neck.

Ellie rested her hand on the back of his head, burying her fingers in his hair as she drew in the comfort of his scent. She'd almost forgotten what it felt like to have Bahara's strong arms around her and the thought made her hug him tighter. After five years of incredibly restless nights, she knew she could fall asleep like this easily.

Bahara hadn't really slept well in five years. Add that to the fact that he was exhausted by what had happened today, he felt himself drifting off. However, he had to say one last thing before he did. "...I love you, Ellie... never stopped..."

"I love you too," Ellie replied, falling asleep soon after. She didn't wake until late the next morning. Sunlight glinted through the window blinds onto her face. She stirred, making a cute grunting noise before burying her face by Bahara's arm. His scent woke her and she looked at his sleeping face with a smile. Her groggy mind mistook this for the short happy time of 'before' and thought nothing of it as she pressed her lips to his. The kiss awoke a hunger for Bahara that surprised her, like she hadn't seen him in ages...and suddenly she was kissing him with all the pent up love and passion of five years.

Something in her mind finally snapped into place and Ellie jerked away, wide-eyed. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I just woke up and smelled you and saw you there and I wasn't..."

Bahara had woken the instant she'd kissed him. It had been like an electric shock through his body. Then when she pulled away, he didn't even hear her. He simply grabbed her, pulling her back down into the kiss, putting in every ounce of his feelings he could manage, trying to convey just how badly he'd missed her.

Ellie hadn't even seen it coming and squeaked as she was suddenly kissed again. She made some muffled half-protest that died as the spark she'd started, ignited inside her. Her fingers twined into Bahara's hair and she pressed against him desperately. She could sense the feeling Bahara was pouring into this, and the intense feelings of love and built up need were almost painful-bringing tears to her eyes as she responded, showing him just how much she'd missed him also.