Wrath burst into Serenity’s classroom.

“There’s a conference!” He said. He glanced around the room at other students, who were all staring at him. Well, that’s what he got for just bursting into the room like he owned the place.

“Yes, I’m aware,” Serenity said coolly. She was still wearing her normal clothes. Her arms were still covered. Luckily, there was nothing drawing extra attention to her.

She was just…her.

What had she thought when she got the news? How had she found out? He wanted to ask if she was okay, if everything was all right, but more than that, he needed to play it cool in front of the other students. He could just grab Serenity, kiss her, and promise her that everything would be okay.

That would draw attention to them, and not the good kind.

“Please,” Serenity said, placing a hand on his arm. “Have a seat. We’re doing colored pencil drawings today. I think you’ll enjoy this.”

He nodded and headed toward his regular seat. Clemecia wasn’t in her spot.

“Hey,” he asked the kid who sat on the other side of him. “Where’s Clemecia?”

“Who? Clover?”

“Yeah.”

The kid shrugged. “Dunno. She went home from school early. Sick.”

“Sick?” He knew she’d had a cough for awhile, and it had seemed to be worse lately. “What kind of sick?”

“Teacher said she needed to see a doctor. That kinda sick.”

Wrath locked eyes with Serenity from across the room. She nodded, just a little. So she knew, or had heard, that Clemecia was ill. Wrath’s heart felt like it might rip in half. First Serenity was in danger, and now Clemecia was sick.

He wasn’t sure how Serenity was going to be able to make it through class so calmly, so coolly, but he followed suit, and he did his best to stay calm.

 

***

 

Wrath waited until the classroom was empty before he approached Serenity.

“Where’s Clemecia?” He asked.

“Her mother called me,” Serenity said. “She’s been admitted to the hospital. Pneumonia. It’s pretty bad, but she’s going to be all right, Wrath. The doctors here are great. She’s in good hands.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” Wrath whispered. He saw the tears in Serenity’s eyes. She couldn’t hide those from him. He wrapped his arms around her as the tears finally broke through, and he held her as she cried silently.

“You don’t always have to be so strong,” he whispered.

“Yes, I do.”

“I’m here now,” he told her firmly. “And I will be strong for you, Serenity. I will always be strong for you.”

“I love you,” she whispered, and his heart stopped. He hadn’t expected to hear her say those words. Not now: possibly not ever. Serenity was a strong woman, a determined woman, and she didn’t depend on anyone for anything.

He didn’t know why she would love someone like him.

Something like him.

He was, after all, a demon. Or at least, he had been until very recently. He was adjusting to his new life, but those demonic quirks would last a lifetime. His anger had subsided significantly, but it could resurface at any time. Anything could happen. He could lose his mind or go crazy or just become a huge asshole.

Life changed people, but suddenly, what he wanted more than anything else in the world, was to experience those changes with Serenity.

“I love you, too,” he whispered. The words floated easily off his tongue, and the smile that spread across Serenity’s face could have lit the darkest night. She kissed him softly, gently, sweetly, and Wrath thought he might never be able to get enough of those kisses.

He held her close. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “But I will always protect you, Serenity.”

“I know.”

She sounded certain.

Positive.

“How can you be so sure?” His voice wavered. He didn’t want to show fear. He would never be that guy, yet somehow, he knew he could be vulnerable around Serenity and she didn’t care. She wouldn’t mind if he wasn’t always strong. She wouldn’t care if he wasn’t always brave. She wouldn’t even be upset if he struggled to hold it together.

She just cared that he did his best.

She cared that he tried.

“Because I know you, Wrath.”

“You haven’t known me very long,” he pointed out. It had been weeks.

“I’ve known you long enough to know you’re a good guy,” she said. “Even if you don’t always know it.”

“I’m not Oliver,” he whispered. “I’ll never replace him. I’m not trying to.”

“Oliver is dead,” Serenity said. “I miss him every day, Wrath. I think of him all the time, but he would want me to be happy. He would want me to go on living. Oliver was the happiest person I’ve ever met. Even when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, do you know what he said to me?”

“Tell me.”

“He said he wanted me to be happy. He said he was happy knowing he had lived a full life and that he had been loved more than any human had ever been loved, and then he made me promise that I wouldn’t stop living just because he did.”

“He cared for you very much.”

“Just because we lose someone special to us doesn’t mean the world stops.”

“Sometimes it feels like it,” Wrath said.

“Feelings are just feelings,” Serenity whispered, and she kissed him again. Then she took his hand.

“Where are we going?”

“Home,” she told him. “And in the morning, we’ll go visit our little Clover.”