{Enki | Medical Bay}

Ross stood with Jack, who knocked on the medical bay’s threshold. The highest tier contained the two Valkyrie and their human lover. Karter and Para had come down a few times to take the pulse of the situation, but while they socialized, Chris remained upstairs. And, well…

Ross wanted to talk to him.

“Come in.”

The army veteran from Earth sounded much better than he had only a few hours ago, as Jack and Ross stepped into the space. Chris sat with his back to them, zipping up his black and blue combat suit. Like Jack’s.

Even though Ross had to stop remembering the bruising on her thighs from Chris’ hands, she took Jack another step forward.

Grateful, the younger man asked, “Are you joining the battle?” He sounded hopeful.

Without turning around, Chris confirmed, “All vaccinated and ready to fight.” Still, he concentrated on his gear.

Ross remained quiet, letting them have this moment, while Jack awkwardly worked the kinks from his neck, saying, “Do you want to be on the same squad? Like Volcano Day?”

Chris groaned, leaning down to slip on his combat boot. “That may not be for the best, kid.”

Ross hated the way Jack’s face fell. She knew this was about what had happened to her, and she wouldn’t let it go on any longer. Softly, she pressed, “Jack, can you give us a minute alone?”

Chris went stiff at the sound of her voice.

Jack glanced from Chris to her, and she let all the reassurance show on her face. No one was worried Chris might hurt her again, but it was so hard to approach this topic.

“Sure. I’ll be on the stairs.”

Ross squeezed his hand. “I’ll get you, I promise.” When Jack disappeared down the staircase, she bolstered herself for a hard conversation and refused to have it with the back of Chris’ head. “Please, look at me. I understand why you don’t want to, but I have a lot I want to say, and I’d like to see your eyes for it.”

They were warm eyes, Ross knew. A brown like oak trees in the autumn. Kind. She’d always liked them.

When Chris stood and turned to face her, all the warmth had seeped from his eyes. They were shards of brown ice with a hint of fear around the edges.

It was enough to make Ross cry. She looked down and wet her lips, afraid of all the emotion. But the caring man who’d screamed in his own head not to hurt her was worth a little discomfort.

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Ross faced him again without tears and told him the truth. “I know you didn’t want to hurt me. It wasn’t you. I need you to know that, and that’s not the confession of some inexperienced girl. Razor once spent thirty minutes touching me—”

Chris winced.

“—Without getting nearly as physically close to me as you were. What he did left far more lasting harm than…” Ross swallowed and continued. “I know you think you unwillingly left some psychological scars, but you didn’t. I promise I’m fine, and Jack just wants things back how they were if you can find that in you to give. We’re here for you Chris. We’re waiting to have our family back together whenever you’re ready. If you’re ever ready. I understand.”

“We’ve both been through enough.” Chris finally said something. “About the kid… I’m willing to try, but I can’t promise I won’t PTSD my way through this battle. Or what comes after. I…” It was his turn to swallow and try again. “These things take time, and it’s kinda known the Shadow never really get enough of it to fully heal. But I’ll try, Ross. Coming here and talking to me was brave—”

She shook her head.

“—Yes, it was. You may have had it in your head the entire time that I wasn’t in control, but there will be always be some part of you that will never react to me the same way again.” He wet his lips, choked, and tried once more. “We’ll never recover that, but I think you’re right. We can move on. Send Jack in for a bit, will you? I want to tell him some things.”

Crushed with relief, concern, love, and confusion, Ross turned to head for the stairs.

“Ross?”

She stopped and glanced over her shoulder.

Some of the warmth had returned to Chris’ eyes. “Thank you. Thank you so much for knowing.”

Ross nodded and grabbed Jack. With only a look, the young man rushed up the stairs to talk to his guardian, while Ross went looking for Bethany. She rounded the corner and nearly ran into T.a.o.

“Sorry.” Ross tried to go around her, but T.a.o. stepped back in her way. The woman was nearly a foot shorter than Ross, so it wasn’t a matter of intimidation but curiosity. “Do you need something from me?”

The tiny woman with her strange eyes smiled, and it was sweet. “She will feast.”

Ross wasn’t sure her eyes flared wide enough to hop out of her head, but that’s what it felt like. “Uhm…”

T.a.o. continued, “You will let her, and she will save us all.”

This wasn’t a drill, and T.a.o. meant every word. Ross agreed. “I will let her.”

“Good.”

The tiny woman stepped out of the threshold to the next bay, where Matt, Lucy, Puk, some Tritans, and Bethany lounged like lions in a cave.

“Hi.” Ross waved.

Puk waved back, grinning like a big goof. It was infectious. Lucy smiled sweetly, her fingers drawing circles on Matt’s arm, who seemed to enjoy it given the goosebumps.

Then Matt grinned at Ross. “Hey, we’d like permission to take Bethany out to the Pantheon for the fight, and since Kyle is already there, that makes you her chaperon.”

Bethany punctuated his words with a big grin of her own and an emphatic nod.

Ross blinked.

Lucy explained, “T.a.o.’s Seamswalking us there in a minute. Our team has some soldiers to meet and form our own squad. We’d like it if Bethany would join us. We’ll look after her, of course.”

Puk looped an arm around Bethany’s smaller shoulders and squeezed her into his muscular heft for a convincing side hug, ruffling her hair. “She’ll be perfectly safe.”

On a battlefield.

Ross glanced downstairs at the pile of bodies. Was she any safer here? And Bethany looked so excited to go.

“You will let her, and she will save us all.”

With a heavy sigh, Ross said, “Sure. Check with Kyle when you get there, so he doesn’t kill me.”

Lucy hopped out of her seat and skipped across the room to Ross, wrapping her in a warm embrace. “Thank you. She’ll be safe. I promise.”

Right then, Ross wasn’t worried about them keeping Bethany safe. Ross was worried about Bethany becoming like them. But as Imminent had proven repeatedly, there were worse ways to turn out.