Beneath the Surface of Safety

Previously

…I met his gaze, tears finally welling in my eyes. “I will always protect you, Sam. Always.” He pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. It wasn't the same embrace as before. There was a new layer to it, a fragile understanding, a shared burden. He didn’t have all the answers, and neither did I. But for the first time in days, I felt a sliver of hope. We were a team, after all. A broken, terrified, but undeniably united team. The ordinary was gone, replaced by a terrifying reality, but perhaps, just perhaps, we could face it together. The fight was far from over, but now, at least, I wasn’t fighting alone.