We carefully departed the small infirmary, Daniel close to my side. He was very quiet, his head undoubtedly lost in a twist from so much happening today. I couldn't say I blamed him, myself just utterly exhausted from this morning, even with so much of the day still to come. It still gnawed on me seeing him so shaken like this, so to help comfort him I took his hand after the door closed behind us. Such a thing seemed to catch him by surprise, a little gasp coming from the bigger man and his eyes widening as they looked upon me. Though I was a mess I did my best to give him a smile and reassure him, my grip tightening around his larger hand. Even after everything today I could see his eyes turn glossy again, but he gave me a small smile to let me know that he, too, was okay.

The short walk from the infirmary to the home's front door seemed to take forever, but after some time my hand found the handle and gave it a turn. From above me the nurse pushed the door open to allow our entry and closed it behind us once we had.

The house was still and quiet, but carried a strange air of tension. Even through some of the worst days it didn't feel like this, a bit of a chill tickling my spine. Without thinking one arm reached over to firmly grasp the other as the floor creaked and settled, but my friend beside me pulled me closer against his side and held me there in silent comfort. After a pause our feet finally began to carry us across the lobby, down the hall, and up the bloodied stairs. I looked up to Daniel as we ascended the staircase and his ears had fallen back as his gaze stayed to the floor through a pained, wincing stare. Though no words were exchanged I could feel his tension through his face and grip, a worry and shame over his actions against my assailant. Despite trying to reassure him just earlier I knew it would take more than words to fully deliver my message, so I squeezed his hand in return and rubbed my thumb along the back.

We finally arrived at Riv's door, my giving it a soft knock.

"We're back, Heather," I quietly called from our side. "Thank you so much for watching our children, it really does mean a lot."

The door carefully opened, Heather greeting us and both children running up to hug around my sore ribs. I hugged them back as tightly as my limbs and their pain could tolerate, having come so terrifyingly close to losing the only family I'd ever had.

...The family I went through so much to have. Even if it were atypical or strange, I loved all of them dearly and more than life itself. Should I lose any of the three I...I don't know what I'd do. Just the thought alone made my heart jump up into my throat.

"I'm...taking this day off after that debacle," I sighed. "I-I'm sure Morissey won't be too happy, but...hopefully he'll understand."

"I will happily testify for you if you need it," Heather said, giving me a gentle hug. "I don't think it'll be necessary, though. I know he's...a strange man, but he's not heartless."

I just looked awkwardly down to my side and uttered a nervous chuckle. In fairness, Morissey had changed a lot since opening up, so maybe she was on to something. I'd try to give him the benefit of the doubt after his changes in treatment toward us.

"I'll keep that in mind," I quietly said, resting my hands on my children's heads. "I'm going to spend the rest of the day in my room, save for mealtimes, and you're both welcome to join me if you'd like."

Both children took some steps back into their room to find some things to take with them. They acquired some books, some art supplies, and their blankets to keep them comfortable and busy, an attempt to re-normalize this awful day. As I took their hands to lead them to my room Daniel parted from us without a word. He still wore that look of shame so I didn't bother him about it as he disappeared down the stairs. Such an odd thing caught more than just my attention, it seemed, as both children and our daystaff friend's eyes followed him as much as mine.

"Is...he alright?" Heather quietly asked, her head slowly turning back toward me.

"...I think he's upset about the encounter," I answered. "Not just that it happened, but...the helpless position he was in and his retaliation thereafter."

"Retaliation?" she asked further. "Why?"

"I think the best way to put it is...he's worried that we're afraid of him," I responded with a little sigh. "He's...such a warm person that the thought of people he cares about fearing him is legitimately upsetting. Daniel wants to take care of people, not hurt them, but...he was put in a position where he had to do one to accomplish the other. That isn't an easy pill to swallow for someone like him."

"Well, I'm not sure how much it means, but...I don't think I could be afraid of him if I tried," Heather said, slowly stepping away to resume her work. "The two of you have always been very kind to me, and if anything I feel safer while he's around."

"Heh, I can certainly agree with that," I tiredly laughed through a little smile. "I'll take these two back to my room. After all of that I think we all need to...just be by each other for a while."

"Of course, Reverend," she softly said through her own shy smile. "If you need anything, just let me know. I'll be around all day."

I gently nodded as she turned back toward the west wing of the hall to resume her laundry collection. Hopefully all of this hadn't impeded her work too much as the last thing I wanted was to get anyone else wrapped up in this horrible event for any reason. As the children and I turned back east Daniel had found his way back upstairs, his pace unusually soft and carrying a towel and bottle of alcohol. He'd stop at each spill of blood to disinfect it with the alcohol and quickly mop it up with the towel, his eyes still squinted in stress and his focus entirely on this particular chore. I turned back and followed the children to my quarters, their taking station upon my large bed with my addition soon following. The short mattress was a welcome reprieve from standing, feeling more comfortable than usual against my tired, sore body.

After a few minutes he'd silently enter the room, the three of us moving closer to the wall to allow him space to join us. He seemed to misunderstand our intentions at first, his ears raking back and his taking a step back. When I pat the bed beside me he seemed to slowly understand, quietly stepping his way toward us and gently sitting on the edge of the bed. He wouldn't say a word, but words weren't needed. I sat back up to tug on his sleeve, demanding his attention.

"Please lie down with me, Daniel," I softly proposed. "It's been an awful morning and I know you're exhausted, too."

"...Do you...really want that?" he asked.

"Of course I do," I replied, tugging on his sleeve again. "Please?"

He took a deep breath and, after a defeated sigh, finally lay down beside me, conceding. Before he could complete his motion I stopped him.

"Further down," I said.

He tilted his head, slightly confused, but pushed himself further down as I commanded. This way he was below me, his head level with my chest. I twisted to reach for him and pull him closer, his head resting against my sternum as I lay upon my back with my head and shoulders against the pillows.

"That is much better," I said through an amused little smile.

I combed my fingers through his dark brown hair, my nuzzling my snout over his clouded head. After a moment I just held my snout to his hair and moved my hands further down to his cheeks, stroking through the long fur. He was in an odd situation-- Daniel didn't feel he needed help as he was not the target of today's unfortunate event, but he was so worried that we might fear him that I couldn't just pretend all was normal.

"Daniel," I whispered into his ear, "none of us are afraid of you, and we all feel better and safer with your presence. We understand that you did what you had to protect us, that you want to take care of us. Please let me take care of you, too."

Something in the man's head seemed to crack, light sniffles coming from below me.

"We all love you very much," I continued. "You're part of our family, and you always will be."

I gave him a little kiss on the head to prove my sincerity, his long ears falling back and his arm's grip around my tender ribs tightening just a hair. Seeing such a genuinely sweet person in a state like this just ate at me, and from the looks on the children's faces I wasn't alone in that. The two crawled closer against my open side, snug up to me and Daniel's arm, and I think the bigger man finally relented in his head that he was not feared. Rather, we liked his presence and felt much more secure under his care, but that he, too, needed to accept care in return.

With everyone's warmth and emotions in one place, and the morning's stress finally releasing its grip from our ribs, we'd all soon drift off to a much-needed nap.

---

I stirred awake an hour or two later, the larger man clung tight to my left side and both of my children snug up close to my right. Everyone was exhausted, though I admit that the sight before me brought a wetness to my sore eyes. It was so unlike what I remember from back home and though the cause was unpleasant, it made me feel truly loved and cared for. I rubbed my snout atop Daniel's head and my right arm over the backs of my two children, some effort to wake them. After a short time they, too, slowly joined the waking world alongside me.

After such a long and tiring morning, and none of us having eaten much, if at all, I figured it was time to rectify that. Daniel reluctantly sat back up and rose to his feet, giving himself a nice stretch.

"Sure y'all're hungry so I'll head down and...see what I can put together," he quietly said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Before he could take a step away I was up onto my feet, grabbing his rolled-up sleeve and stopping him where he stood. His head spun around to face me, his expression plainly confused, almost scared by my stopping him.

"I'd like to accompany you," I said.

He seemed taken aback by this. I stepped closer to wrap my arms around the one I grabbed, pressing the side of my face against his sleeve.

"...Please, Daniel, I just...want to carry on this day as normally as possible," I whispered, squeezing his arm. "I-I know this morning was horrible, but...I don't want to dwell on it, or get special treatment."

The bigger man sighed, wrapping that arm behind my back and pulling me closer against his side.

"I don't mean to be a pain," I said against him.

"Shh," he shushed, his snout in my hair. "You've never been anything of the sort. I just want to take care o'ya. If you'd feel better with that, then that's all that matters."

It was nice to hear him speak again after so much awkward silence just earlier today. I turned to motion to both groggy children to follow us downstairs, both Daniel and I taking their hands as we departed the big bedroom. Together we traversed the upper hall, descended the stairs, and found our way to the smaller kitchen. Grabbing some pans Daniel and I set forth to make a nice lunch for all four of us. As we worked a slight movement caught my eye, my turning just a bit to see Heather carefully watching us from the nearby hallway. She gave us a little smile and wave as she carried on her chores, turning back toward the hall and disappearing. I felt much more at-ease with her being around and checking up on us, much more so than I did from any other worker.

Thankfully much of the awkward hesitation took a back seat to the kitchen work, all of us playing some part to assembling a large lunch-- grilled sandwiches, leafy salad, tomato soup, and a fruity chilled sweet tea. We took our seats at the bench and dug in, not many words exchanged as our empty stomachs took over for our heads. The two kids especially looked relieved to finally get something in their bellies, having missed breakfast this morning. Though my stomach had been in knots all morning it was nice to finally eat something, myself. The larger man across from me seemed to feel much the same way, his eyes looking up frequently to check on me as we all ate together. He did seem much more relaxed now, which in turn granted me a similar feeling.

After we ate our fill all four of us helped tend to the dishes, rounding them up to wash them, dry them, and put them away. It felt much like a weekend, and slowly but surely the morning's tensions seemed to leave their faces. I always found that dwelling on happenings like this never did me much good, only upsetting me further, but taking this approach helped me recover from those occurrences faster and leave them in the past. I was certainly still physically sore from the altercation, having been crushed up against a wall and my skin torn in places, but those things would heal in due time.

We resumed the day as though it were Saturday, stationing ourselves in my big room and passing time with our usual hobbies and activities. I was certainly content enough just to poke at some of the day's work with my back propped up against a pillow while Daniel read beside me and both Riv and Sura tried to sort out their schoolwork. Both children passed ideas back and forth, helping each other with different sections of their work near the foot of the bed. Riv was a little better with math and Sura was a little better with language arts, both of them complimentary in their strengths and weaknesses and aiding each other when needed. It warmed my heart seeing the two so helpful and inseparable-- they really were the best of friends.

Looking to my side I could tell Daniel was not the happiest about my working despite today, so to irritate him further I leaned against his side. Even he couldn't help but to relent and hug me against him with a little chuckle, my own arm behind his back.

A bitter morning paved the way for a much sweeter afternoon and evening.

---

Night was soon upon us, our taking the time to put both kids to bed. Both Riv and Sura seemed to hug me just a bit tighter than usual for the bedtime routine, but I reassured them to the best of my ability. With the routine fulfilled we departed their room, closing the door before turning back toward our room.

"I'll be with you in a moment," I quietly said to Daniel in the hall. "Shouldn't take long."

He tilted his head and I walked across the hall to softly knock on Kuri's door. Seeing this Daniel gave a little sigh of relief before heading back to the room for the night. The large ramiotran promptly answered.

"R-Reverend?" he stuttered as the door slowly creaked open. "Wh...What happened to you?"

"Ah, well..." I turned my head aside and looked to the floor, "...there was a mishap with one of the daystaff this morning."

"What?" he quietly exclaimed.

"...One of them had become corrupted over the past number of months, and I guess he'd had enough of my family and I," I sighed. "I-I'll be alright, but...I w-was wondering if you might be willing to share your room with someone? If not, I can...possibly arrange another room for such a thing."

"I wouldn't mind that, no," he said, scratching his head. "Tamani probably wouldn't mind and I know y'all get along well. He's mostly taken to working afternoons lately anyway."

"Would you be so kind as to ask him tomorrow?" I requested. "If he's not interested but you know of anyone else who might be willing, I'm all ears. I just...can't shake the feeling that the altercation occurred when and where it did because he knew you wouldn't be back until later."

"Would it be too much to ask to know what happened?" he inquired, his face a bit tense. "I don't want to pry but you look like a mess."

"Mm...um, physical and...s...sexual assault," I finally admitted, rubbing my arm.

The ramiotran's eyes widened along with the door, the larger man stepping closer to bring me into a hug. Though we'd known each other a handful of years I'd never expected such a gesture, but it was far from unpleasant or unwelcome. I reciprocated how I could.

"I will be alright, Kuri," I softly reassured him, patting his back. "I-I was just wondering if you might know of another person willing to provide some security when you're not home is all."

"I'll certainly ask around tomorrow morning," he said, gently letting me go. "Anyone else been weird, or was it just the one?"

"Just the one as far as I can tell. While I don't really get along with the others, they haven't...done anything like that."

"Well, I'll see what I can do. I certainly don't mind sharing a room and I don't think anyone else would, either. Communal living is pretty normal to us."

I chuckled a bit and let him go to retreat back to his quarters and watch the upper hallway for the night, my turning back toward my room as his door closed behind me. Grabbing the doorhandle I pushed forward, letting myself into my room. Daniel had already gotten changed and was waiting for me on the edge of the bed.

"See?" I gave him a little smile. "Not long at all."

I walked over to my dresser to grab my nightwear, the bigger man standing back up from the bed. He left the room and closed the door to allow me a little space to change, my opening it back up to invite him back in once I had. His eyes still shone that bit of worry and apprehension, but such a thing was normal and understandable with what all took place today. It'd been a whirlwind of tension and emotion, and this would take more than just a couple hours to recover from. Regardless, I took his hand in mine and walked with him back to the bed, letting him take his place on the mattress first with my following soon after.

"...I'm sorry for being so off today, Reverend," he said after a moment. "It's been...a long day."

"That's...one way to describe it," I quietly said in return, rubbing my neck.

"You're...r-really not afraid of me, are you?" he asked, his voice strangely monotone.

I rolled to face him. His ears had slunk back, expecting the worst. Such a sweet, gentle person like him potentially being feared was something that truly scared him, but I don't think I had it in me to.

"Daniel," I softly said, scooting closer up to his side, "I don't think I could be afraid of you if I tried. I understand why you reacted how you did-- we all do. We know you did that to protect us, not to hurt or scare us, and none of us expect anything different. Even Heather agrees."

"...Just..." he paused, trying to collect his thoughts, "...with your history, and with everything that's happened over these past few years, I'd...I-I'd never want to make you feel on-guard, uncomfortable, or scared. I'd never, ever want to cause you or anyone any discomfort, for any reason."

"I know, Daniel," I quietly assured, putting my arm around him. "That's just not how you're put together, and not once have you made me feel that way. Having you against my back took some getting used to, but that was nothing you caused. No matter what, you are not those people from my childhood."

He sniffled a bit from my last words, rolling to face me and hold me close to his front.

"You're such a warm, kind soul, and I know you just want to take care of us," I continued. "We feel safer with your being here, and I know I personally would have you no other way than exactly who and what you are."

His snout rested in my hair, gently rubbing between my ears and making me groggy. I buried my face in his chest, the warmth and steady heartbeat lulling me closer and closer to sleep.

"I love you," I murmured into his shirt as I slowly drifted off to sleep.

He squeezed me a little tighter, leaving a little kiss on my head.

"I love you, too."

***

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