Chase felt herself being moved, and she felt the need to struggle, to get away from Vito, get away from him, he'd kill her to! "No.." She whimpered weakly, lifting a hand, but it fell back to her side. Her clothes were clinging to her now, and the way he had set her on his lap, made her scars stand out in sharp relief. She hadn't really registered that Elijah was there, but at the same time had, and she felt herself curl up against his warmth, the cold rain pounding down on them, hampered only by the fact that there was a tree blocking them, and it wasn't doing a very good job.
She felt a small rocking motion and heard a soft hum, and felt her mind cling to the small source of reassurance. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry.." she whispered over and over again, tears falling against his chest, her hand curled up on his shoulder, her fingers gently pulling at a small strand that had escaped the soaked locks. She stared straight ahead, her eyes had a distant look to them. Her bones were sticking out oddly, and it was easy to tell she had started to lose weight. "I'm sorry... I told her I'd take care of myself.. I told her I'd lose weight." she whispered and curled up against him even tighter, her face pressed against the crook of his neck.
"I tried to protect them, I really tried... I couldn't do it though, he could go invisible.. I couldn't see him! He would have killed me.. made them come down anyway.. would have.. would have made me watch as he tortured them.. instead, I got to hear my mom's screams as he raped her.. didn't know what he was doing.. didn't stop Clara.. Max hit the suit of armor.." She balled up her hand into a fist and cried softly, his hair falling onto her face. "I'm sorry.. I'm sorry..." She whispered again, choking on her own words. "I need to be strong.. for them.." She whispered. "I gotta be.. I survived... I survived." She heard the hum again, and tuned in on it. Listening hard on it for a long moment.
Then she hummed with him. Her voice matching his, water poured down her face, dripping off her nose, her hand found his and she clung to it. Brought it up to her face, and pressed it over her heart, clinging to his warmth, to his life. "I'm sorry." She whispered again, the tears felt like they would never stop, but the rain washed them away again, so she would never know how many tears she had shed. "I need to be strong.. I need to be.." She felt sobs rack her body again, and she started to tense up against him, her whole body going rigid as she started to cough.
She turned her head away from him, coughed and coughed, and finally found her breath again, resting her head against him, her hair now plastered against his face as well as her. She looked up and found his eyes. She searched his face, afraid of what she would see. She was afraid she would see someone who hated her. Someone who would say 'grow up and go away. You're such a baby.' But what she did see? She saw a friend, who's eyes were so soft and full of compassion she wanted to cry harder. Someone was there, telling her it was alright, holding her in the pouring rain.
She reached up, and touched his cheek, as though afraid he would disappear. Afraid he would leave her life forever. Her mind went back to the first day of school. He had held her there too, listened as she cried, and ranted. And now? Here he was again, holding her as she cried. She rested her hand against his cheek for a long moment and then rested her head against his shoulder again. Staring straight ahead. The rain was letting up some, no longer a pour, but more of just a rain, thunder every now and then, and lightning split the sky, but it was rain, constant, and never ending.
"Elijah.." she said suddenly, as though testing the name out, tasting the air to see if it was okay to speak. Afraid a bolt of lightning would strike her down for saying the word. Afraid the world would crash down on her, but instead of all of that, her heart lifted, her mind cleared slightly, and she could see straight. "Elijah.." She said again, lifting her head off his chest, and she looked at him, and then kissed his lips very gently. Just a brush, as though saying thank you, thank you for helping her, thank you for being there, and thank you for not running away when everyone else had. She let her lips trail to his cheek, and then she rested her head down again, her eyes closed, her breathing deep as she waited for him to respond.