Christian's POV The night was long, silent and dark, more and more with each second that passed. It seemed as if the clouds were hanging down from the sky, ready to burst open and pour rain.. They didn't. And it only seemed to heighten the intensity.. I feared to close my eyes and leave Lana alone. She was basically passed out as for there was not a single possibility that she could've fallen asleep that night.. Not after everything that happened. I could not get that scene out of my head.. That scene of the flames rising and the sound of those screams along with them.. It wasn't Khan and his men that screamed while burning, but the women that hadn't left the gates, those that witnessed that tragedy and could not do a single thing about it. I could see it all with each damn blink and I was damn terrified from the thought that Lana might've seen it all as well.. Hell, the thought of her disturbed like that, the thought of her witnessing her own father's death tore my heart, because I knew.. I knew how close she was with him.. How much she loved him despite all their indifferences. So I sat beside her. I sat beside her throughout the whole night and watched over her. The only thought that seemed to bring some sanity was that simple realization that repeated in my head.. That confirmation of just how damn much I loved her.. I sat there and observed her for hours with that thought crossed my mind throughout each minute that passed.. I wanted her awake.. I wanted to see how she was doing.. She had barely allowed a tear to escape her after what happened.. She didn't say a word other than the lie she said before passing out.. Quite literally. She told me she was fine, and the simple weakness in her voice broke me in pieces. For some reason she was keeping it in.. She was keeping it in herself and I couldn't understand why.. Lana was always loud and overreacting.. When someone harmed those she loved, she was raged and vengeful.. But when she lost the most important person in her life, she was quiet.. Yet not thoughtless. I could read her well.. I could see what was going through her head and I was left thinking; for hours trying to figure out a way to stop her from doing something impulsive.. Something even dangerous.. I knew my Lana well. I knew what the first thing that would go through her head.. Hell, of she was determined to kill those witches for harming me, I could only imagine what she had going on in her head when they killed her father.. She wasn't predictable. She never was. But if I was ready to burn Adam alive for doing what he did, to have those witches die screaming for hurting her, I could only imagine what it was that was haunting her mind.. Either way, Adam's end had come. And I was determined to make sure it did. I was becoming delirious with all the thoughts that seemed to rush and repeat through my head for hours now.. So I went to the bathroom for a splash of cold water over my face, to at least try to get my senses back.. If I continued allowing my thoughts flood me like that, I knew I would had ended up going to that old crap of a house myself and killing Adam with my own damn bare hands.. If it was even possible. And perhaps my ears were still muted.. My head was still buzzing, because I didn't hear when Lana woke up.. By the time I was leaving the bathroom I saw her sitting on the edge of the bed.. Eyes wide and particularly emerald, almost expressionless.. Yet the way she seemed to look up at me, the dullness behind those greens.. It allowed me to see just how lost she still was in her own thoughts.. She even stood up and I couldn't understand what she was trying to do because her tiredness had me fearing she would faint right then. "Lana," And with her name tumbling out, everything else seemed to had disappeared in my mind, as for I was already walking towards her.. "Where are you going? Sit down," With my hands already on the sides of her arms, I heard her release a slow breath, and my heart once again tore a little. I wanted to pull her closer to myself, hug her and hold her like that forever.. But hell, if Lana hated anything, it was pitying, and I knew I would rather get her frustrated witch I could see she already was from her own thoughts that seemed to still swirl in her head. "Christian, it is not me that got hurt." She spoke slowly, rhythmically, almost mechanically, yet still sat down on the bed.. "Thanks to you," I was already on my knees in front of her.. I was already taking her hands in mine to feel how cold they were, to see if she was shaking or not, and thankfully I found her simply caressing my knuckles with her thumb, and even giving in.. I suppose what happened had settled in a bit. "How are you feeling?" I asked the worst question perhaps, but I had to make sure she was not hurt. It broke me in pieces just thinking that I couldn't protect her even a bit.. "Lost.." She was looking down at our hands on her lap.. "I woke up and I thought it was all a damn nightmare. But it's not.." And then those wide greens met mine, and her ripe moves moved slowly.. "It's all real, it's all happening and I don't know what I'm supposed to do," "Shh," I didn't even realize that I was sitting up and pulling her closer to myself as I sat on the bed.. What I did notice was that she gave in, releasing a slow sigh against my shoulder. "You were exhausted, you passed out.. I didn't get to ask you, those flames didn't get you, did they?" I had to look into those eyes to make sure of it and when she nodded her head so weakly, I felt it like a dagger in my chest, but was damn relieved she was alright. "Good. That's good." I could feel how her muscles slowly relaxed.. I could hear how her breathing steadied, how her heart found a rhythm.. So I continued caressing her arm, somewhat lost in that thought, that wonder on how I could make it all go away.. How I could pull her out of that hurt, out of that agony.. "How's Marco?" That feminine tone filled the silence, and the faintness in it had me kissing her head. "Good. He's still sleeping.. You were out for only three hours, my love," She hadn't missed much.. And while she was out, I made sure to check up on her brother, even though there were some of theirs that were assigned for looking over him.. Her other brother that made it out unharmed was there mostly, and made sure to tell me to stay by Lana's side.. I was clear when I told him I didn't want to see any of them near because I was the one meant to look after her, and thankfully he agreed. He had his mother and brother to look after. Lana was safest with me only. "I, I shouldn't have.." She pulled away, running a hand through her hair to put it away, before the warm brown locks slid back over the sides of her face. "My family needs me." She was standing up, and I did right after her.. I had to let her know that there wasn't really anything in her power to do at that point. All there was left was to rest and perhaps do something to ease the grief she must've been going through.. She was broken, I could see it in her eyes, but there was something more behind those emeralds that made me wonder whether I knew how to tame.. "Your mother is asleep.." I told her, having her look at me with some kind of a need to hear more, yet fear of what my next words would be. "They gave her a sedative to have her calm down a bit." I tried my best to let her know that at that point, there wasn't much to do about it.. Not yet. I was determined to make sure she was aware she needed rest, to make sure she would get that rest before she would allow her rage to take the best of her. "God," Her sharp breath seemed to be filled with some despair for relief yet she didn't seem to get it. "And Jack?" "He's looking over her and Marco. It's best for them to rest after everything that went down tonight." "He was not hurt.." She frowned in confusion, looking around like she was repeating what happened only a few damn hours ago. "How was he untouched?" I had asked him the same thing.. And what he told me was relieving.. His words seemed to give me at least some hope that perhaps there still was someone that looked after my Lana while I was away..