REVENGE

When Halle awoke late one night from another vivid episode of panic, Xavier recognized a shift had finally occurred. He gathered her quaking frame close while she wept, exhausted and heart sore.

“Shh I have you, just breathe,” he soothed until the tension slowly left her muscles. Halle clung to him like an anchor amidst stormy waters even once fully awake.

“I’m scared, Xavier,” she admitted in a small voice once sufficiently calmed. “Scared she’ll find us again.”

Xavier steeled himself before answering gently. “Then it’s time I put real end to this. For your peace of mind, and our son’s future.”

Halle’s arms tightened around him briefly at the implication. But she simply nodded bravely when she pulled back. “Just promise me you’ll come back safely. I can’t lose you.” Her palm cupped his bearded cheek with profound tenderness.

Turning his head, Xavier pressed a kiss into her open palm. “I will always come back to you Halle,” he avowed passionately. His piercing gaze bore into hers,