One Week Later:
"I want you to take Ash with you. You yourself said that he is the one you trust most at your back." Ellis pleaded.
"Yes and therefore I am trusting him with you." Adam answered patiently.
"Damnit Adam, listen to me! This is dangerous. How can I keep your best man here with me?" Ellis snapped.
"He hasn't even proposed yet. How can I be the best man?" Ash said snidely.
"Stay out of it!" Ellis yelled at him, and Ash obediently subsided back on the couch.
Adam looked at the tears in her eyes and sighed, before taking her by the shoulders, and making her sit in a chair.
"My team is good. Very good. And I admit that this jerk is the best out of all of them, but that's why he'll be guarding you. Until I take care of all the terrorists who were involved in your kidnapping, I am not going to leave you alone, and Ash is the only one I trust besides myself to keep you safe. Will I be in more danger if he is not there, or if he is there, but I am distracted coz I am constantly worried about you?" Adam asked reasonably.
Ellis closed her eyes and dropped her head back. "Just go." she whispered. Adam moved forward and kissed her forehead before stepping away and walking out of the house without looking back even once.
"He'll be fine." Ash said quietly.
"I know." Ellis said sitting up, her eyes dry.
"His plan's brilliant. He should get the entire terrorist unit in just this one hit. Once he does, he won't be so paranoid, and I won't have to babysit you." Ash consoled her.
"Ash?"
"Yes Ellis?"
"You suck at this making me feel better thing. Don't mention the T word again until he's back. The only T allowed inside in this house till then is Tequila." Ellis said coolly as she stood up and headed straight to the mini bar that she and Adam had set up in one corner of the living room.
"Very well." Ash said, joining her for the shot.
...
"It's been three days Ash." Ellis said as she paced.
"I know. They reached the location in South American rain forest yesterday. It's not a hit and run Ellis." Ash said the whole thing while he played games on Adam's Xbox 360 on mute.
Ellis glared at the back of his head before giving in with a sigh. He was right. This was not a hit and run. Ash was in touch with Adam and the plan was going smoothly. All she needed to do was hold on.
She stalked forward and dropped onto the couch next to him and snagged a controller for herself. "Let's kill some zombies."
...
Ellis came awake with a start, her hand going for the gun that she no longer kept under her pillow.
"Sorry love, I didn't think I'd wake you." Adam murmured, and as soon as she registered that he was here, she was throwing aside the bedcovers and rushing into his arms. Adam hugged her back, just as tightly.
"I missed you too." He said softly, kissing her ear. Ellis leaned back to look at him, and realized that he must have been home for a while because he had already showered and was dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt.
"I took a shower in the guest room." Adam explained. "But I had to sleep holding you."
Ellis could feel moisture gathering in her eyes, but she stubbornly wiped it away and tugged him to the bed. He looked tired, and she could see fine lines on his face that had not been there when he had left over two weeks ago. They crawled into bed together, and they both held each other tightly, as if afraid that the other would vanish if they were not careful.
It was a long time before Adam finally relaxed into sleep, and even longer before Ellis followed him there. That morning, even Ash did not make a single noise that might wake them up. After all, everyone deserved a break every now and then.
...
"You're clingy today." Ash observed.
Ellis nodded, not taking any offense, since she was tucked neatly next to Adam on the couch. Adam had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and his chin resting on the top of her head.
"She is also very hard to annoy." Vince said, sounding mildly disappointed.
"You just don't have a knack for it. I do just fine." Ash said smugly.
"That's what she said." Ellis said sarcastically and they all snickered.
"Anyhow, tonight we're celebrating; the end of the terrorist group that kidnapped Ellis, and the recovery of Petri's weapons. It is also, of course, Adam and Ellis's house warming party, so you lot had better have come with some good presents." Ash said cheerfully.
They all raised their glasses to the toast, and the party started. It was (obviously) at Adam and Ellis's new home, and consisted of Adam's team, and Petri. Ellis had made enough food to feed an army, but she did not feel like playing hostess. All she wanted to do was stay right where she was; next to Adam.
Adam pulled her closer until she was almost on his lap, but the embrace was completely platonic.
"Don't say it." Ellis told him, raising her head so she could loo him in the eye.
"How do you know what I am going to say?" he asked with a teasing smile, but it did not reach his eyes.
"I know you. Let it all go for tonight. Tomorrow we'll worry together about whatever it is that is bothering you." Ellis said, cupping his face in her hands. Adam nodded and then dropped his head on her shoulder.
"All I really wanna do is curl up with you in my arms." he murmured.
"That can be arranged." Ellis said with a relieved smile.
"Not with these jackasses in the house." Adam grumbled.
"Ash'll take care of them." Ellis said confidently.
"Since when?" Adam asked, so surprised, that he was actually sitting straight again.
Ellis giggled. "I tamed him in the two weeks he was guarding me. Now come on."
She tugged on his hand and Adam found himself being pulled towards his bedroom again by her, the same way he had been that first night. When they entered the room, he stopped Ellis from turning on the lights, and took her in his arms.
"Let me tell you. Please." he whispered against her skin.
Ellis closed her eyes, and then nodded.
"I killed everyone, but he escaped. The man who was the leader when we were kidnapped. The one who broke your hand. He slipped through my fingers like sand, and I could do nothing about it. I'm sorry baby." Adam said in a soft voice that did not completely hide the guilt he was feeling.
"Would you hate me if I said that I am just glad to have you home again? That I don't care as long as you're safe?" Ellis whispered.
"I love you." Adam said, finally looking into her eyes. His own looked black in the darkness.
"Because of you I don't have nightmares anymore. Because of you, I can meet new people and be okay. I don't want you to feel guilty, for the one man who escaped. I know that you always do your best, and I know how hard that is. I don't love you just because of who you are or what you do for me, but I love you because of the person you make me want to be, Adam. Nothing and no one can take that away from us." Ellis said softly, and he could see tears glittering in her eyes, like dew on a moonlit night.
Adam nodded slowly, and pulled her into a tight embrace, before he went down on one knee in front of her.
"Will you marry me Ellis?" he asked without a preamble.
"Yes." Ellis found herself answering without hesitation, and then he was standing up, and kissing her deeply. When they finally parted, Ellis gave him a dazzling smile.
"Forever." she said, her voice turning into a happy laugh.
Adam felt his own lips curl into a smile and he repeated the word. "Forever." It felt strange on his tongue, and yet it seemed completely right.