Amira gripped the blanket tighter to her chest. Despite her racing heart, she had managed to keep herself composed and not let the panic affect her.

The digital clock on her nightstand read 11.05 pm.

She took another deep breath in to calm her racing heart but failed. She was lying in her bed, alone, after what seemed like a long time. They had seperate rooms before that incident with Lucas.

She missed Rose and Asher like she'd been doing all day. But that had now turned into panic.

While the fight between her hardass self and her little self was going on, her big self won the battle of sleeping alone in her room. Lucian had asked if she would be okay and she had said yes.

Now she was regretting it. Despite the warm light from the fairylights, the room seemed dark and scary. She felt extremely lonely, to the point she was getting anxious thinking about the coming days.

Another deep breath and a failed attempt at calming her heart and Amira gave up. Her mind went back to earlier events of the day as she tried to ignore the panic she was feeling.

She had talked to Asher before going to bed and nearly cried. Asher was a little busy and was desperate to talk to her. He was getting worried about her situation, so he got some time off work to ask all kinds of questions similar to 'are you okay?'

He was left unsatisfied when they finally hung up after sharing Goodnights and I love yous. Something seemed off to him and being the mother hen, he trusted his instincts to the fullest.

That's why he called Lucian next.

"Is she really okay?" That was the first thing he asked, the moment Lucian picked up.

"She is." Lucian furrowed his eyebrows. As far as he knew, she was okay. He had tucked her in and she was okay then. "Do I need to go check on her?"

"Yes please," Asher said. "I feel like something's wrong."

"Why?" Lucian stood up quickly.

"I don't know," Asher answered. "I was just talking to her some time ago and felt like something was off. I think she's scared."

"I'll check on her," Lucian said.

"Make sure she's asleep before you leave her alone," Asher muttered.

"Okay," Lucian said. He hung up and focussed solely on his journey to his sister's room. Something about not being able to tell if she was okay, like Asher did, irked him.

Amira hid under her blanket when she heard footsteps. She used to sleep alone back when they were under Lucas' care. This gave her the same feeling and she was shook to the core.

Each step that advanced towards the room made her shrink more into the blanket. Maybe this dream had finally ended.

She knew having so much happiness suddenly after two years of hell couldn't be real. Maybe she had just woken up from the dream to face the nightmare she was given a break from.

Her breathing quickened as the door opened suddenly. She clenched her eyes shut, awaiting the sound of a belt buckle dangling, or a malicious chuckle, something that could confirm that the monster was indeed there. Just at the thought of that monster, a voice started speaking in her head barely audible due to the loud ringing in the background.

Her breathing had gone erratic. She was on the point where she was putting efforts to make her breathing silent. Otherwise gasps and heaves could have been audible to the monster.

And she didn't want that. She didn't want the monster to think of her as a weak person. She wasn't weak but she wasn't strong either. She was just going through it, hoping to survive or escape everything.

Amira gulped down the painful lump in her throat and put her hand on her heart to calm down.

Now she hated this weird behaviour even more. She had been composed for a long time. Her calm composure was brutally broken today and in its place entered the panic she was feeling.

Little did she know, this was the last level of communication that was needed. To expose every little and big problem she was facing. To let the loving hearts around her know what exactly was going on inside her heart and what exactly she had been hiding.

"Bunny?"

The ringing seemed to stop when the voice entered her ears. The monster in her head muttering barely understandable things stopped doing so.

A sob managed to escape her throat as she felt relief spread through her whole body. Her tensed up and curled up body relaxed slowly. Amira bit down on her arm to stop more sobs from escaping and being heard by Lucian.

Lucian panicked when he heard the sob. He rushed forward and reached out for the blanket.

He stopped though. Just when he was about to grab the blanket, he stopped. This could startle the girl.

He nodded to himself and lowered himself slowly, so he was crouching down beside the bed.

In the gentlest tone he could muster, he spoke up.

"I need you to get out of that blanket, sweetheart."

He physically winced when he heard another choked sob. His hands twitched to just grab her and gather his little sister in his arms.

"There's no one else here, Bunny." He tried again. If this didn't work, he'd pull the blanket away.

He held his breath so he could hear the minimal sounds in the room. His eyes remained on the blanket as he counted to ten in his head.

Before he could even reach five, the covers started slipping. After getting her face out, Amira turned to her side to face away from Lucian. She wiped her tears away violently, hoping Lucian would leave now that she came out. She didn't want him to think of her as pathetic. As much as his presence relieved her, she couldn't get herself to let him see her like this. Her pride didn't allow that.

"Bunny," Lucian called out. He stood up from his crouching position and settled himself on the bed beside her. His back rested against the headboard while his elbow rested on the pillow as he leaned to his side to look at her.

"I didn't think we were that distant," he started softly. "That you couldn't even tell me you're scared."

"I wasn't," She choked out. She sniffled and turned more to get away from his piercing gaze.

Lucian's eyebrow twitched as he sensed the lie. Lying and not communicating were the only things that weren't helping her condition.

But for the first time, he thought of it in a different way. It should've been expected from her. She had hid her heart for two years now. She wasn't used to communicating or the 'are you okays'. She was used to not sharing the weight.

"Alright. But you have to face me," he said.

"No." Amira mumbled. She bit her lip and clenched her eyes shut. Fear settled inside her as the silence stretched.

Lucian sighed.

"Fine then. Be that way."

'Pathetic.'

She took a sharp breath in when she felt him get up.

Her little self was scared of the dark and wanted him to stay but her big self was too prideful to let him see her in this pathetic condition.

Again a war between the two sides. The two sides that clashed with equal force.

Lucian knew that. She was still clinging to her older self because she wanted to hide from the outside world. But her carefree self was clawing her way out, now that her outside world had changed.

He stood up from his place and took his shoes and socks off. Putting his hand beside her head on the bed, he jumped and landed on her other side.

Amira gasped when he appeared suddenly, sitting on the bed beside her. She tried to face away again, but froze when Lucian clicked his tongue.

"You're not moving an inch, Amira," he said. His tone had turned scary, not as scary as it usually is. Maybe half of it.

Amira froze, not daring to disobey now that he had used the tone. So, she settled with burying her face in the pillow.

Lucian hesitated before he lifted his hand and set it gently on her head.

"I know we haven't been too open about stuff to each other," he started. "I haven't acted like a brother to you. But we're on the way to change that. You're going to heal now and with that the bond is going to heal too."

Amira nodded into the pillow, when Lucian went silent. Somehow, she knew Lucian was expecting an answer.

"Then tell me, were you scared?" He asked. "I want a verbal answer."

Amira took her time. This was all too much. She took her time getting over that overwhelmed feeling, which meant getting rid of that lump in her throat that was blocking any sounds to come out and actually forming something comprehensible.

"Yes." Came out a small voice. A smile stretched upon Lucian's face and he moved his hand to rub it over her head. The warmth from his hand was comforting in a way the girl couldn't quite define.

It felt like she couldn't compare his touch to Asher's anymore. This was entirely different. While Asher's was filled with love, affection and care this one said, 'you have me as your support and this hand would always be there whenever you need to hold it.'

"Alright," Lucian said. "I want you to lay on your back now."

Amira clutched the pillow in her fist for a moment, in a tight grip before she released it completely and turned around slowly.

She froze when she saw the smile on Lucian's face, yet again captivated by how well it suited him, despite its almost rare appearance.

She moved her gaze reluctantly to the ceiling. She relaxed and took a deep breath when Lucian rested his hand on her forehead gently. He proceeded with moving it back, rubbing across her forehead and smoothening out her hair.

His other hand came to her face to wipe the tears away with his thumb. He watched her eyes flutter close slowly.

At this point, he was feeling more than grateful for the bonding time. He was more than grateful to be her brother and her guardian.

This felt good. Way better than he could've imagined.

And he felt the last bit of fear fade away from his heart when the realisation set in. The realisation that, anything, if dealt with love was sure to bring positive outcomes. Like this very situation.

He only had to pour all his love out and it would all go smoothly.

A soft snore pulled him out of his thoughts. His hand stilled where it was running through her hair. Lucian looked down at her now peaceful self and released a breath.

The panic on her face from moments ago was not visible now, instead she looked peaceful and that put Lucian at peace too.

He rested his head back against the headboard and took a few relaxing breaths. When he did finally open his eyes, his gaze travelled straight towards his sister's sleeping form.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead, feeling relief spread though his whole body. He considered it some strange magic. Every time he kissed her forehead, he felt relieved.

"Goodnight, Bunny." Came out a soft whisper.

This was already getting better.

Morning came a little too soon. For Lucian, at least. For Amira it came dreadingly slow. Too slow for her liking.

She just wanted these days to go by quick so she could finally be in the embrace she was craving at the moment.

Asher had landed safely which provided a lot of relief to her but he had yet to travel back home in a plane so she just stuck to praying for his well-being, in turn wishing for her own happiness to stay. To have a little more happy time before any sadness struck.

Ripping the covers off her body, she swung her feet down and stood up. The events of the previous day came rushing to her mind. She still found it embarassing and against her pride to act like that.

Whatever the brothers said, the baby heart was acting up after getting out of the cage and she was getting the urge to lock it back inside.

Soon, she was walking down the stairs, determined to resist it as much as she could. She didn't know what was happening before, now she knew and she could try to not behave like that.

One part of her, though, was getting addicted to that side of her. It was addicting how carefree she felt the previous day. Even though she wasn't fully in the headspace, she still liked that safe and calm place her mind kept taking her back to. It felt relaxing.

Skipping the third step, Amira had to stop abruptly at the second step. The TV was on in the living room, which meant Lucian was home and up.

Lucian sat on the couch, with one leg crossed over the other. His hand held a coffee mug raised to his lips while his other hand was busy scrolling through his iPad. Taking a sip of the black coffee, he put the cup down slowly. His eyes never left the iPad, despite hearing little footsteps from far.

He had left her room after she drifted off. He wasn't sure if he had permission to stay.

"Bunny?" He called out as the footsteps moved closer, his eyes still trained on the text on the screen.

He raised his eyes slowly when the footsteps stopped in the doorway of the room.

"Good Morning, Lucian," she said. Her arms were crossed behind her back as she bounced slightly on her feet.

Lucian nodded.

"What do you want for breakfast?" He said.

"Can I make it?" Amira asked instead. That made him freeze.

Lucian raised an eyebrow, not liking that idea one bit. He didn't want her cooking. He knew he wouldn't want her younger self to cook. With her baby self coming out, his overprotective side came out too. It intensified to the point, he didn't even like the idea of her being alone in her room. But he had to leave, because apparently he needed permission to stay there for the night.

"You want to cook?" He asked.

She shifted in her position and nodded, already sensing the big no about to be thrown at her.

"No. That's not very safe." Lucian rejected that idea quickly, which made her want to pout, but she resisted. She wanted to look as wise today as possible. Not childish.

"But I wanted to cook." She managed to not make it sound like a whine. "Nico said I had to focus on my hobbies too."

That small amount of defiance irked Lucian.

"You are not cooking today, Bunny. That's final." Lucian managed not to let the glare show on his face.

Amira clenched her jaw and nodded curtly. She was gonna cook today, even if it meant doing it behind his back.

"Hm. Let's go order breakfast, shall we?" Lucian said. He raised an eyebrow again in challenge. The girl nodded again, not letting her tough composure slip.

Lucian saw the struggle. There was that one string holding onto her tough composure, not letting the exterior break into pieces.

Seeing that she really wanted to cook today, his soft side overruled his overprotective side. He released a breath. There was a crease between his eyebrows as he thought deep weighing his options.

"Alright." He drawled out. "How about I help you cook?"

The smile that graced his sister's lips made his heart flutter again. His gaze lingered on her brightened up face, retaining its comforting brightness to memory.

"Yes please!" The girl chirped. Her heels raised and lowered on their own as she looked at him with twinkling eyes.

Lucian nodded slowly and walked forward. Within four strides he was standing before her. His hand lifted as he extended it towards her, offering to hold hands.

The small hand slipped into his a second later. Lucian took a breath in and started walking, wishing himself luck for official day one.

Reaching the kitchen, he released his hold but Amira kept his hand in a tight grip.

She didn't want to release her hold on his hand. The warmth it provided was enough to make her not feel as grumpy.

That's why she acted oblivious to Lucian releasing his hold. She didn't dare look up at him. Her inner will was winning.

Enclosing her hand in his again, Lucian walked to the counter, suppressing a smile.

"You have to let go, sweetheart."

Amira jumped and let his hand go abruptly. They were standing before the closet that had aprons in it. Her eyes were casted downward as she watched Lucian's shoes move out of her vision and stop before the now open door.

He pulled out two aprons and turned to her. Putting his on first, he moved towards his sister to put hers on for her.

With furrowed eyebrows, Amira looked down at the apron while Lucian tied it at the back.

It fit perfectly.

"When did you get it?" Two voices asked the same question at the same time. Lucian suppressed a chuckle.

"I didn't," they said again. This time he couldn't hold it back and a soft chuckle sounded in the kitchen.

Amira looked back quickly, not wanting to miss the show where a smile or laughing expressions made rare appearance on Lucian's face.

He indeed looked prettier than ever when he did smile or laugh and the girl wasn't disappointed when she saw him looking down at the knot he was tying at her back with a 'I just laughed' expression on his face. The dimples at the sides of his mouth were prominent and looked just as pretty as the day she first saw them.

"I didn't. Maybe Asher did," Lucian clarified.

"He never told me," she said, furrowing her eyebrows. A confused look crossed her features.

"Because you never cooked after last sunday," Lucian said. "Maybe he wanted it to be a surprise."

True true. So much had been going on. It must've skipped his mind.

She looked down at the apron, just then noticing the words on it.

That was written on it. She looked up as Lucian stepped before her with his own plain black apron.

"Alright," he said, looking around for stuff.

Actually looking for the easiest thing his sister could do. He wanted her to do as less as possible and stay away from the stove and any objects that could hurt her.

As gently as was possible, he put his hand on her upper back and led her a few steps away from there.

"I want you wash these." He put a bowl of fruits on the counter.

They were already shining in the girl's opinion but whatever floats his boat. Lucian was not one to back down or change his mind.

"I thought you were the one helping," she muttered. She had thought she'd be head chef if Lucian was helping. But he snatched that role and made her the assistant. "I was supposed to be the head."

"Your apron says otherwise." Lucian stifled a laugh. "Lil chef."

The mocking tone his voice took had both of them turning their heads to each other with wide shocked eyes.

A phone ringing stopped them from saying anything.

"Hello?" Amira asked into the phone after she picked it up while keeping her eyes glued to Lucian.

"Hey, love." That had her snapping her gaze back to face forward.

"Hi Asher," she said. Her voice came out sweeter and smaller than she was feeling at that moment.

"How's stuff?" He asked casually.

"It's great. Lucian and I are about to make breakfast."

There was silence for a while during which Asher seemed to be forcing himself to not be shocked.

He knew Lucian will make it through this. He knew this would work. Just day two of him not around, or basically no one else around and they were finding comfort in each other.

"That's great," Asher said. "But I want you to be extra extra careful, okay?"

"Yes," Amira said immediately. "Thanks for the apron. It's really cute."

Another few moments of silence.

"Oh." Asher let out. "I forgot to tell you about it. I bought it day before yesterday."