Sam stared out across the grounds, his hands braced against the windowsill to keep his balance. The dark night sky was lightening over the horizon, as the sun made ready for it's ascent into the wide sky. Purple clouds hovered about.
"Are you sure you should be out of bed, Sam?" Tabitha's soft voice filled his ears, her hands wrapped around his hips. Sam turned from the window to look down at the tiny blonde, whose face was contorted in worry.
"Ah'm fine, girl." He assured her, his lips pulling into a half smile.
"You just woke up after being in a coma for three days." Tabitha reminded him, her eyes falling to the ground as she said the last part.
The blond man caught her chin and lifted it up so that she was looking in his eyes.
"Hey-what's the matter?" He asked, stroking his thumb across her full lips. Her eyes filled with tears, and she looked away from him, focusing instead on the wall to her right. "Tabitha?"
She shook her head, teardrops sliding down her cheeks. Sam looked at her in confusion, and bent to kiss her lips, her face still caught in his hands. Tabitha jerked her face away, turning her back on him, stifling a sob.
"Tabitha?" Sam asked, shocked and hurt. The small girl shook her head, refusing to look at him. He moved forward, and laid his hands on her shoulders, kneading them gently. "What's wrong, girl?"
"It's all my fault!" Tabitha sobbed, hugging herself.
"What's your fault, girl?" Sam asked, confused.
"It's my fault you got hurt!" The girl wailed, her delicate body shaking slightly. Sam stared at her back in shock.
"How could it possibly be YOUR fault that AH got hurt?" Sam demanded, bending forward to kiss the back of her neck with feather light lips. He felt her muscles quiver under his mouth, and dropped his hands from her shoulders, only to wrap them around her hips and pull her closer to him. She didn't resist, leaning back against his broad chest. Sam kissed her neck gently, and then kissed it again, slightly higher then the first kiss had been.
Tabitha sniffed, and asked, "Don't you remember…?"
"Of course Ah do. We were fighting some…tentacle guy and he was a little too interested in what he could do with you for mah liking. Then, he tried to blast you, and Ah took the blast. So, why is any of that YOUR fault?" Sam was confused.
"Because…" Tabitha still would not look at him, "If I hadn't have been so cocky I'd never gotten caught by that thing. And you would never have had to save me, and then you would never have gotten hurt."
Sam swallowed against the lump in his throat; her voice sounded so hopelessly sad. "Oh, Tabitha…"
"So it is my fault." Tabitha finished, tears finding their way down her cheeks once again.
Sam reached out his long arms to turn her around, and make her face him. When she looked up, he dropped his mouth to hers, kissing her gently. She stayed stiff in his arms for a long moment, then finally, melted against him.
He pulled away after a second more, and kissed her forehead, his eyes closing as he inhaled the sweet scent of her hair.
"Ah love you girl." He told her firmly.
"I love you too." Tabitha whispered into his chest, more tears falling down her cheeks. Sam tilted her chin up and smiled at her, kissing her forehead gently. She looked at him with wide eyes. "How can you still love me after what happened?"
Sam pushed a lock of her hair back, and traced her jawbone with gentle fingers. "Tabitha, it wasn't your fault. Ah don't blame you for it."
Tabitha looked away, her cheeks wet from tears. "You should--"
"Ah don't. Ah love you, Ah love you so much. Ah won't let anything hurt you, ever. If that means that AH get hurt, then so be it. But Ah couldn't stand it if you were hurt-Ah love you so much."
"I love you too, Sam." Tabitha's voice was shaking so badly it was hard to understand her. Sam leaned his head against her forehead, and traced her lips.
The first rays of dawn found the two of them locked in a tight embrace, the light of their love shining like the morning star.