Page 78 of Pain
Xander swallowed hard, memories of his past assaulting him. "For a while, but I hated it too. Things were different for me. I lived with the man who hurt me. I didn't have anywhere to go or anyone to help protect me." He made sure to never mention that it was his own father. He didn't want her to ever think that a father could hurt someone the way the asshole who kidnapped her had. Fathers were supposed to be safe, and for now, he'd keep that part of his story to himself.
"I think I'd be safer at your house." She pulled the stuffed animal tighter to her chest. "You're sure he won't be mad?"
"Nope, he'll do whatever you need to be comfortable. Do you want to go with me to ask him?"
She shook her head.
"You'll be okay while I go talk to him?"
She glanced around the room for a second, then nodded. "You'll come if I scream."
"I will. Just like I did when you woke up a little bit ago." He pushed up, staying close to the wall so he didn't scare her. "I'll be right back, okay?"
"Hurry." She curled tighter into the blanket.
"I will." He smiled at her before leaving the room.
Once in the hall, he blew out a long breath. It was hard seeing Faith go through a lot of the same things he did as a child. The nightmares still woke him from time to time. He admired how strong Faith was. She'd been through hell, and it would be some time before that hell ended completely.
Going into Matt's room, he sat down on the edge of the bed, watching him sleep for a minute. He'd been so tired that he hated to wake him, but if leaving here was what Faith needed, it was worth a few more hours of missed sleep. Once they were safe in his house, he could let them both sleep as long as they wanted to.
"Matt, Matt, wake up." He gently rested his hand on Matt's shoulder.
"Hmm?" Matt rolled, slowly opening his eyes.
"Hey, can you wake up a bit more for me? We need to talk."
"Now?"
"It's about Faith."
That got Matt's attention. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up, then reached for the lamp beside the bed, switching it on. "Is she okay?"
"She had another nightmare. I've been in talking to her for the last hour."
"Shit, I'm sorry. I'll go—"
"Hey, relax. She's okay, but she asked me to talk to you about something she's scared to bring up." Xander gently ran his fingers down Matt's arm, hoping to help him relax.
"What can't she talk to me about?" Matt looked almost hurt.
"She's afraid of hurting your feelings, but she says she hates staying here. She says the bad guys know where she lives, and every time she looks out the window, she sees the place that man took her."
"Fuck, I didn't even think of that."
"I didn't either." Xander let his fingers fall to Matt's hand, linking them together. "I offered to let you guys come stay at my house if she wanted to or get a hotel room. I left it up to her."
"What does she want?"
"To have you guys come stay with me for a while."
Matt nodded as he chewed on his lip for a second as if he was thinking everything over. "Are you okay with that?"
"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't. I've got plenty of room. It's up to you, but you're both welcome to come stay as long as you need." Xander gave his hand a squeeze. "Faith thinks you'll be mad leaving the house."
"No, not at all, if that's what she needs. It's just a house. Walls. Nothing more." Matt released his hand and pushed back the blankets. "I'll talk to her."
Xander stood, giving Matt room to get out of bed. "If she wants to go now, we can, or we can wait until morning. It's up to you two. Tell her she can pack a few things and we'll go anytime she wants. The rest of the stuff, I can come back and get later for her."
