Above The Sea

Chapter 19 - Eve

I watched as my wife laughed and swam around with her family, smiling at the sight. It was incredible to see her this happy. Remembering the moment I saw her devastated face as I fell over the side of the ship, I shivered, glad that moment didn't become reality for long. I could never repay Uri for saving me, but more importantly saving Audrey. That girl was everything to me and I was terrified that losing me would crush her. I know it would crush her. I'm not sure how she got to shore, but I knew it was luck that brought us back together again. There were so many things that could've gone wrong and yet, we found each other once more. We truly were meant to be with each other.

"So Eve, how are things up here? Are you taking good care of my niece?" Uri's question brought me out of my stupor.

"I am certainly trying. Although I think she takes care of me more than I do of her." I chuckled, thinking back on all the times she lulled me to sleep.

"As long as she's happy and safe, that's what I care about." She responded, looking at the girls playing in the water. I followed her gaze and saw the blinding smile on my lover's face. Smiling to myself, I thought of how lucky I am to be with this wonderful girl.

"Eve! Come join us!" One of the sisters, maybe Alexis or Anabelle, called out to me, gesturing towards the water.

"I don't have a tial, remember?" I replied, laughing.

"So? You can just swim, we'll help you! And it's not like you aren't already soaking!" Another girl called out, possibly Avery or Armene? I opened my mouth to say no but then I saw Audrey's face. She looked so eager that her wife and her family were getting along. Shaking my head, I ran into the water, stopping at the point where I could barely touch the soft sand.

"I can't go any further! I'm not a great swimmer!" I yelled, the group of girls too far away for me to reach them. Giggling, Audrey swam over to me.

"Get on my shoulders!" She exclaimed, turning around so I could climb on her.

"What? That's insane!" I replied, not even trying to get on her shoulders.

"I won't let you fall, you trust me, right?" She said, looking at me, a pleading expression on her face. Sighing, I placed my hands on her shoulders and kicked off the bottom. I managed to get high enough to sit on her shoulders, slightly scared.

"I got you Eve, don't worry. Just relax and have fun!" Audrey reassured, slowly swimming out to where her sisters were.

I was nervous for a while but slowly, I grew used to the feeling and even climbed off at one point, doing my best to stay afloat. As the sun set, the water grew cold and I started shivering. Not wanting to make Audrey leave her family, I hid it as best I could. It did get colder and colder as the sun sank below the horizon.

"Eve, are you ok? Your lips look a little blue." Someone asked me. I wasn't entirely sure who it was and it wasn't because they all looked very similar. It was getting hard to think as my energy went to keeping my body warm. I managed to nod and force a smile on my face.

"Yeah. F-Fine!" I replied, doing my best to keep my voice steady. I felt the water move around me as someone else swam over.

"Eve!!! You look freezing! I forgot how you wouldn't be used to the water as the sun went away... Can you hold onto my hand? I'll bring you to shore." The girl's voice sounded far away and it took more than a few seconds, but I was able to figure out the voice belonged to Audrey. Moving slowly, I stretched out my hand, not sure where Audrey's hand was. I felt a scalding hot hand hold mine. Whining, I tried to pull away.

"It h-hurts...t-too hot" I muttered, not liking the heat of her hand.

"I know, I'm sorry. But I need to get you out of the water, ok?" Audrey's soft voice was almost lost to the wind, but I heard her. Deciding the worry in her voice was enough reason, I nodded and stopped trying to remove my hand from her grip. Barely a second after I nodded, I felt myself being pulled through the water, faster than I had thought possible. I could hear people talking in concerned voices, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. The only thing I could focus on was the ice in my bones. My body grew colder and colder as we sped through the water. Just as I thought I was going to freeze, I felt myself removed from the water. I opened my eyes slightly to see Audrey backing into the water.

"One second Eve, I need to become a human again." Eve told me, closing her eyes as a golden glow covered her body. Too tired to keep watching, I closed my eyes. Suddenly, I felt Audrey's warm arms wrap around me, pulling my shivering body close to her torso. I could hear her saying something but it didn't sound directed at me and even if it was, I couldn't tell what she was saying. Letting the overwhelming exhaustion win, I let myself fall into the clutches of unconsciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yawning, I opened my eyes, immediately recognizing the walls of my room. I felt arms sitting limply on me and I could barely see Audrey's messy red hair next to me. I smiled a little, kissing her hand. I wasn't completely sure what had happened the previous night but I did remember being scooped into warm arms as I shivered. Sitting up as much as I could without disturbing my wife, I looked around the room. My clothes from the night before were laid out in front of the roaring fire. I hadn't even realized it, but I was wearing soft cotton pajamas and covered in a fuzzy blanket. Shivering, I could still feel the cold rooted in my body. I heard a small whine and a hand pulled me back down under the covers. Audrey snuggled closer to me and quickly fell asleep again. I smiled and closed my eyes, letting sleep wash over me once more.

The next time I woke up, Audrey was no longer beside me. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up, looking around the room.

"Good afternoon Love!" Audrey called, kissing my forehead.

"Afternoon?" I said dumbly, not fully awake and able to process words yet.

"Mhm! I don't know what time you woke up earlier, but now it's afternoon. How are you feeling?" Audrey asked, putting the back of her hand on my forehead, checking to see if I had a fever.

"For the most part ok. I'm still a little cold though. You holding me would help." I suggested, hiding my smile. Audrey smiled and climbed back in bed, pulling me into her lap.

"Does that feel better?" She asked, rubbing my arms.

"Mhm" I replied, closing my eyes.

"Did you say that so you could cuddle with me?" Audrey asked, her smile clear.

"Of course I did." I answered, smiling at her. Audrey giggled and kissed my nose. Blushing, I laughed, loving this moment. I didn't enjoy it long, as I recalled the events that occurred last night. My mood instantly soured, my smile falling.

"Love? What's wrong?" Audrey asked, running her hand through my hair.

"I made you leave your family...You hadn't seen them in so long and because I couldn't handle a little cold, you had to leave. I'm sorry" I mumbled, tears pricking the edge of my vision.

"Love, you have no need to apologize. I'm always happy to take care of you. And it';s not like I won't see them again. Now that we know I can transform without losing anything, I can visit them whenever I want. I did get ways to communicate before we left so don't worry about that. What's important is that you're healthy." Audrey assured, leaving light kisses all over my face. I couldn't help but smile at the caring gesture.

"How did we even get back to the castle?" I asked, just now realizing we were on the beach.

"Oh, after Aunt Uri and my sisters left, I was running around the beach trying to find somewhere warm for you. I saw Cherry and Gale and we came back here as fast as we could." Audrey explained, her hand returning to scratch my scalp.

"I'll have to thank them." I mused, trying to think of the best way to thank them for helping me.

"Not now. I want to spend the rest of the day with you. It is our first full day as a married couple after all." Audrey said, kissing my nose again.

"I have no problem with that idea." I replied, smiling.