Blue Fire. A Gabriel Brown Alaskan Bush People story.

Chapter 5

When you finally made the decision to get away from Brady and his abusive behavior, you thought you might spend the rest of your life running and hiding and being afraid to show your face anywhere public. But there you were, standing on a public sidewalk with the sun on your skin and the cool Alaskan breeze lifting your hair off the back of your neck. Gabriel had asked you to stay outside while he went in to check on the status of your case. You nodded your head happily. Brady was behind bars for now and you enjoyed your time of freedom in the sun.

Gabriel suddenly tore out of the doors of the police station, his black boots slamming down the steps toward you. He came at you so quickly you almost turned and ran from him. His blue eyes were flashing with fire and you could see he was furious.

"Brady's out!" He growled and pressed a hand to your back to steer you. "They let him go yesterday."

You could see he was steaming mad at himself for letting you stay outside and wait for him. But both of you had assumed Brady was still in jail so outside should've been the safest place. Gabriel was stunned and angry but you weren't surprised at all. Your life hadn't handed you any roses before, so why would it start now?

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Walking under the carved wooden canopy of the Hoonah health center, Gabriel's shoulders swayed as he strode with you toward the glass doors. At the door you hesitated, glancing at the tall trees to your right. If you took off right then you might be able to disappear into the trees and evade Gabriel for at least a day. But that wasn't nearly long enough to hide out, even if you wanted to. And as you looked back over at his open, smiling face, you knew already that you didn't want to run from him anymore.

If Gabriel saw your nervousness, he gave no sign. He stood with his hands hanging loosely at his sides and he let you stop and stare at the tall trees for as long as you wanted. He was so patient sometimes that it was hard to believe he was the same guy who threatened to tear Brady apart.

"Do you want to sit for a minute?" He pointed to a low black metal bench near the side of the walkway.

"No. Let's go on in and get this over with. I'm ready to get back to the island as soon as I can."

You knew Gabriel would think you wanted to get back go brown town to avoid any possibility of seeing Brady.  However, what you really wanted was to get back to the peace and quiet of his warm little float house. And back to the peace and quiet of being alone with Gabriel.

"I'm really ok." You continued to reassure him. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known they would release him so soon." You smiled and ran your fingers softly along his arm.

"I promised to protect you. And I left you standing out on the street alone. I'll never do that again." His blue eyes flashed as he spoke and he stepped protectively closer to you.

"You are amazing." You said loudly enough for him to hear but you immediately turned and began moving toward the door. You mentally kicked yourself for letting your emotions get the best of you. The doctor was waiting and there was no doubt you needed to have your head examined.

By the time the doctor had poked and prodded and the nurse had sucked out enough of your blood to create a whole new person, you were exhausted. When Gabriel had insisted on coming into the exam room with you, the doctor hadn't questioned it at all. Gabriel had sat with his head down, letting the doctor and nurse do their jobs. Once everything was completed, he stood up and helped you into your coat.

"I think your wife will be fine in a couple of weeks." The doctor smiled at the two of you. "She needs to rest as much as she can and I'd like to see her again in about a month."

"Thank you." Was all Gabriel said as he shook hands with the doctor.

"Thank you?" You lifted an eyebrow and stared at him once the doctor had left the room. "That's all you wanted to say to him?"

Gabriel grinned and looked away, a little embarrassed. "I kinda liked the idea of him thinking I was your husband."

"Oh you did?" Your smile was so big you weren't sure you would ever be able to bring it back down.

"Yeah." Gabriel breathed out and stepped so close to you it made you lose your own breath for a second.

That was the moment you should have run away. You should have pushed him from you and screamed at him to save himself before it was too late. All the warning bells were sounding in your head to leave him alone and to make him stay away from you. You of all people knew how much danger he was in my being with you.

But you stood completely still as he brought his head closer to yours, his hand sliding behind your neck and pulling you the rest of the way toward him. He kissed you softly and his full lips completely covered yours. The pressure on your mouth was gentle and he didn't insist on more. You closed your eyes and leaned into the kiss and didn't offer him more. You wanted exactly what he wanted to give. No more and no less. You would let him take the lead and you would trust him not to run you over.

"This wasn't what I wanted from you." Gabriel said when he pulled his mouth away from yours. "Not at first. But now..."

When he didn't finish, you wrapped your arms around his waist and lay your head on his shoulder. The muscle there was hard and tight but you felt it soften as he returned your embrace.

"But now?" You kept your face pressed to him and waited.

Gabriel's hand slowly stroked your hair and you felt him lean his cheek down on the top of your head. "Now, this is exactly what I want, but I need to ask you? Is this what you want?"

You didn't plan to fall in love with him. Your plan had been to run away from Brady and never trust any man ever again. But Gabriel had captured your heart with the fire in his blue eyes and the joy in his smile and the gentleness of his spirit. Falling in love with him was the most wonderful feeling in the world but also the scariest.

Gabriel wasn't a "Brady". He was a rose among all the thorns that had torn at your flesh for so many years. Guarding your heart and body from an abusive and controlling man had changed how you looked at men and how you looked at life. With Gabriel, you would have to learn how to give love honestly and be able to receive it the same way. If you wanted things to work with Gabriel you would have to be willing to open your heart and let him in. You took a deep breath, looked into his eyes and pushed all memory of Brady from your mind.

"Yes, Gabriel. This is what I want." You lifted your head and let him kiss you again and in that moment, you felt joy and freedom and most of all, you felt love.

When the two of you walked out of the front door of the clinic, your hands were intertwined and your eyes were locked on Gabriel's profile. His long sideburns were begging for a finger to stroke them and you lifted a hand to his cheek.

"Well, isn't this cozy?" Brady's deep voice rang out from no more than ten feet away.