Amber scowled at Saphira. "Will you please get out of here? We're professionals - we know what we're doing. You, on the other hand, are a neophyte in the guardian business, and you need to get back to guarding the boss for now. We'll call you if we think we need you. But we know Es does, okay?" putting a firm hand in the middle of Saphira's back and pushing her towards the bedroom door. "Go on... buh-bye... see ya."

"Thanks, Amber," Saphira said softly without turning away from the door even as she reached out for the knob. Amber scowled again... this time to keep the tears at bay.

"Yeah, well... just don't get used to it, all right? The world would probably stop spinning or something equally horrible if the universe caught us playing nice together."

Saphira's chuckle came out more like a strangled sob, but Amber let it go. "Heaven forbid," she whispered. "I've got enough to worry about without having that on my shoulders."

"Amen!" Amber agreed, patting Saphira's back gently. "Now go be with Es. Coral and I'll be back in a little while." Saphira nodded and opened the door, crossing the threshold and shutting it behind her without a backwards glance.

Amber stood looking at the closed door for a moment longer, then shook her head and went back to the kitchen to meet up with Coral. There was still work to be done.

************

Saphira leaned against the closed door, waiting for the sound of Amber's footsteps to indicate that she and Es were alone in the house again. It took a moment, then another for her to hear the echo of the outer door shutting and the car starting and pulling away. Only then did she let the tears slide silently down her face.

They only lasted a brief minute. Then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, centering herself before allowing them to flutter open again and moving towards the bed. Saphira crawled onto the mattress carefully and curled herself around Esmeralda's warmth. Then she jerked in surprise when a warm hand touched her still-damp face. She leaned up and looked down into Esmeralda's sleepy green eyes, smiling broadly.

"Es?"

Esmeralda smiled momentarily, then her brow furrowed in concern. "Saphira?" in a hushed tone. "What's wrong, love? Why the tears?"

Saphira took Esmeralda's hand in hers, bringing it to her lips and brushing a kiss over the fingertips. "You scared me," she admitted in a small voice. "You were sleeping so deeply... it was like when you were so sick."

"Oh, Sweetheart. I'm fine. Just a little tired."

Saphira nodded her head firmly. "Then there's nothing for you to do but stay in the bed today and catch up on some sleep."

Esmeralda gave her a fond smile and shook her head. "I can't do that, Phira. You know that - though I do appreciate the sentiment. You don't know how much."

"Actually, you can. It's all arranged. I called you off sick today and Ruby is taking my shift at the diner. So there's nothing to keep you from getting some of that rest you need to catch up on."

"But the mission...."

"... will go on regardless today. You can start worrying about it again tomorrow. But today you're going to rest. Amber and Coral are out getting groceries at the moment, but they will be back shortly to fix something for lunch before they settle down to sleep. Trust that the rest know their jobs and will do them."

Esmeralda was quiet for a moment, then nodded her head. "All right. And you'll fill me in?"

Saphira rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Naturally."

"Good," Esmeralda smiled, tapping Saphira on the nose with a soft finger. She pushed up into a sitting position and sighed tiredly. "I'm going to go the little angel's room. Then I'll crawl back in bed beside you and you can tell me what I missed. Then I promise to take another nap," holding up one hand as if taking an oath.

"Do you want something to eat?"

Esmeralda shook her head. "No... not now," changing her answer when she saw the look of concern flash across Saphira's visage. "I'll eat whatever lunch Coral and Amber surprise us with."

"That's awfully brave of you," Saphira commented with a smirk.

"Never let it be said I'm not the bravest of them all."

Saphira laughed and Esmeralda smiled. Esmeralda got out of bed slowly to take care of her morning business and Saphira went into the kitchen to get them both something to drink and make some toast for Esmeralda. If they were going to have a sick day, she might as well do her best to make Esmeralda feel better before she settled down to sleep some more.

It only took a few minutes before they had resumed their places on the bed. Esmeralda had taken a little of the liquid but hadn't touched the toast, preferring to curl up into Saphira's arms instead.

"Now tell me what I missed," she insisted. Saphira rolled her eyes again and shook her head at Esmeralda's persistence. Then she started relaying the morning's events, not realizing when Esmeralda dropped off to sleep - only knowing that she did eventually. Saphira smiled and closed her eyes. This was how Amber found them some time later when she knocked on the door, then opened it to find them asleep in one another's arms.

"Guess lunch will have to wait a little while," she commented to Coral when she returned to the kitchen alone.

"Best thing for all of us," was Coral's only reply. Then they sat down to eat so they could go to bed themselves.


Chapter XXIX

"I missed you yesterday," Brianna greeted with a concerned smile when Esmeralda peered around the door of Brianna's office as she knocked. She waved Esmeralda into the inner sanctum and Esmeralda pushed the door open and rolled her cleaning cart into the room ahead of her. "Is everything all right?"

Esmeralda nodded her head even as she gathered together the things she needed, then started her cleaning routine. "Everything's fine," she promised with a smile. "Saphira was being a little overly cautious."

"How so?"

"I was sleeping very hard... very deeply... to the point she was afraid I had fallen into a coma. The last time I slept like that was when I was so sick - I really was in a coma then. I think it scared her."

"I'm sure it did. Even as little as I actually know of you both, I can imagine her reaction to seeing you like that again, especially after being given a brief glimpse of the two of you together."

Esmeralda stilled her duster and turned to face Brianna directly. "How do you mean?"

Brianna chuckled and shook her head. "You remind me of my grandparents," letting her eyes glaze over in memory. "My grandmother and papa were married for forty-seven years before Grandmother passed away suddenly one night. Just... BAM! and she was gone. Papa couldn't do anything; she was gone before emergency services could get there."

"I'm so sorry, Brianna. She obviously meant a lot to you," Esmeralda offered sincerely.

"Thank you," Brianna said even as she shook her head. "But that's not what I meant." She sighed. "As upset as I was when Grandmother died, it was nothing compared to the loss Papa felt. Even now... years later, I can still tell he misses her fiercely. He gets this look in his eye when he thinks about her. It's like part of him is missing and nothing will ever fill that hole she left."

"Part of him is missing," Esmeralda replied sadly, "and it always will be. Nothing except his death will change that for him."

"That's my point - you and Saphira are a lot like my grandmother and papa were. I don't know how long you have been a couple, but to someone that has seen real love before and what happens to the one left behind when that bond is broken by death, I would say you're truly part of one another. And from what you told me of your story, you were near death before. I'm sure it hit Saphira hard seeing you like that again. So I don't blame her for being cautious where your health is concerned."

"I don't blame her." Esmeralda released a breath and turned back to her work. "I just wish there was a way to keep her from worrying so much. She's gonna make herself sick if she keeps trying to carry the world around on her shoulders."

"Just take care of yourself, Es. Knowing you're all right will go a long way towards alleviating that burden."

"When did you get so smart, Brianna?"

"Oh, I've always been this smart. I'm brilliant - like the stars that shine in the firmament." She was able to hold the lofty expression on her face for several long seconds before the look on Esmeralda's face made her burst into laughter. Esmeralda snickered.

Finally, Brianna's laughter tapered off and she pushed her hair off her face. "Thanks, Es... I needed that."

"I didn't do anything but stand here," Esmeralda insisted, moving to put her duster away and grabbing the small carpet sweeper.

"That was enough - trust me," Brianna claimed. She looked back at the pile of paper still on her desk. "Back to work for me, though."

"Will it disturb you if I finish my work?"

"Just make sure you say goodnight before you leave," Brianna requested.

"Absolutely," Esmeralda promised and continued working as quietly as she could. Brianna watched her a moment longer, then resumed studying the documents she had in front of her. She wondered when bureaucracy had become so paper-logged that they needed forests to keep them supplied. Then her mind focused on what she was reading, not even hearing the vacuum when Esmeralda started running it through the entire office. Only a light touch on her arm brought Brianna out of the quagmire of words her mind was rolling through.

"Leaving already?" she asked Esmeralda, looking up into sparkling green eyes. Esmeralda smiled.