After they all settled in the kitchen, Aiden and Lucas ended up making breakfast for everybody as if they were competing against each other. Claire was happily surprised when she discovered how well they both cooked. The three chatted and ate as Jacob tapped away on his tablet. He was enjoying the food all the same, but he kept to himself as the playful brothers filled the space with background noise.
Once they finished, Claire was confused as too why Aiden insisted on not leaving the estate until lunch time. But once he helped her into a warm jacket and guided her towards the garden she began to understand. As soon as they reached the same green open space they had sat down on before, she could clearly see his intentions. The way their minds were unconsciously connected made her lips spread into a small grin.
They stopped walking once they saw Aurora standing in the very center of the space with Moose and Bear sitting to each of her sides. They stayed in place obediently, but Claire could see how excited they were to see Aiden. She looked up at him and noticed how he had somewhat of a complicated expression on his face.
"I know you've had a seriously intense night, and that this isn't the ideal time to try this, but last night was a wake up call for me." He said to her as he fixed the collar of her jacket. "I'm not expecting your fear to magically get better, but we should work at it."
Aiden had been purposely making sure her experience the first time she visited his house never repeated itself. But after having his estate invaded, he couldn't have his watch dogs keep their distance from him any longer. Especially when she or Lily were near. Yes, they were his companions, but they also served as his and his house's protectors. And seeing as his best trained men were bested on his own territory, he needed as much reassurance as he could get that nothing would ever happen to his little lady or Princess if something like that ever happened again. It didn't matter if he was already taking hundreds of new measures to ensure his girl's well being. With the Villan's, it was always go big or go home. So there he was. Going very big with his next step.
"They won't ever come near you unless I let them, but I need them to at least recognize you as somebody they need to protect." He lifted her hand and kissed it before continuing. "They've already memorized your scent, so all we need to do is slowly get you accustomed to tolerate them near you. That way you won't panic if they ever need to come to your aid." He kissed her hand once more and studied her face closely. He didn't want to push her. "Are you okay with trying Angel? It doesn't have to be today."
Claire had to strain her neck a bit to look at him due to not be wearing heels. But even so, she found their height difference somewhat cute. Being so petite, she always had insecurities when it came to her stature. But standing next him and having him look at her with so much tenderness didn't make her feel looked down on. Instead, it made her feel warm and dearly protected. She stood on her tip toes as she gently pulled him down by his own jacket and pecked his lips lovingly. Gesture that made his heart soar.
"As long as you don't leave my side." She smiled up at him reassuringly.
"Never." He pecked her lips again before holding her hand and slowly began to walk towards them. Claire on the other hand begun to take deep soothing breaths while wrapping one of her arms around his waist. She could feel his warm hand rubbing up and down her arm as he pressed her against himself. "We can stop anytime you want okay?"
Claire hummed in response while she watched the dog's tails wag harder as they got closer. Aurora on the other hand, had the same serene and calm expression on her face as she always did. Only this time, her lips were stretched out into an understanding smile. It was as reassuring as Aiden's presence next to her.
Once they were a few feet away from them, Aurora gave a little nod towards Aiden and left. Claire wasn't sure if she stayed nearby, but she wasn't paying much attention towards anything other than keeping her eyes glued to the two ginormous dogs that could easily tackle her to the ground thanks to how small she was. The thought of them actually doing so made her tighten her grip on Aiden's waist, which prompted him to stand behind her and enveloped her in a warm hug.
"I've had them since they were born." Aiden began to say as he rested his chin on top of her head. He could feel her press herself against him even more, which let him know exactly how nervous and anxious she was since he could also easily feel her accelerated heart beat. She must have been feeling scared out of her mind, but determined. And knowing that made him feel proud of his little lady. "I bottle fed them myself."
Claire focused on his voice as he saw the dogs practically beg for Aiden to let them come close. "No wonder they're so obsessed with you." She said in an attempt to focus on Aiden instead of her shaky hands.
"Lately I've been pretty outmatched by the Princess." He chuckled as he said so. "As soon as they see her, they go ballistic. I even have trouble keeping them in check when it happens. She's truly something else."
Claire smiled at the thought of her little flower easily winning over people's hearts. The truth was that she had everybody wrapped around her little without even trying. She was that adorable. Looking up at Aiden, she couldn't help but feel like the luckiest woman in world. How can such an understanding and seemingly perfect man exist? And besides that, how was it that she managed to make him look at her the way that he did? It was beyond her.
"Ready?" He asked her as he looked down at her as well. He noticed that her hands were shaking a bit and immediately took them in his own. Rubbing them with his thumb to reassure her that he was there and that nothing bad would happen.
Claire took another deep breath before nodding yes. She felt his lips against her forehead and offered him a smile back. No, she wasn't really ready. But she wouldn't ever be. So the least she could do was try getting better while he was holding her as close as he was.
Aiden saw her shut her eyes tightly and it instantly made him want to pick her up and go back inside. But he knew that she needed to do this. The thought of her breaking down again was terrifying. Especially if it ever happened while he wasn't there to comfort her. He had to let her do this. Tightening his grip on her hands, he breathed out as well and hoped that history didn't repeat itself. And seeing as there was no protest from her yet, he finally paid attention to his whining dogs.
"Moose, come." As soon as he said the command, Moose stood up and hurriedly made his way towards them were he started excitedly sniffing them both. Aiden felt her tense up as soon as she felt his snout brush against her leg and arm so he tightened his grip on her hand as he rubbed his thumb over it. "You're okay Baby. He's just happy he finally gets to meet you." While still holding both her hands, he hugged her with his left arm as he spoke reassuringly in her ear. "You should open your eyes Angel."
Claire knew that seeing Moose so up close would probably freak her out even more, but she also knew that it was a chance she would have to take. 'They're not the same dogs. They're not the same dogs. They're not the same dogs.' She was inwardly chanting to herself as she slowly mustered up the courage to open her eyes and look down at the overwhelmingly big canine staring up at her. Begging for her attention. As soon as she did, her grip on Aiden's hands tightened drastically.
"You're fine Baby. He's not going to hurt you." Aiden said as he continued to rub the back of her hands with his thumbs. She was beyond tense and he knew it. "Look, this is Moose. He's very friendly and has a puppy like attitude all the time. Moose, down." He commanded his dog to lay down before looking at Claire. "How are you feeling Angel?"
Claire had her eyes glued to Moose, who was currently looking up at her while wagging his tail. He was laid down next to her feet, which had her heart thumping hardly against her chest, but her breathing had stayed normal. And she had no doubt that it was thanks to Aiden's presence that she was managing to keep her anxiety in control. But even so, she knew she was nearing her limit already.
"I'm...I'm okay." She timidly replied as she carefully watched the seemingly friendly animal.
"That's great." He responded as he kissed the top of her head. Aiden knew she was feeling overwhelmed by the fact that her grip hadn't loosened in the least, but nonetheless he was relieved. Her case wasn't a lost cause after all. "Then that's enough for today Angel." Now looking at the dogs he continued. "Moose, Bear, go find Aurora." And just like that, both dogs stood up and dashed away like the obedient beast like pets that they were.
As soon as they left her field of vision, Claire's shoulders drooped down and her grip on Aiden's hands immediately loosened. She let out a deep sigh as she leaned her head back onto his chest.
"You did great Angel." Aiden smiled down at her after he kissed her forehead. "I'm very proud."
Claire turned around and buried her face in his chest as she concentrated on his heart beat and is scent. Both things that never failed to bring her comfort. "That was nerve wrecking." Her voice wasn't louder than a whisper, but he heard it nonetheless. He hummed in response as his arms went around her to hold her in his embrace until she deemed herself to feel better.
They stood holding each other in silence for a while before Claire looked up at him. She looked spent, but it wasn't surprising seeing as she had been barely sleeping even before all the stuff that had been going lately. And each time Aiden noticed said tiredness, his silent vow to take care of her fortified.
"Can we go see Lily now?" She asked him with a small tired smile.
"Let's go." He replied as he kissed her forehead once again.
------------------------------------------
In the car on the way to the city center's base.
After her encounter with Moose and Bear, Claire felt drained enough to fall asleep in the car on their way to the base. It was only brief, and only one of the dogs ever got close enough to smell her, but nonetheless it was a lot for her. Aiden understood this and made it as comfortable for her as possible. As soon as he finished tucking her to his side, he covered her with one of the blankets in his car and made sure the current conversation he was having was a silent one.
'All the men have been checked by the head medic and it seems like they'll be able to start retraining by the end of the week.' Lucas signed to Aiden as the latter nodded in response. He was sitting with his little lady on one side of the car, while he and the touchy personal assistant were on the other side. Thanks to the fact that they were all facing each other, it made it easy to carry the conversation.
Jacob on the other hand had a seriously irritated expression on his face. Furiously tapping on his tablet, it looked like he was throwing a temper tantrum. Flipping it over for them to see, it was obvious what his frustration was rooted by.
On the screen was written 'How come you to have gotten so good at that? I've been practicing for day's and I still can't keep up with you two. Or even Aurora!'.
The truth was that the Villan duo, and everybody working under them, had begun to seriously practice sign language only after knowing about Lily. Aiden hadn't lied to Claire when he said that the reason behind his knowing the language was due to how he and his men used it to hold silent conversations in things like missions and the sort. But, the extent of his knowledge was only that. Simple words and commands. It wasn't until his Princess came into his life that he seriously studied and practiced it. The same applied to his people. Once he knew how important it was to be able to effectively communicate with her, and the fact that she hardly ever held prolonged conversations with people because of her hearing condition, he made it imperative that all of his people learned alongside him.
And Jacob was having trouble keeping up with their fast learning pace.
'It's not our fault you're such a slow learner.' Lucas teased Jacob as he saw him furrow his brows together in utter frustration.
"You guys sit down to practice all the time-" Jacob unconsciously began to talk out loud when he suddenly felt Aiden's death stare on the side of his face. Looking at him and then at the sleeping Claire, he realized why. 'Sorry.' He signed towards him before he started rapidly typing on his tablet a comeback to Lucas' childish comment.
Aiden sat there looking at the both of them bicker, per usual, before dropping his gaze down at the angel who was snuggling up against him. Knowing he would soon become somewhat busy, he tried to concentrate on how she felt in his arms. She was sleeping so deeply that it made him almost want to chuckle out loud.
'If you knew the world of hurt I'm planning to deliver, would you sleep so peacefully in my arms then?.' He thought as he lowered himself a bit and kissed the top of her head.