want to right now, one day you will have to." She paused, her eyes meeting his. "I promise you that. I'll wait for you until then."
Hercules stayed quiet for a minute, staring at the woman before him, and suddenly he smiled. A genuine smile, filled with relief and happiness. "Thank you, mom. I won't forget anything anytime soon. You make me happy."
She smiled lightly as she placed a hand over his cheek. "I'm glad. Now go to sleep. You must be exhausted after what happened. We'll talk tomorrow, ok?"
"Ok. Goodnight mom." Hercules closed his eyes and leaned against her hand, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.
The woman watched him sleep for a while, smiling as she stroked his cheek. "Goodnight, Hercules." She let her hand fall and stood up from the floor, walking towards the door. She was about to leave when something caught her attention. Glancing back she furrowed her brows, confusion written all over her features. She walked back towards him and reached out with a shaky hand, placing it on his forehead.
"Is it me or is there a fever there?" she murmured worriedly. A frown replaced her earlier smile, her brows knitting together in concentration. After a few seconds she removed her hand from his forehead. A small, satisfied grin appeared on her lips as she looked at him, a warm glow spreading through her chest. She turned around and walked out of the room, leaving him alone with Pegasus.
The Pegasus blinked slowly, glancing questioningly at the woman before looking towards Hercules, hoping for some kind of explanation.
"A fever. It seems we have an extra guest tonight."
Chapter 9
Hercules groaned as he stretched lazily, his muscles protesting slightly against the movement. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, opening them only to find that everything was blurry. Forcing his eyes open fully, he blinked repeatedly, forcing the blurriness away. Once his vision cleared somewhat, he gazed around the darkened room.
It wasn't difficult to figure out where he was - the smell of smoke permeated the air, reminding him of all that had happened the previous night.
A shudder ran through him, causing his entire body to tense. Memories of pain and terror flashed through his mind, causing a pained whine to escape his lips. Closing his eyes, he tried to force those memories away, but it was difficult. They were all that came to mind whenever he remembered. He hated remembering the torture and suffering he had suffered because of that wretched man. He wished he could erase those horrible images from his memory forever.
His breathing quickened as his thoughts drifted to the young woman lying on the bed beside him. He remembered how gentle she had been as she had brushed the hair from his face, running a hand across his temple soothingly. The gentleness in her touch had caused his stomach to twist uncomfortably.
Why does she always have to look so good? Why did I ever choose this stupid life when she is so beautiful and wonderful?
His breath hitched as his eyes began to fill with angry tears.
No, no! Don't cry. This isn't the first time you've thought something like that.
Shutting his eyes tightly, he forced himself not to cry. Not because he was embarrassed, or scared that the woman would hear him. No, he was afraid that she would pity him. He hadn't meant to act like a child. He didn't know what possessed him to act like that. He hadn't intended to sound so childish, and he certainly hadn't planned on revealing his weaknesses like that. But he hadn't been able to stop himself. He simply couldn'