Alex walked into the hot spring with Abi still in his arms. He held her so gently, as if she was a newborn baby he didn't want to drop. As he walked deeper into the water, he slowly dipped Abi's body until only her head was above water. He sat down on the second to last step with Abigail sitting in his lap.

  Alex looked down on Abigail's face with an unfathomable expression on his face. He then traced the outline of her face with his finger, gently starting from her temple down to her chin. She was so fragile, his little lamb. Her skin was so soft to the touch and he wondered how such a fragile being could be so brave.

  He could only shake her head as he remembered what she did just before. He couldn't believe that this little lamb actually dared to stand against him, dared to face his raging self. He couldn't bear to think of what would have happened if he had actually tightened…


  No! It didn't bear thinking about. He forced the thought away. His little lamb was fine. She was alive and breathing and in his arms now. He was never going to let her leave his side again. Never. She was safest next to him and he was safest next to her, it seemed. He still couldn't fathom how she had actually managed to make him snap out of the raging state he was in. He had been swallowed so deeply in the darkness but she managed to drive that away with her light. As long as she was around, that darkness would never be able to take over him again because her light was too strong.

  He stared at her peaceful face and then he lowered his head and grazed his lips against hers. He placed the softest kiss on her lips, feeling like his heart would burst from all the emotions that even he couldn't put a name to.

  "I'm so sorry, Abigail," he whispered as he pulled away.

  He stared at her for a second longer before he finally moved to wash the dirt off her body. He dipped her head back so that her hair floated on the water. He used his fingers to brush her hair, cleaning it in the water. He then used his thumb to wash the dirt off her face, wiping her cheeks, her forehead, her nose and chin.

  He took off her shirt and pants, leaving only her underwear on. He carefully cleaned her whole body, making sure to get rid of every speck of dirt on her. Once he was done washing her, he then took off his own clothes and also cleaned himself, as much as he could while still holding onto her. He didn't know how long he had spent in the hot spring but the moment he was done cleaning them both, he then grabbed a towel and dried her body quickly before wrapping the towel around her so that she wouldn't catch a cold. He grabbed the rest of the towels too and walked back inside the house, straight into the room that the witch had shown him earlier. He saw that the clothes he had asked for were already on the foot of the bed, folded neatly.

  Alex closed the door and headed straight towards the bed. He lay a towel over a pillow and gently placed Abigail down on the bed, with her head on the towel. He then put a blanket over her body.

  Her grip on him had finally loosened so he could move freely again. He dried himself and changed into the clean clothes before he grabbed the other set of clothes for his little lamb.

  He swallowed. For him to change her, he would have to take her underwear off. 'Should I change her or just leave her like that?' he asked himself. 'Wouldn't she get a cold if I left her wearing her wet underwear?' he reasoned with himself.

  That was enough for him to decide what to do. The thought of his little lamb being sick was not something that sat well with him. And besides, he had already undressed her before. But still, this was different. His little lamb was asleep this time and couldn't give him her consent.

  With a deep breath, he moved closer to her and sat down on the edge of the bed. He kept the blanket over her as he placed an arm behind her shoulders to pull her up against him. With his left arm holding onto her, his right hand went to her back and with a swift flick of his fingers, he unhooked her bra. He then gently lay her back on the bed. He slid her bra straps down her shoulders and removed her bra. He had kept the blanket over her all this time and his hands did all the work.

  He was a little surprised on what he was doing. He thought that it should be alright for him to see everything since he had already saw her naked body but that thought didn't sit right for him. Was he really turning into a real gentleman now?

  A slight smile curved on his lips as he shook his head. Gentleman? He didn't think so. No, he could be a gentleman just to his future wife. If this would make Abigail happy, he wouldn't hesitate to behave well and treat her properly.

  Once her bra was off, his next target was her underwear. His hands snuck under the blanket and he pulled down her underwear as fast and efficiently as he could. He had to imagine himself as a doctor, a professional. He breathed a sigh of relief once he succeeded in his mission.

  He decided that it would be too much of a mission to put underwear on her - it was easier to take off than put on - so he grabbed the pajama top and bottoms and put them on her. His next mission was to dry her hair. He used the towel that she was lying on to softly dry her hair. He didn't know how long he sat there for, just rubbing her hair with the towel but he didn't care. It was the least he could do.

  After he was satisfied with his hair drying mission, he removed the towel from under her and sat up. He couldn't help but look at her face again. Her face was still a little flushed from the warmth of the hot spring. She was so beautiful. He really had not seen anyone else as beautiful as her. She was the definition oa sleeping beauty.