"—within an inch of her LIFE. I really think she was trying to kill her, Cupid. And Ares... well, he wasn't doing anything to stop it. And it was all my fault. And then, well... I already told you what I did then. She probably hates me by now. If she didn't already Why am I so damn stupid?" He sounded so upset. I just couldn't understand it.

"Look. First off, it wasn't 'all your fault'." That was the other voice. Cupid? "Second, I very much doubt she hates you. I'll talk to her, ok?"

More information was reaching my brain. That didn't feel quite like a pillow under my head. Also, someone had put a shirt on me. There was also a hand resting in my hair.

"Hey." That was right in my ear. I opened my eyes. Strife had his face bent right over mine. It was his lap my head was lying in. Also his hand in my hair. Oh. "You wakin' up?"

"I guess so." I didn't want to. I felt stiff and sore all over, and my head hurt. But I couldn't just sleep forever.

He smiled. Not a smirk, or a grin, but a genuine, sweet, shy smile. "Well... um. I'm gonna find a safe place for you to be while I get this shit with Discord ironed out."

Well, what the fuck? I didn't need THIS. I'd been taking care of myself practically since I could walk. I didn't need him or anyone else fighting my fights for me. I started to sit up to give him a piece of my mind....

...and couldn't. I mean, my muscles just wouldn't work! I think I moved maybe an inch, and it woke up little pockets of hurting in places I didn't even know I had.

Strife stood up slowly, gently easing my head down onto the bed instead of letting it slam down. It still sent a wave of queasy dizziness through me.

"Cupid's gonna keep an eye on you while I go talk to... someone who might help. You'll be ok."

I tried to sit up again, and failed even more miserably than before. When my eyes focused again he was gone.

"He is absolutely stuck on you, you know."

That would be Cupid. I tried to get a look at him, but realized I'd have to move my head to do that. Too much work. "Yeah, right." The very idea was ridiculous. Wasn't it?

"No, I'm totally serious." He'd kindly stepped into my field of vision. Blond hair. Fluffy white wings. Kinda cute. "He stood up to Ares over you, you know."

"What?"

"Yeah. Ares told him to go fetch you `cuz Discord was feelin' frisky, and he said 'no way'. So Ares pounded the snot out of him and snagged you himself. I didn't say he was clever about it."

I didn't know what to say to that. I tried moving, just a little, without sitting up. It hurt, but I found that if I kept my head still it wasn't too bad. I realized I was wearing that black linen smock I'd seen Strife wearing that other time. It smelled like him. That was... kind of nice.

I glanced up again. Cupid was peering down at me.

"She really did a number on you, didn't she?"

"Uh, yeah." No shit, blondie.

"Brace yourself, I'm gonna flip you over."

What the fuck? True to his word, he rolled me over onto my belly. Then he sat down on the bed.

"So, what hurts most?"

"My head." Not surprising, since I'd been doing my best to drink all the beer in a good sized port city before getting thoroughly thrashed by a whacko goddess with a wooded sword.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt his fingertips on my scalp.

"Relax," he chuckled. "I'm good at this. Honest."

He was, too. By the time he was through gently massging my temples I could move my head from side to side without starting to retch. Then he started in on my neck. I hadn't realized how tense it was until I felt the knotted muscles loosening under his light touch.

"You ARE good at this. Maybe I should let that horse-toothed cunt smack me around more often."

"THAT is what Strife is trying to figure out how to prevent." He started on my shoulders. Oooohhhh, that was nice.

"Can take care of myself," I muttered.

"Yeah, you're doing a really fantastic job so far." He rubbed gently down the length of my spine. Even through the linen smock, his hands felt warm. "Remind me to stay out of your way when you start kicking ass."

Smart-mouthed bastard.

"Don't worry about it. You can't do anything if you get yourself killed in the next day or two, right?"

Dammit. How dare he have the audacity to talk LOGIC to me while plying me with an utterly splendid massage? "Yeah. Whatever."

That was when Strife came back. I'm not sure how I knew... I didn't see him or anything. But I knew he was there even before he said anything.

"Hey, Jasne. Do you think you could sit up?"

Surprise, surprise... I could. Damn, but Cupid gives a mean backrub. Strife sort of half-squatted by the edge of the bed, looking me right in the eye.

"I talked to someone who's willing to put you up for a bit, someone Discord won't fuck with. Shit, someone Ares won't want to fuck with." He grabbed one of my hands, a little awkwardly. "I'm not gonna let that happen to you again."

Now, what the unholy fuck could I say to that? I tried to smile. It was easier than figuring out the hundred things racing around in my head.

"Uh, Cupid. I'm... I mean, I don't know how to...."

"Don't worry about thanking me. You could pay me a visit sometime, though." Cupid grinned down at me with a gleam in his eye. "Under better circumstances. And bring the redhead."