Chapter Text
And we were having such a lovely evening…
If only it had stayed that way.
The kids had long since put to bed, and nobody was tired, so they had all been sat in the lounge chatting. Eventually, someone had poured some drinks. Nobody was particularly drunk, but they weren't really sober either. Although, all traces of that relaxing buzz disappeared from Mary Katharine's mind when Sia said… well, when she told them about her past.
"Go on then, Sia, what's that craziest thing that happened to you as a kid?" Nemo asked. He was sprawled on the floor in front of Mary Katharine, and she was having a wonderful time playing with his hair from her seat above him. Sia, ever the perfect 'Child of the Gates', was sat up nicely on the opposite sofa, Margaret's legs in her lap. She was more relaxed than usual, although that wasn't a particularly high bar. In hindsight, that probably should've been something of a warning sign, how the woman would never truly relax.
Sia shrugged. "The clans weren't particularly exciting. The only time anything of note happened is when someone broke the rules." There was a hint of something in her voice, something that would later be recognised as fear, but Mary Katharine wasn't paying enough attention to notice it. Margaret turned her focus directly to her wife, though, sitting up a little straighter as she spoke.
"Rules? What rules, love?" She asked, frowning slightly.
"Oh, you know. With visions being so important and all, they had to make sure we were telling the truth. So they'd give us this drink that made sure we weren't lying. It didn't actually taste that bad, just a little bitter. I probably had it the most, what with the whole 'Child of the Gates' thing, so I just sort of got used to it after a while. Anyway, sometimes people didn't want to drink it; kids, usually. Even I refused, sometimes. When I was little. But that was mostly it. Well, I suppose there was the rituals stuff as well, but that wasn't so much of a—"
"What did they do when you didn't drink it, Sia?" Margaret asked quietly, sounding almost angry. Her voice put Mary Katharine on edge, and it was only then that she actually realised what Sia had said. Cyrus — who was sat beside her — and Nemo both shifted a little, eyes all snapping to Margaret.
Sia paused for a moment. Then: "They would hurt me. When I didn't take it, they hurt me." Mary Katharine could hear a quiet sound of horror from Margret. Sia looked up, suddenly panicked. "I-I was young, I know I shouldn't have, but sometimes I would refuse to take it. And that was wrong, I know it was, gods I was so stupid—"
"Sia, it's okay." Nemo said. "Nobody is upset with you—"
"But you should be." Sia replied plainly. "Because I was doing something wrong. So they hurt me. That's how it works"
Mary Katharine stood shocked. How could she sound so matter of fact about this? Openly telling them she was abused as a child was bad enough, but she still seemed to believe in what they had taught her. "Sia, you have to understand, they hurt you. That isn't—" Mary Katharine stopped, taking a breath in an attempt to calm herself. Nemo squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, and she pressed on. "How would you feel if I treated Samuel and Rose like that?"
Sia frowned as all eyes fell directly on her. "Well, that's different." She explained, like that was obvious.
"How so?"
"You'd never treat them like that, because they wouldn't ever deserve it."
What?
Mary Katharine felt a surge of anger inside of her. Does she even realise what she's implying? She tried to formulate a response, but what could she say to that kind of statement? Mary Katharine couldn't even begin to fathom what could make Sia think that. Mercifully, Margaret stepped in, taking Sia's hands and looking up at her with deep concern.
"Love, what do you mean? Nobody deserves to go through what you did." Sia looked away, her cheeks reddening.
"Well, of course you wouldn't treat people like that. Because you shouldn't hurt people unless you have to." She said, like she was reciting some school rule.
Margaret nodded. "That's right. So why do you think it's okay that people hurt you?"
Sia seemed to shrink in on herself, looking for all the world like she was about to admit to some terrible sin. "Because… Sometimes I couldn't understand what my visions were telling me. O-or I didn't remember. A-and so they would have to give me the drink. Like I said, I was young, and I didn't always want to take it. So they would… punish me, when I was being uncooperative. A-and I understand now, of course I do, I'm so sorry for all of it, but I…" She quickly blinked away her tears, forcing a small smile on her face. "They punished me because I wouldn't behave, and now I'm a better person for it." The words came from Sia's mouth, but Mary Katharine doubted they were from her mind. It sounded exactly like the kind of horrible rhetoric to come from — as far as Mary Katharine was concerned — a cult that exploited a child.
Mary Katharine turned to Margaret, who looked at her wife with abject horror. "Sia…" Her voice shook as she spoke. "You… You didn't deserve any of that! Gods, Sia, you were drugged, and abused, and you think it was your fault?!" Margaret cried, getting more frantic with every word. Though Mary Katharine was absolutely with Margaret on this, she could see how her tone of voice was starting to affect Sia. She knew Margaret would never hurt her wife intentionally, but this was about to get much worse if somebody didn't intervene.
"Margaret." Nemo spoke quietly, having moved to his sister's side. "I know you're upset, but this isn't helping." Margaret blinked, all of a sudden realising the silent tears of her wife. Her eyes widened, and she backed away.
"Oh gods. Sia, I'm so sorry. I didn't—"
"It's okay, Mags." Sia whispered, but she sounded so utterly broken, Mary Katharine wasn't sure if it wasn't doing more harm than good. Nemo had told her how defensive Margaret was of her wife, but she hadn't had the opportunity to see it until now.
Mary Katharine stepped towards Sia. "Lets take a break. Nemo , why don't you and Margaret go and have a chat upstairs, I'll stay here with Sia. Cyrus…"
Cyrus nodded. "I'll make the tea." He smiled gently, pressing a kiss to the side of his wife's head before heading to the kitchen. Mary Katharine sat down next to Sia, pulling a blanket around her shaking form. Though they were almost the same age — Actually, as a Traveler, she must be far older than me — in that moment, Sia seemed no older than a frightened child. Her heart clenched as she imagined Sia's childhood. This poor girl, being plagued by visions and then being drugged and forced to share their contents with any number of people. She had never been so thankful Sia had married Margaret. Of course, the two were a perfect pair, but Mary Katharine was convinced Sia could have very easily been taken advantage of by some horrible partner, and not even realise anything was wrong until it was too late.
She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. No use dwelling on hypotheticals. This is real, and Sia needs you. Mary Katharine looked at the woman sat bolt upright next to her. "You can relax, sweetie," She said quietly, realising too late the name that had slipped out. Sia either didn't notice or didn't mind. "You're safe here. Nobody's cross."
Sia shook her head. "No. Mags was angry, wasn't she?" Mary Katharine fought down the overwhelming urge to pull Sia into her arms, sensing that unannounced physical contact wasn't really going to help anyone here. "D-did I make her angry?" Sia asked softly.
"No." Mary Katharine said firmly. "Margaret is angry, yes. But not at you. She's upset about what you went through. That people hurt you. She's angry at the situation, because she loves you." Sia nodded slowly, letting herself relax slightly into the sofa. Mary Katharine mentally cheered at the movement — she knew this must be incredibly overwhelming for Sia, and though they were friends, Sia didn't know her as well as she did Nemo or Margaret.
"What am I supposed to do now?" Sia asked. "Do I tell you all of my childhood horror stories and you tell me why they were bad?" She half joked, but Mary Katharine could see the hurt behind her eyes (Though she was pleased Sia seemed to be acting more herself now)
"We can do whatever you want to, Sia. At some point, you need to talk about this, whether that be with me, Margaret, or anyone else, but that time doesn't have to be now." She paused, deciding how to approach this. "I would imagine you and Margaret are going to have a lot to discuss, so perhaps it would be best to take a break from the heavy stuff while she's with Nemo ." Sia nodded.
"Can… Can we just sit here, for a bit? Cyrus said he was making tea, right?" Mary Katharine smiled gently.
"Of course, Sia."
"Kat, love, there's nothing you can do right now." Nemo murmured as he embraced Mary Katharine from behind. She had been pacing across the living room floor ever since Margaret had taken Sia to their room. Nemo had talked to Margaret, and they had come to the agreement that the couple would be staying with them for the foreseeable future. Neither of them were needed back at Starhold for months, and it was probably better for Sia to stay here for the time being.
And yet, Mary Katharine still worried. From a purely selfish point of view, she was glad the pair were staying. She felt a strong sense of protectiveness towards the woman — similar to how she felt about Rose and Samuel. That same feeling of tightness in her chest whenever she was worried about them. Having Sia here meant she could make sure she was alright, and could help. Of course, Sia had Margaret, and Nemo, but Mary Katharine knew that sometimes it was easier to talk to people who aren't so close to you.
"I know, I just…" She turned to face Nemo, resting her head on his chest. "Gods, Nemo, I'm scared for her. And I don't know why I feel so strongly — I mean, I don't know her nearly as well as you do — but just hearing what she went through…"
"I know, love." He pulled her in closer, pressing a soft kiss to the crown of her head. "And it won't hurt for Sia to have more people in her corner — gods knows she needs it — but she's alright for now. Margaret's with her, and they're both okay."
Mary Katharine relaxed slightly into his arms. "How is Margaret? She seemed pretty riled up, not that I can blame her."
Nemo nodded. "She knows Sia has always had a hard time fitting in, taking care of herself and the like. She cares about her a lot. I can't even imagine how she feels, hearing your own partner say something like that… I mean, if it were you or Cyrus, gods, I don't know what I would do" He sighed. "But she's calmer now. She said she'd tell Sia they'd talk about it tomorrow. No use trying to ask her about it when we're all tired and upset. Although I can imagine getting Sia to sleep will be even harder than usual."
Mary Katharine hummed in response, too tired for a more complex reply. "Where's Cyrus?"
"Cleaning up the kitchen, I think." Nemo slowly disentangled himself from Mary Katharine, much to her displeasure. "I'll be back," he assured her, "I'm just going to drag Cyrus into bed first. I'll see you up there?" Mary Katharine nodded, pulling Nemo in for a short kiss before traipsing up the stairs.
Cyrus wasn't unemotional, but he often struggled with comforting other people having emotions. He always preferred to be doing some kind of work or job to help, rather than emotional comfort, hence why he had excused himself to make tea earlier. With everything that had happened, and Mary Katharine's own anxieties, she hadn't noticed the fact that Cyrus had returned to the kitchen after delivering the tea. They would have to talk about that, seeing as this was clearly going to be an ongoing situation, and would be taking place in their house. Not that Cyrus didn't want Sia here, far from it, but rather that Mary Katharine wanted to make sure knew that there was no expectation for him to try and talk to Sia about it if he didn't want to. She knew he would worry that he wasn't doing his bit to help— even though he most certainly was, just in other ways.
As she settled into bed, she could hear muffled voices outside the door. It opened, and Nemo was practically pulling Cyrus along behind him. "Well, wouldn't you know it." Nemo said, almost smugly. "Mary Katharine is in bed. She's keeping a healthy sleep schedule. While you, Cyrus, only left the kitchen when I threatened to carry you to bed." Cyrus rolled his eyes, good naturedly, as he changed into his pyjamas.
"Now that I'd like to see." Mary Katharine teased, earning herself a Look from Nemo. The man had finally been convinced that sleeping regularly was a good idea, and was now very keen to get Cyrus to do the same — although, it had to be said, Cyrus was much better at sleeping when he was tired than Nemo had ever been, but if it meant Nemo was getting a healthy amount of sleep, Cyrus was more than happy to endure his nagging. Besides, Mary Katharine was fairly sure that Cyrus secretly enjoyed how much Nemo cared about him.
Nemo too changed into night clothes as Cyrus got into bed. He leaned into Mary Katharine's side. "You alright?" He asked quietly. "When Sia was talking, you seemed… It hit you harder than the rest of us, is all." Mary Katharine felt an instinct to hit back, to tell Cyrus that she was fine. But the way him and Nemo were looking at her made her realise there would be no point.
"I uh…" She sighed heavily, laying down so she didn't have to look at either of them. "I don't know." She said honestly. "There's a part of me that just wants to hold her, protect her from the world. And I know that's silly, she's a grown adult for gods sake—"
"It's not silly, love." Nemo told her, sliding into bed next to her. "You care about her. That's a good thing. And yes, technically she's older than all of us here, but that doesn't mean she's invulnerable. In fact, she's probably the most hurt of us all. She's always struggled with fitting in, with knowing her place at Starhold when she didn't grow up there. Of course, I didn't know how different her childhood was, but… Well, she's always had issues. And that doesn't make her any less capable than the rest of us, but it does mean she's going to need some support. And of course, she had Margaret, but…"
"But sometimes having someone less close to you is better" Mary Katharine finished. "I was saving the same thought earlier."
"Exactly." Nemo agreed. "So promise me you'll remember its not a bad thing to care, okay? She's going to need a lot of help, and she seems comfortable around you. More so than she usually would around someone less familiar — really, I'm amazed how well she's taken to you" Mary Katharine felt a glow of pride in her chest. She had never felt very 'nurturing' — a fact that had concerned her to no end when she was pregnant with the twins — but to hear that Sia, by all accounts a fairly closed off woman when it came to emotions, trusted her? That really comforted her.
"I will." Mary Katharine replied softly, smiling as Nemo turned to press a soft kiss to her lips. To her other side, she could feel Cyrus shifting closer, laying his head by her shoulders. He yawned softly, his eyes closing.
Nemo gave him a fond look. "I told him he needed to go to bed." He whispered to Mary Katharine, who stifled a laugh in response.
"In fairness, it's not like you're the poster child for listening to your body, love." She teased gently. Nemo gasped in mock offence as Mary Katharine grinned.
"You know I can hear you guys, right?" Cyrus grumbled sleepily, sending Nemo and Mary Katharine into fits of giggles. Mary Katharine leaned over to kiss Cyrus' forehead.
"Sorry, love." She laughed quietly, settling down beside him and wrapping her arms around her. Nemo followed suit, laying down and snuggling into Mary Katharine's side. Gods I'm lucky to have them, she thought. I'd have been laying in bed upset all night if Nemo and Cyrus weren't here. There was nothing anyone could do until the morning, but it was more than likely that Mary Katharine — and probably Nemo too, if past evidence was anything to go by — would've spend all night worrying if they hadn't been together. She could only hope that Margaret and Sia were doing a similar kind of thing for each other. Gods, she didn't envy either of them.
"Sia, love—"
"Gods, I'm so sorry, Mags, please, I'm so sorry, I didn't—"
"Sia, listen to me, it's okay—"
"But it isn't, because I ruined the evening, I didn't understand what Dak was asking and I said the wrong thing and—"
"No, honey, I promise, you didn't ruin anything."
Gods, we're going around in circles. She can't let herself relax for one moment, even when I've told her nobody is angry, and that we really don't have to do this now.
Margaret took Sia's hands when she saw her nails beginning to dig into her skin. "Careful there, love, we don't want you to hurt yourself." She tried, but Margaret wasn't entirely sure if Sia was even understanding what Margaret was saying. She'd gotten quieter now, mumbling apologies under her breath as she sobbed. Margaret wasn't sure what she was even apologising for anymore.
I can't do this. Margaret realised, suddenly terrified. I-I don't know what to do. Nothing I can say will console her. And this will only get worse the longer it goes on. And if I'm getting stressed that can't help either.
It was only then that it occurred to Margaret that they weren't the only ones in the house. She could ask for help.
"Sia, my love, can you stay here by yourself for just a moment? I'm going to get and get Mary Katharine, and maybe Dak and Cyrus. Is that alright?"
Sia's frowned, looking up as her tears slowed momentarily. "Why?"
Margaret squeezed her hands."Nothing bad, I promise. But you're upset, and I'd like to help but I'm not sure how. So maybe one of the others can."
She nodded tentatively. "O-okay…" Margaret smiled softly at her, grateful that Sia seemed present enough now to at least understand her. Bringing Sia's hands to her lips, Margaret pressed a soft kiss to them before scurrying out of the room and down the hall towards Nemo, Mary Katharine and Cyrus' room.
Usually, Margaret would've hesitated before waking them up. After all, they didn't want her to bother them. But this was for Sia, and in the face of her wife's distress, Margaret was pretty sure she'd do anything. And so, she knocked firmly, receiving some quiet groans in response. She pushed the door open, stepping into the room.
The light from the hallway shone through the open door, illuminating a stirring Mary Katharine, a grumbling Nemo, and a still very much asleep Cyrus. "Nemo? Mary Katharine? I'm sorry to bother you, but—" Margaret was cut off by a sharp cry from the next room. Mary Katharine jolted awake, Nemo not far behind her.
Margaret immediately set off back to her room, racing towards her wife. Mary Katharine and Nemo followed suit, although the former was clearly more awake than the latter.
"Sia?!" Margaret cried, stumbling into her room. She froze in horror as she took in the scene. Sia was sat on the floor, a sharp blade by her side that was covered in… Oh gods.
"Is that blood?!" Nemo asked, suddenly awake as he tried to see the source without getting any closer to Sia.
"Sia, love, what happened?" Margaret asked, forcing her voice to stay level. Sia hunched in on herself, trying to avoid Margaret's eye. Sensing she wasn't going to get a straight answer, she tried a different approach. "Okay love, you don't have to talk now, but can I get Nemo to have a look at you? You might need some healing magic." At Sia's sharp glance up, Margaret continued. "He'll be careful, and me and Mary Katharine will be right here. He's not going to hurt you.
Nemo stepped forward tentatively. "Sia," He began quietly. "Can I see where you're hurt?" She shook her head, curling in further on herself. Margaret could see she was cradling her arm. "I won't do anything you don't want me to, Sia, but I would like to help, if I can." Slowly, Sia unfurled herself, holding out her arm with a wince, an almost guilty look on her face. Margaret stifled a gasp at the sight, and Mary Katharine put an arm around her.
It wasn't a particularly gory sight, but it certainly wasn't pleasant. A singular, clean cut, a few inches long, ran down the length of her arm. Margaret knew it wouldn't be difficult to heal, but she still hated that Nemo had to do so.
"I… I don't think I meant to do it." Sia said in a small, but remarkably lucid voice. "I was getting overwhelmed, and the blade was there, and…" She sighed. "It's familiar. This kind of pain, it… I'm used to it. And it pulled me out of, well, whatever that was." She nodded as Nemo put his hands over the cut, glancing at her for confirmation. His hands began to glow, healing magic flowing through them, and Sia looked away.
"No one's mad, Sia." Mary Katharine said. Her voice was soft and comforting, but also certain, and it was then that Margaret remembered exactly why she'd wanted to get Mary Katharine to help. "But we need to find you better ways of grounding yourself that don't hurt you." Sia nodded, looking awfully like a scolded child, despite the repeated assurances she was in no trouble.
Margaret felt a weight of guilt settle in her stomach. I wasn't here to stop her. I shouldn't have needed help to look after my own wife. And because I wasn't good enough, she got hurt. Gods, how can she ever forgive me? Or, even worse, she might not realise how badly I handled this. She might still think it's her fault.
Nemo was murmuring quiet instructions to Sia, telling her to try not to stretch her arm too much, as to not disturb the new skin. Mary Katharine turned to Margaret, about to speak, before cutting herself off with a frown. "Margaret? You with us, honey?" Margaret refocused her attention to the woman in front of her.
"Oh, uh, yes. What, um, what were you going to say?"
Mary Katharine gave her a very unconvinced look, but continued anyway. "I was going to ask what you thought we should do now? I mean, she probably still needs to go to sleep, but I don't want to leave you two alone, only for her to get worked up again."
She doesn't trust me. Even she knows I can't take care of Sia. Gods, why can't I—
"Hang on a minute, Margaret. I'm not saying you can't look after Sia on your own." Mary Katharine said. Apparently she could read minds. Or maybe Margaret was much less subtle than she thought. "All I'm asking, is if you wanted some help?" She finished gently. Margaret thought for a moment, before looking to Sia.
"What do you want to do, love?" She asked quietly. Sia shrugged, almost stumbling as she made her way over. Margaret opened her arms, and let Sia fall into her. "Do you feel like you can sleep?" She asked, hoping that a more directed question would be easier for her to answer than an open ended one.
Sia shook her head. "Why don't we go sit somewhere?" Mary Katharine offered. "We can get comfortable, and talk, and maybe you'll fall asleep. But you won't have to lie in the dark trying not to think. Does that sound good?" Sia thought for a moment as Margaret shot Mary Katharine a thankful look.
"Yes." Sia said against Margaret's chest. Mary Katharine released Margaret from her hold as she moved to go and speak with Nemo.
"Do you need me to stay, or…"
"As much as you might be helpful," Mary Katharine began, "It might be easier if there were less of us?"
Nemo nodded. "Okay then. I'll head back to bed, maybe fill Cyrus in if he's awake." Mary Katharine raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, you're right. We'll tell him in the morning." He put a hand on her cheek, pulling her in gently for a kiss. "Goodnight, love." he murmured against her lips. "I'll be up here if you need me."
"I always need you, Nemo." Mary Katharine responded fondly. "But thank you, love." Nemo smiled, heading back to their room. Mary Katharine turned back to Margaret and Sia — the latter of which was still in Margaret's arms. "How about we head downstairs? I'm not as good as Cyrus, but I can try and make some tea." She joked as they made their way downstairs.
In the lounge, Margaret helped Sia get comfortable on the sofa, wrapping blankets around her and giving her a pillow. Once she was certain Sia was okay, Mary Katharine called Margaret into the kitchen. Part of her wanted to stay with Sia, terrified something would happen if she took her eyes off of her for one second. Sia, seemingly noticing this, gestured to the kitchen.
"You can go, love." She said. "I'll be fine, I promise. I'm a lot more… I'm okay now." Margaret remained uncertain, but went into the kitchen nonetheless.
Margaret stood next to Mary Katharine as she filled the kettle with water, watching as she then put it on the stove to heat up. Once she had done so, she turned to Margaret, and pulled her into a tight embrace. Margaret felt herself melting into her arms, anxiety she didn't even know she was feeling slowly dissipating. And suddenly, Margaret realised she was crying.
"Why… I'm crying, why am I crying?" She asked thorough broken sobs. Mary Katharine gently shushed her, rubbing her hand on Margaret's back in soothing circles. Margaret was no stranger to crying, but she usually knew when it was coming on. Sure, this evening had been stressful, but this felt somewhat out of nowhere. She'd been fine. So why now was she breaking down?
"You're alright, honey." Mary Katharine soothed. "It's been quite the eventful evening, and you've been worrying about Sia all evening. And you've done an amazing job looking after her," She added, "But it's okay to feel like this too. Seeing the people you love hurt, its… It's hard. Really hard." Distantly, Margaret recalled a conversation she'd had with her brother, in which he had told her how Cyrus and Mary Katharine had helped him though a lot of the issues he'd gained from Itzal. She'd been grateful that he'd had someone in his corner then, when herself and the rest of their friends were so far away from him.
Margaret sniffled, stepping back as she wiped her eyes. "Thank you." She mumbled, feeling only a little silly that this woman — who was surely younger than everyone else here, by virtue of being human — was calming her. "Really, I'm not sure what I would've done if you and Nemo weren't here."
"You would've managed, I'm sure. But why make things more difficult than they need to be?" Margaret made a small noise of agreement.
"I just… I feel bad. That you have to help me with this. That I can't do it alone." Mary Katharine paused her motions to pour the water from the kettle, setting it down on the side and looking straight at Margaret.
"Margaret, honey, there is nothing for you to be feeling bad about. I certainly wouldn't be able to do this alone either. Hell, it took both me and Cyrus the better part of a year to help Nemo through… well, everything he had been through after your mother died. And, not that it's a competition, Sia has been through worse than he has." She took Margaret's hands. "It is not a failing that you can't do this alone. It is a great strength that you've asked for help. And we all want to help you. There is no doing this because we feel we have to, okay? All three of us want to help."
"I… Thank you, Mary Katharine." Margaret replied, feeling the words were an inadequate expression of her feelings, but not knowing how else to put them.
"Anytime, dear." She smiled, now pouring the hot water into mugs. She quickly made up three cups of tea, and together they brought them back into the lounge. Sia was still sat in her cocoon of blankets, graciously accepting a mug of tea from Margaret. She sat down next to her wife, with Mary Katharine on the other side. The trio fell into light chatter, conversations interesting enough to be worth having, but not so deep that they kept each other awake.
Eventually, Margaret felt Sia's weight shift onto her. She glanced over to see her wife had fallen asleep. She looked so much more peaceful like this, like nothing could bother her here. Margaret shifted so Sia was almost laying down, her head in Margaret's lap. "I wish she could stay like this." Margret murmured, carding her fingers through the lengths of Sia's hair.
"How do you mean?"
"She's happy. Nothing… Nothing can hurt her right now. I just wish she didn't have to face it all again when she woke up, is all."
Mary Katharine nodded. "That makes sense." She said. "But she's lucky to have you there when she does wake up. I know you'd never let her face anything alone."
They sat together in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, Mary Katharine smiling softly at the way Margaret looked after her wife even when she was asleep. But she could tell Margaret was tired too. "You should get some sleep as well, Margaret." She told her, firm but not unkind. Margaret made to reply, but was cut off by a yawn.
"I suppose you're right." She replied. "I guess me and Sia will stay here? I, uh, don't really want to move her, seeing as she's already settled." Mary Katharine made a noise of agreement.
"Do you want me to stay?"
"I think we'll be alright. But thank you, though."
Mary Katharine reached out and squeezed her hand. "No thanks necessary, Margaret. I'll be upstairs if you need me, okay?"
"Okay."
Mary Katharine made her way up the stairs, and Margaret turned her attention once again to Sia. "I'm sorry, my love." She whispered. "I wish that you didn't have to go through what you did. And I'm sorry that I don't always know how to help. But I'm going to be here. I will always be with you, I promise." She brushed a strand of hair from Sia's cheek, and kissed the spot lightly, before settling herself down beside her.
"Goodnight, my Traveler. Sweet dreams."