"No! Bad man! He gonna—" Leo's words dissolved into sobs, his small body curled into a tight ball. His understanding was limited to knowing something scary had happened.
I rushed forward, but Cassian was already lifting him, cradling him against his chest. "Shh. No bad man. Just me. Just Cass."
Leo's arms wrapped around Cassian's neck with desperate strength. "No go 'way 'gain."
"Never." Cassian's voice was rough with emotion. "No one's taking you anywhere. I promise."
I stood frozen in the doorway, watching my son cling to his father, watching Cassian hold him with such careful tenderness. This was the same man who'd stormed a warehouse with a gun. The same man who'd nearly killed his cousin. The same man who'd been covered in blood just hours ago.
But right now, he was just a father comforting his terrified child.
"Mama?" Leo's tear-stained face turned toward me. "You're here too?"
"I'm here, baby." I moved to the bed, sitting on the edge. "We're both here."
"Mama, stay? Cass'an too?" His voice was so small, so frightened.
Cassian looked at me over Leo's head, a question in his eyes.
I nodded. "Of course we'll stay."
Cassian settled onto the bed, his back against the headboard, Leo still in his arms. I lay down on Leo's other side, and our son immediately reached for me, needing both of us close.
We stayed like that, the three of us crowded into a toddler bed clearly meant for one. Leo's breathing gradually slowed, his grip on us loosening as sleep reclaimed him. But neither Cassian nor I moved.
I watched Leo's face in the soft glow of his nightlight—the tear tracks drying on his cheeks, the way his mouth relaxed in sleep, the slight furrow between his brows that mirrored his father's.
"First nightmare since we got back," Cassian said quietly. "I was listening for it. Knew it would come."
I looked at him in surprise. "You were awake?"
"Couldn't sleep. Been watching the security feeds, making sure—" He trailed off, but I understood. Making sure no one could get to us.
"How long were you in here before I woke up?"
"A few minutes. I heard him start to whimper and came in before he fully woke." His hand gently stroked Leo's hair. "Didn't want you to have to face this alone."
My throat tightened. "Thank you."
"It'll probably happen again. Tonight. Tomorrow night. Trauma doesn't just go away."
"I know." I looked at our son, so small and vulnerable. "I just wish I could take it away. Make him forget."
"He won't forget. But he'll heal. We'll make sure of it."
We sat in silence for a while, holding hands over our sleeping son. The intimacy of the moment wrapped around us—not sexual, but something deeper. More fundamental.
"I thought I'd lost you both," I whispered. "When they separated us, when I woke up alone in that room—" My voice broke. "I thought I'd never see him again."
"You're both here now. Both safe." Cassian's thumb traced circles on my hand. "That's all that matters."
Leo stirred between us, mumbling something about dinosaurs and trains before settling back into sleep. His small hand found mine, holding on even in his dreams.
"We should probably move," I said, though I didn't want to. Didn't want to break this fragile peace we'd found.
"Five more minutes," Cassian said. "Let him sleep a little longer."
I nodded, resting my head on the pillow beside Leo's. From this angle, I could see Cassian's face clearly—the exhaustion written in thelines around his eyes, the shadow of stubble on his jaw, the careful tenderness as he watched our son sleep.
