“I knew he was going to make me emotional.”
Carter gets up and places wood in the fireplace.
Killian glances at me and then back to Heather.
“Baby, I think now might be the perfect time to dispose of the pictures. Maybe it’ll make you feel better too.”
She rises to her feet silently and heads to the bedroom.
“Should one of us go with her?” Killian asks.
I shake my head no.
“Give her a minute. It might be important for her to have a second alone.”
When we hear her screaming and smashing things I quickly change my mind.
All three of us run to the bedroom and find her in a state of panic. She’s on her knees holding a couple of the pictures, staring at them, lost to a different time. I nod to Carter and he drops to his knees in front of her.
Pulling her into his arms he reassures her.
“It’s over now. We will burn the pictures. It’s over, baby. You are safe.”
She wraps her arms around him and presses her face to his chest.
“I saw the pictures and remembered when they were taken. I’ve been doing so well and then it hit me without warning.”
Rubbing her back, he kisses her on the top of her head.
“There’s never a warning, but we will get through it together.”
She tilts her head back, staring at him, her eyes filled with so much love. I love that they can be there for each other like this.
“Let’s go burn this garbage and then you’ll never see them again.”
They both get up, Carter wraps his arm around her waist, and I grab the photographs from the floor, being careful to not look at them.
“This will keep coming up for a long time.” Kill says quietly as we follow them to the living room. Unfortunately, he’s right. Healing is neither quick nor easy.
She grabs the letter from Bones off the table and throws it into the fire first.
Taking all the photos, she flashes each of us a narrowed gaze with a stern warning.
“Do not look at them. I mean it.”
I shake my head at her and promise, “You have our word. None of us would ever do that to you, Tesoro.”
Heather sighs audibly and apologizes.
“I know that. I’m sorry. This has me in my head and—I’m sorry.”
She walks to the fire and releases a long breath.
“Rot in hell you fucking piece of shit. I was a little girl. You had no right.”
Throwing the images into the fire, her voice gets quieter, and it's heartbreaking to listen to.
“I was a little girl.”
