What Doesn't Kill You (Diana)

[Christian Ward]

Christian had knelt beside Diana and was trying to tend to her shoulder but she wouldn't stop moving, she just kept talking emphatically making it difficult to change the bandages that were now a deep crimson color. He ordered her to stay still several times (using his favorite swear word for emphasis) but she kept right on going as if she couldn't even hear him.

And suddenly she was softer. Christian sighed and shook his head slowly as she spoke. He almost laughed when she said 'sinfully dangerous'. It perfectly described her, but he hadn't expected his offhand remark to stick with her. "Bloody hell, Diana, you are broken. You are the most beautifully broken woman I have ever met. And yes, you're 'sinfully dangerous' and everything else you're worried you can't be. We're going to get her back but for f*ck's sake please listen to me when I say that you have to slow down. There may not be anything left of you by the time we find her."

He finished wrapping the clean bandage around her shoulder and waited for her to yell at him again. She would say she can't slow down. She has to keep fighting. It's the only thing she knows to do. And he would have to control himself or she'd pull her stitches again and they'd be right back where they started.

[Diana Ward]

Except she didn't. She didn't have the energy. The drugs were wearing off, and her anger and emotional outburst had ended. She'd really have to learn to control those. She never had a problem with it before, as a matter of fact she had more outbursts in the past three weeks than she had in the past three years.

He replied, the way he normally did after she made a speech, and as always it calmed her down if not made her feel a little ridiculous.

She let her arm hang limply when he spoke, and when he was finished her shoulders slumped.

"I don't know how."

[Christian Ward]

Christian chuckled at her confession. "No sh*t." He stood and walked around the bed, lying down next to her and folding his arms under his head. "Let's start with not bleeding out on my bed," he said tauntingly, "and then you can tell me where you learned to use a knife like that." He grinned at her and just as she was about to speak he stopped her. "Wait, wait. Let me picture it first. Lingerie... That ass... Okay, I'm ready. Proceed."

[Diana Ward]

She laughed. She couldn't help herself. He was ridiculous. Then she grimaced, "I'm injured, don't make me laugh." she laughed again considering her earlier shouting. Finally she settled down next to him, being a little more careful of her injuries this time around.

She proceeded to tell him about Whistler saving her life in New York. His reluctance to train her. Diana's stubbornness winning out. She mentioned the highlights, the anecdotes, leaving the harder parts out. Diana found she couldn't stop talking to him, as she grew more relaxed falling asleep as she did so.