It was not a dream though, he was really there his scent enveloping her as she nuzzled him, and he would nuzzle her back, pulling her in closer with one leg as he hugged her. That feeling of safety that Valerius always brought to her had returned, he had a way of somehow giving her strength and confidence of helping to banish her fears. Home she had come to realise wasn't a place, it was family and this man here was a key part of that. He was the foundations, the support that kept her stable, allowed her to feel that she could help herself and her children.
His voice would rumble softly in her ear as he whispered. He had missed her. Why he continued to return she could never fathom but selfishly she had never dared to question it and still would never bring herself to do so. "I'm missed you." She would utter the words in return. There was much to tell him about, finding Cecily for starters which was wonderful news to share though it would mean informing him too of losing Taddeo, and still savouring this joyful moment of finding him again, a part of her almost could dare speak.
Ultimately she would find herself giving in. She knew he would ask after the boy. "I lost Taddeo in the storms." She would admit sadly, as she withdrew slightly to once more look at the man. "I..." She planned to explain more, her fears and her failure to find him but couldn't speak the words. "I found Cecily." She would stick with the happier news instead.
