Far Gone.

You stare longingly into Lexie waiting for her response but she continues stalling as she just holds your hand in hers as you still have it resting on her stomach.

"Lexie?" you press on.

She swallows hard before her head slowly pivots in your direction, looking back at you with that somewhat fearful and sad look once again "Thirty six days."

You furrow your brows as you don't think you heard her correctly. With a grin you continue waiting for her to just stick her tongue out and laugh at you but her stone faced expression doesn't change. "Psh." you roll your eyes at Lexie "Hah hah hah!" you begin to laugh out loud "Come on Lexie! Don't bullshit me!" you beam your smile at the Sunrider laughing hysterically "Now come on, how long was I out for? Seriously, this isn't time to jest!" you exhale out more air between your hearty laughs.

Lexie's stern look doesn't change.

"There was no way!" your smirk gets bigger. You remember blacking out from the arrow in your chest and then having a dream that you were in a farming village and speaking with Claire. That entire dream only took about ten to fifteen minutes. There was no way it could have really been thirty six days. She's obviously messing with you. "Come on, seriously Lexie. How long?"

Once again, her look doesn't change.

As you look into her the reality starts to settle in your thoughts. You are now the one who swallows hard as it feels like you have a giant lump in your throat "Lexie..." the playfulness in your body starting to feel more dread.

She still doesn't say a word but now takes both of her hands and rests them on your forearm, just letting that information sink in.

"Thirty six days?!" your mouth drops open as your eyes look around the room "H-How is that possible? What happened? Where are we? What happened to everybody? Why are we still in Rathkin?"

"Darien, we're not in Rathkin anymore, we're home." her voice is so gentle now.

"W-What the fuck..." you crash your head down into your hands and your fingers curl around the side of your head, holding you tight "What the hell..." you groan "How is this possible, how could this happen. What...why... It can't be real." your words just roll off your tongue as your hands continue to press and squeeze the thoughts out "What happened to Rathkin? To the Syndicate? The armies? Is Karisi here? Ashe? Edmin? Rixx?" your breathing becomes short and sporadic as your body begins to panic.

"Darien, calm down." Lexie places a hand on your upper back and begins to rub it in small circles "Just, take a breath. A slow deep breath. We'll explain everything soon. I think first though, a few people would love to know you're finally awake." she continues her sensual massage on your back "And yes, those people are Ashe and the Que... Er, Karisi." she corrects herself quickly "They have been just as worried about you as I have been."

You almost still didn't believe it. Your body felt a little stiff so it seems you have been **** for a long time but it only felt like you were out for about ten minutes. How could thirty six days really pass by that quickly and just what the hell happened in those thirty six days since you've been out.