I pushed the door open and led Jayce out into the night, only turning around long enough to wedge a stone between the door and the building.

I could only imagine what kind of shit show I would be in for if Tony woke in the morning only to find Jayce and I both locked outside.

We walked further away from the building, the slight increase in distance enough so our view would not be interrupted by the outside flood lights.

"See up there?" I asked. Using the hand still clutched tightly in his I pointed up towards the sky, though there was really no need; his face was already turned heavenward. "Those tiny lights up there are the stars."

Silence engulfed us as we gazed up into the sky, admiring the dazzling beauty of a billion tiny gleaming lights. It was truly a breath taking view from where we stood, facing the wide open desert, with not a cloud in sight the stars dominated the sky in their silvery glow, stretching on for an eternity.

I glanced at Jayce, who had remained silent this entire time, and found he had yet to look away from the sky. The faint glow cast down from the stars was just enough to illuminate the features of his face, revealing there the most innocent, child-like look of wonder I had ever seen on a full grown man.

"I have never seen such a thing before." He whispered, his face still titled up towards the stars.

Standing there, watching the pure sincerity on his face, I felt a small piece of my heart shatter for the being. One of the simplest things (something I had always taken for granted) had been denied to Jayce his entire life. He was not one of us, sure, but standing here with him now, I knew without a doubt that he felt just as we did.

Had the scientists not witheld him from learning basic human nature, or taught him it was ok to feel things, maybe he wouldn't be as easy to control, but at least he would understand that it is ok to question himself, or even the doctors. Clearly they needed questioning.

"Is it what you thought it would be?" I asked, fighting the rising emotions that had brought tears to my eyes.

He turned back to me, squeezing my hand tightly. "It is so much more than I have ever imagined..."

I could not hold it back any longer. Smiling, a single tear escaped from my eye and streaked down my cheek. I quickly moved to brush it away, hoping Jayce had not noticed.

His eyes met mine as a gentle breeze carried the scent of the desert between us.

He looked away from me, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply the scent of dry air and sand.

I will admit, it was not the best thing I had ever smelled , but this was the freshest air I had breathed in over a month and probably the freshest air Jayce had breathed in his entire life.

When his eyes finally opened again he tossed his head back and looked back towards the stars. "Is it always like this?"

"No," I whispered, following his gaze back up to the sky, "sometimes the clouds blow in and they are all you can see. Sometimes the moon comes into view and outshines every one of these stars we see."

He turned back to me, the shadows cast on his face doing little to hide the glow of amazement in his features. "But- why is it you have done this for me?"

His question sobered me. Why had I done it?

"Because you have been denied a world out there that stretches far beyond what you know here, Jayce. This," I guestered to the desert all around us and the glittering sky above, "is not much, but it is what little I have to offer- to give back some of what has been taken from you."

That was the undeniable truth to why I had done it. It still did not explain exacty why I felt I had to be the one to do it, but now it was out there.

He reached out towards me and I froze, holding my breath as I watched to see what he intended to do. His fingers brushed my face, pushing a strand of hair out of the way, and left a trail of warmth where they grazed my cheek. "I wish we could remain here."

I tore my gaze away from his inticingly beautiful eyes to look back into the Facility through the cracked door. I did not want to go back either. "I think it would be a good idea for us to return now. If Tony caught us he would likely kill me."

I turned towards the door, moving to walk back inside when I was brought to an immediate halt by an arm the size of a tree. His arm locked securly around my waist and pulled me back until I was positioned behind him, pressed into his bare back.

"No one will touch you." He growled. his entire body began to heave with every breath he took. It was a little alarming how sriously he was taking this.

It felt like my face had caught fire and the entirety of my stomach had turned to mush. I honeslty could have laughed had his sudden action not startled me so much.

"Calm down!" I hissed, shoving him out of my way, "He would not literally kill me, Jayce. It's just an expression. He would probably just send me away."

I took his hand and drug Jayce back through the door. After making sure the halls were empty and the door locked secuerly behind me, we hurridly navigated the halls back to Jayce's room, once again in near perfect silence.

We reached his room without a single disturbance, but I was on high alert. This was almost too easy.

Once Jayce was safely back in his bed and I had prepared the chamber for lockdown, I leaned over the lid to bid him good night. "So... would you be open for another visit tomorrow night?"

Slowly, his head began to shake and a frown creased his brow. "I do not think it a wise choice. If Dr. Croft were to-"

I rolled my eyes and slammed the lid down before he could say any more. My mind was already made up.

I left his room moments later (only after having made sure I had successfully gotten Jayce put back to sleep), sneaking my way back to the safety of my own room, and my own bed. I was exhausted, but sleep was certain to be impossible now.