Challenge #151 - Token of My Affection
Title: Lamb to Slaughter
Author: trillingstar
A/N: A bit lot over at 173 words. Set early S2. Not sure how close to the mark this is, but, have it anyway.
After the riot, it's the quiet noises that scare him: a half-knock, a shuffling step outside his door or the soft murmur of voices in the hall. Anyone he sees could be a heartbeat away from knocking him unconscious; he dreams of bleeding out on the floor.
Between appointments, he opens the side drawer and stares at the tiny volume. As hours pass, he lifts the tissue paper from its sides, and when the last beast - man - is gone, he pulls the book out and places it gently on the desk.
Reverently, he strokes the cover with the back of one finger. The book is centuries old, the kidskin cover dyed maroon, cracking along the spine, and stretched tight for protection. The vellum smells like history. The hand printed Latin is comforting.
He's in the library in Rome, watching dust motes float in a ray of sunshine that slants onto his table through the stained glass window. He smiles freely, he relaxes, he remembers what it is like to be unafraid.