Two nights later, the two were fast asleep in Benedict's bed, rain pattering against the window as it stormed. Madeleine moved around, mumbling in her sleep as she squirmed. Benedict stirred a bit, shifting as he woke.

"No, Mama, please don't.." Madeleine whimpered, her hand grabbing the sheet and her face displaying great distress. Benedict sat up, shaking Madeleine softly as she stirred in her sleep. A loud crack of thunder made them both jump and Madeleine jolted up, trying to catch her breath. Tears ran down her cheeks and she looked around desperately only to realize that she was in Benedict's room, and the hand holding hers was his, and not her mother's. Her heart clenched as she realized it was just a dream.

"Bad dream?" Benedict raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to meet her gaze. She sniffled and nodded softly, fidgeting with the sheets and avoiding his gaze. She didn't like anyone seeing her like this, so vulnerable, even if that person was her dearest friend. She was a strong woman, like her mother taught her to be, and she had always been a bit ashamed of showing weakness. Benedict sighed and brought his fingers to her chin, gently bringing her face up to meet his.

"You do not have to hide when you are with me. I am here for you, in every capacity, and I am not going to judge you for being afraid." He assured her, watching her with concerned and caring eyes. She nodded softly and relaxed a bit, leaning back against the headboard.

"I keep having dreams about it, about her." Her voice was dejected and quiet, and he kept silent, urging her to continue.

"I just.." Her eyes teared up and she took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions. "One minute, I was in there, holding her hand. She was alive, and her hand was warm, and she was holding mine too. And then all of a sudden, she was gone. Just like that. Her hand was no longer warm, she was cold to the touch and I.. I couldn't find a pulse." She sobbed, shaking her head and looking out the window at the rain.

"My father always told me that if I wanted to check whether he or Mama were okay, all I needed to do was find a pulse. And I couldn't. I just, I felt so helpless. There was nothing I could have done to save her and yet I feel like I failed." Her voice broke as she cried, and Benedict squeezed her hand, moving beside her and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She curled into his strong figure, his warmth enveloping her like a blanket.

"She was my best friend, Benedict. She was my guide, and my hero, and she was my lighthouse in this dark tumultuous sea of crashing waves. I don't know how to do this without her, how to be without her." She sobbed, and he kissed the top of her head, holding her close to him. He did not know what to say, he did not know how to alleviate the ravages of grief that his friend was suffering.

He held her as she cried, and his heart ached at the sound. Madeleine was the kindest person he knew, she always had a good word to say about everybody and she knew how to make everyone around her laugh in the blink of an eye. She brightened every room she entered, and now she was herself enveloped in a relentless realm of darkness. He did not know how to help her through that. So, he did what he had done with his mother, and he began to talk to her.

"Do you remember when we were little, I think I was about 6 so you must have been 4, and your mother found us using the red wine reduction sauce to color on the wall?" He heard the girl laugh through her tears, and she nodded against his chest. He smiled and continued.

"Oh, she was so angry with us. It must have taken days for the maid to finally get the stain out. I remember she put us in time out on opposite sides of the house, but no more than twenty minutes later, we had escaped to the backyard to play."

Madeleine giggled and nodded, the tears that fell down her cheeks starting to slow down.

"Or the time when the two of you came over for dinner and Lady Danbury was here-"

"And we used her cane to practice our fencing!" Madeleine interrupted, laughing as she looked at him with wide eyes. "I had completely forgotten about that, I can't believe we did that! We were horrible!"

The two couldn't stop laughing as they thought about the incident, remembering how astonished Lady Danbury had looked when she found them.

"We were quite a handful, weren't we?" Benedict smirked, the two's laughter dying down as Madeleine nodded.

"Oh, I believe that is an understatement. My mother always told me the two of us were solely responsible for the grey hairs she was beginning to get." She grinned, and Benedict matched her smile with his own, kissing her forehead as he placed his arm around her again. She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You always did know how to cheer me up. Your mother was right, you have quite a way of doing that." She wrapped her arm around his torso, hugging him from the side, and he smiled and gave her a squeeze. The two laid back down, still in each other's arms, and Madeleine eventually fell asleep with a small smile on her face.

-

"Benedict, honestly, I will be okay!" Madeleine urged, sighing as Benedict pulled her clothes out of her hand and laid them back on the bed the next morning.

"Madeleine, you have been waking up each night with terrible dreams of your mother. I know you want to leave because you think you are a burden, but I insist you stay here until you truly feel better." He raised his eyebrows, giving her the stern look he so often gave his little brothers and sisters.

"The guest room is right down the hall, it's not like I am traveling across the country!" She huffed, attempting to grab her clothes again. Benedict was too quick, however, and captured her wrists in his hands. She looked up at him with wide eyes and opened her mouth to protest before he interrupted.

"Tell me that you are truly okay, and I will let you go. But remember, I can tell when you are lying. You have always been a treacherous liar." She scoffed at this and he grinned, not easing up on his grip.

"I am truly okay and would like to stay in the guest room." She lied, and Benedict didn't need to respond, his stare told her well enough he saw right through her. She sighed, watching him. "Are you sure I am not a burden? This is your room and Ive been waking you up each night with these dreams and-"

"Madeleine, shut your stubborn mouth for a moment and listen to me. You are not a burden. You will never be a burden. I do not mind helping you through this, and I want to be here for you. So stay. Please." His expression was serious now, watching her with genuine eyes. She bit her lip and nodded softly.

"Well.. if you are sure.." She yelped as he hugged her, swinging her around as she laughed.

"Benedict Bridgerton, put me down!!" She squealed, hitting his shoulder. He laughed and set her back down, grinning at her like the cheshire cat. She laughed and shook her head, but her eyes displayed admiration and care.

"You are truly a handful, do you know that?" She teased, giggling as he smirked and messed up her hair, making her scrunch her nose.

"But i'm your handful, and you love me." He winked and the girl laughed, moving to put her clothes back where they had been nearly folded.

"You're lucky I do."