She expected more than she got. A knife hovering between them had to be one of his lesser reactions to her breaking the line when he hovered in that space between remembering and remembering nothing. However, she didn't stop. Natalia merely slowed her pace to something traceable and kept her touch remarkably soft and loving. Once she smoothed away the last of the blood, she let her eyes slip to his.

This time she dares to go just a little further. Releasing her sleeve from her palm, she allowed her fingers to so very softly trace the outline of his face and curl some of the long brown hair behind his ear. The sudden slip of that endearment pulled up the corners of her lips in a small affectionate smile. A small spark of amusement glittered in her eyes as she cupped his chin softly. "Cleaning you up. Red has never been your color, luchik."

Her voice is soft, gentle, and almost serene as she rolls the return endearment off of her tongue with a certain sweetness to the tone. As teasing as the name was, she used it with the utmost amount of adoration. Lowering her hand from his face, she settled her hands in her lap where they fidget a second before she rose up to place them softly and non-obtrusively on his knees. Leaning in, she rested her chin atop her own hand and hummed a sound of affirmation.

"Yes, James, we're both free." And sometimes freedom was more terrifying and more painful than the places the monsters kept them hidden and locked up. Sometimes freedom cut into your wings and choked you on that very desire to fly away. But here and now, in this place, she and James were safe.

A line furrowed her brow as she fixed her gaze upon him, marring that perfection of her face and drawing lines of concern around her eyes as she kept them on his face. "I know you don't remember, but I promise you, I will take care of you if you let me." If he only let her, she'd stay by his side as well. If he let her...