"You're safe."

I swear I almost hit him when he said that.  Not nice, but true.

How can you say that?  Are you saying if they came to get me, you could stop them?

I felt bad after I said that.  Cam's not very big, physically, for a guy.  He's not a dwarf or anything, he's just not huge.  That's kind of part of why I feel safe with him -- I don't feel threatened.  I didn't want him to think that I meant he wasn't a man or something.  It has nothing to do with that.  He could be twelve feet tall and not be able to keep me safe if it came down to it.

He seemed to understand what I meant, though.  He didn't seem hurt or anything, just concerned.  "They're not going to -- "

How do you know? Why won't they?  Because they can't find me, or because they won't bother to look?

His face got that puckered expression.

"I don't know how to tell you this," he said.  "I don't want it to come out wrong.  I'm not coming on to you or anything, you know that.  But I'd die before I let anything happen to you."

I looked at him, but he didn't let me say anything.  "Let me finish," he said.  "The thing is, I don't think you'd let that happen.  I think that if someone did come for you, you'd be so afraid that you'd freeze up and let them take you away.  That's what you're afraid of, and you're right -- that's probably what you'd do.  But if they tried to hurt me -- and they'd have to, to get you -- you'd stop them."

I had no idea what to say to that.

"You're so afraid of how much power you might have that you spend all your time either tamping it down or pretending it isn't there," he said.  "Or you let yourself believe what they tried to tell you -- that there's nothing there, you're just crazy.  But you're not.  And if push ever comes to shove, I feel sorry for anyone who tries to hurt someone you care about."

I think you're the one who's crazy.

He just smiled.