When Butch returned from the kitchen, he carried with him an assortment of foods she could eat herself. He'd seen how much it bothered her to be fed. He'd cut a bit of jerky into bite sized bits, shelled a pile of nuts, and filled a bowl with berries. It would be a strange meal, but he felt she might like being able to eat it herself.<br/><br/>It comforted him when he returned to find her starting to nod off. Her head lolled to the side as she fought to open her eyes once more. It was exactly what she needed. Setting the food on the small table beside the couch, he leaned over her and whispered softly in her ear in a voice as soft as he could manage.<br/><br/>"Shh... sleep, Aria... just sleep. Relax, and let go. You are safe, warm, and protected. Relax... Shh...."<br/><br/>He continued whispering as he pulled a blanket over her, then gently, ever so carefully, cupped a hand over her temple, making the touch soft enough not to startle her awake. As her head continued to droop, he took the weight of it in his hand, relieving the strain on the muscles of her neck. This done, he helped her to lean to the side, resting her fully on the couch. Finally, he slid his hands free and pulled a blanket over her body to keep her warm.<br/><br/>While she was resting, he crept into the back room to see to their prisoner. He'd left him alone all this time to avoid returning her attention to his presence. Now, he lifted the starving, half unconscious, soiled man onto his shoulder. In the day and a half since Butch had tied him up, he'd soiled himself. The smell was absolutely horrid. He carried Carl silently out of the cabin and down the steps. There was a tool shed out behind the cabin. He stored the man there, leaving him tied to a post inside. He was in there for hours, and would likely never tell another living soul what he'd done to the man. When at last he emerged, he was pale, his eyes distant and full of pain. He locked the shed behind him, buried the key under a rock, and went straight to the river to wash himself clean of the mess.<br/><br/>When he dressed after bathing in the river, he couldn't bring himself to put on the shirt again. It was soiled too heavily with filth and waste after carrying Carl. So it was that he silently climbed the steps into the cabin, bare chested, hair still damp, the sunset burning like fire in the sky visible through the door behind him.<br/><br/>She heard his footsteps on the porch and jolted awake, looking gorgeous, disheveled, sleepy... wonderful. He paused there, unable to take his eyes off her, as his every thought simply vanished. SHe was all he knew.