Idina watched a trembling Erika chew on her fingernail. Why hadn't the girl said something? She'd told Walker she'd been on a plane before. Surely Erika knew she was afraid of flying. 

It broke her heart to see the child wide-eyed and place faced, staring straight ahead of her and yet at nothing at all. When had she started caring so much? It was probably back when she had saved Walker's life. Or when she'd seen the hideous burn, or maybe the scar. She'd cared by the time she'd found Erika drugged on the palette int he abandoned house. She just had not expected it to come this fast.

Why not? She knew she'd die for Walker she second she met him. That had been different, hadn't it? She carried Walker, felt him move, listened to his heartbeat. For nine months. 

Five months ago, she had no idea who Erika was. Now Erika was all she could think about.

The flight attendants came by with refreshments. She told Aaron Walker could have whatever he wanted. She'd been spoiling him, sure, but this was extenuating circumstances. Besides, she had to make up for not being there all those months. 

She knew by now Erika would not ask for anything. After buying some snacks for herself, and wishing she'd bought something healthier on the ground, she got Erika some ginger ale. Maybe it would help with her queasy stomach. She also got her charge an apple and a chocolate bar and some Doritos so she would have something other than her fingernails to chew on. 

Walker was content to watch TV on the screen and Aaron was zoning out, watching a movie. Her boys were alright. Now she had to focus on her girl, who's grip on her hand was getting tighter with ever small movement the plane made.

The plane hit more turbulence and the seat belt sign lit up with a ding. She looked over to make sure Walker was doing his up, but Aaron was already on it. 

She hadn't bothered to undo hers. 

She looked back at Erika. "I'm sorry," she told the girl, even though no had predicted this would happen. She was still the one who had forced her onto an airplane. 

Not forced, she corrected herself. She wasn't forcing Erika to do anything. The girl was strongwilled. If she did not want to stay with Idina, she would have run off. If she did not want to do something, she would not do it. Some part of her wanted to be here. 

Well, not here exactly. But with her. And that was good enough for now.

She rubbed Erika's palm, hoping that it was calming. The girl was sitting on pins and needles as the plan jerked violently. This was a bit more than a little turbulence.

"Attention all passengers," the captain's voice came from the speakers, "we are experiencing severe turbulence. Please remain calm and stay in your seats with your seatbelt buckled up."

"Hey, Erika," she said, trying to get the teen to look her. "It's going to be alright." But she wasn't so certain anymore. The plane was shaking much more than even she was used to.

"Look at me," she said, pulling her other hand down from her face, "it's going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine." She looked into Erika's brown eyes, hoping she was making it through the terror.

"Try to eat something, it might help take your mind off of..." she didn't say it just in case. 

She picked up the chip bag. Erika grabbed it cautiously. 

The cabin stopped shaking, but the seat belt light did not go off.

"How are you holding up?"

Erika shot her a look. Seriously? Not well.

At least she hadn't lost her spunk.

Idina did not know what else to say without sounding like a broken record. 

For the first time since take-off, Erika let go of Idina's hand. She opened the chip bag and offered some to Idina, who turned them down.

"I bought them for you," she said. If she'd wanted some, she would have gotten herself some. 

They sit in silence for the next few hours. The turbulence does not return and Erika slowly relaxes, eventually sitting legs akimbo and even leaning back into the seat. She's still tense and nervous, but the colour has returned to her face and she is no longer trembling. She never turned to screen on.

As she seemed calm now, Idina let her attention slide to other things. She played games on the screens with Walker and Aaron.

Erika opened up the window and starred out at the cloud below, seemingly fine now that the cabin wasn't shaking.

"Bored?" Idina asked around the three-hour mark.

Erika perked up, suddenly shocked as Idina's voice cut through the silence.

She just shrugged.

"Do you want something to pass the time?"

"I'm okay," Erika said with a meek smile.

"You sure?"

She nodded.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked. 

"Nothing," replied the girl. 

She'd finished all the snacks Idina had bought. It was past lunch by now. Walker had not started complaining about being hungry yet, probably because he was enthralled by the movie he was watching. They'd have to grab a bite when they landed though.

"You're holding up well."

No response.

This was infuriating. 

Erika probably had just as much of an idea of what to say as Idina did. Maybe less.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will begin our descent. We will be landing in Los Angeles in just under an hour. The time there will be 12:34 when we land. Thank you for flying with us."

Idina felt weightless for a second, a telltale sign that the plane was dipping. It would be about twenty minutes until the seatbelt light went on unless they hit more turbulence.

She reached for Erika's hand, to make sure that she was okay. She figured her dream of Erika coming with her on tours like Walker and Aaron wasn't going to come to fruition, not that there had been much in favour of that, to begin with. 

But they were almost in LA, almost home. And once they were home everything would work out just the way she'd planned it. She could feel it in her bones. This morning had been a fluke.