" "You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing...after all, what's a life anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die...By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that." "

Ty frowned as Dom eloquently finished the paragraph, shaking his head, this book was much sadder than it was supposed to be. He was nearly in tears because death was looming over a stupid spider.

"I don't want her to die."

Domino shrugged, now turning the page. "I can stop tonight if you want. She still dies though."

"Stop it! No more…" He told her, gently pulling the book from the mercenary's hand with his smaller ones and tossed it across the room.

"No dying tonight." Tyler grumbled angrily. "I don't like this book."

"You've liked it up to this part." Dom commented, getting up to grab the book and place it on the dresser adjacent from her bed before returning to it, sitting across from a now crying little boy.

"Okay, we haven't even gotten to the sad part yet." This was more of something for Nat to deal with, Dom wasn't supposed to handle tears but yet here they were.

Ty continued, trying to get out a coherent sentence between his crying. "But-what if you were the spider?!"

Dom took a deep breath, gently rubbing the tears from his cheeks with her thumb. "Well I'm not the spider so if that's why you're crying you should stop." Read to him, it'll be fun. He'll enjoy it. "Okay-So we're gonna go back to your-little kid books from now on."

Ty hiccuped, beginning to gather himself as he moved to sit in her lap where she awkwardly wiped away more of the tears from his face.

"I love you, Dommy."

"You're getting pretty deep for just listening to me read you a fictional story about a spider and a pig, Ty."

"I just want you to know! I didn't know Charlotte was going to die! Nobody ever told her they loved her before she died-" Dom cut him off, shaking her head. "We don't know that! She hasn't actually died yet!"

At the thought of this recurring theme that Charlotte does eventually die in the very near future of the book caused Ty to begin another wave of tears. "Okay-I'm sorry. Please stop crying...I love you too, Ty. I really do. But I don't think either of us is going to die anytime soon."

He stopped after a few moments, sniffling as Dom wiped the rest of his tears away. "...I hate that stupid spider." The-now quite distraught-child grumbled, letting his head lean back against Dom's chest while she patted his hair gently.

"Mmm, I'd have to agree with you there." Not that she hated the stupid spider for any other reason than making him cry. Though it was better than him crying about something that actually mattered. Which did happen more times than it should.

"...I'll read you a happy book tomorrow, sound good?"

"Yeah…" There was a silent pause before a question followed up. "Do you really love me?" Now tilting his head back so that his watery eyes met her dry ones.

"Yes. I would hope so."

"Hm...how much?"

Dom sighed, shaking her head while shrugging. Oddly enough it was hard to find an answer for this one. "I don't know, Ty."

He wiped his nose on the sleeve of his pajamas. "More than Wilbur loves Charlotte?"

"Sure-yes. More than he loves Charlotte."

Satisfied with the answer, Ty smiled for the first time since Dom had finished reading.

"This is a better ending!" Shrugging, Domino nodded, a hint of a smile showing. "I'll take it I guess."