Ashton has admittedly never been so close to a woman before. The way he holds her is a way he's never experienced before, but he does what feels natural to him. She seems to appreciate the help, because she does not shy away. Instead, she leans into him. It feels foreign to him, but he can only assume it feels right to her.

Eyes look down as her hair tickles his skin and he can feel a shock shoot through his body at the sensation. He knows this is too close, that this will compromise his beliefs. But how can he leave her in this state? She clearly needs someone to lean on. Perhaps leaving her would be a far worse crime than simply standing here and being the support she needs.

He decides that she needs to stand. Her coughing is no doubt going to begin to wear on her lungs and she needs to be able to clear them completely. And so, he works to help her hand, holding his arm for her to cling to while the other guides the small of her back. It is a foreign feeling to him, but he needs to help her stand. Perhaps she would forgive him later.

Once she is on her feet and the sirens approach, she asking if he will stay and he tells her he's not going anywhere. He intends to see her onto the ambulance, to see her to safety once again. She seems appreciative, answering him with a meek "thank you" and a sincere look to her eyes. She has beautiful eyes. He looks away, not wanting his gaze to linger more than necessary. He has to be polite after all.

He watches as she refuses to get on the stretcher, claiming that she is fine and only needs to sit down. He looks at her almost sternly, in the way a concerned friend would fret over a decision another has made. "Please, ma'am...at least take some oxygen." He hands her the mast the paramedics had given him, hoping that she would take it and place it over her face. She needs to breathe clean air. At one point, he wanted to be a medic. He knows what smoke can do. If the lungs swell, she could die. He did not want to see her die.

Despite his feelings on the matter, he still walks with her, still allows her hand to rest on his own. It makes him uncomfortable, but he says nothing. Her comfort is far more important to him. Besides, it was not as if she was trying to seduce him. Perhaps then he would be strong enough to tear himself away.

Once at the ambulance, he seats her on the back fender and takes a place beside her as she removes her hand from him. She looks to him and he meets her gaze with his own, his smile sweet as he returns the kind gesture. He listens to her question, her need for an explanation as to why he ran into a burning home to save a stranger. Does he have an answer? Not really. It's just who he is. But before he could answer, her arms are around him and his body tenses. He's unprepared for her hug and he realizes that her closeness is something he's uncomfortable with. But then again, he has to remind himself that this is a different circumstance.

Eventually he relaxes into the embrace, his ears listening to her soft words. He offers her a smile, pulling away so she can see the sincerity in his eyes and in his voice. "And if I had watched you die, it would have been a far worse fate." He would not have been able to forgive himself if she died and he simply stood back to watch. Even God would be unable to forgive him if he simply walked on by. "You do not need to repay me anything...it was simply a kind gesture. Pay it forward." When someone else needed a helping hand, perhaps she would think of this moment and lend that helping hand. It was amazing what could happen when people helped each other.

He looked up at the house as the fireman settled the flames. Her house was destroyed and was clearly unlivable tonight. "Do you have some place to go?" He didn't know this woman. He didn't know if she had a lover or a friend, family or otherwise. However, before he would be able to rest tonight, he had to know that she would have a safe place to stay until other arrangements could be made.