The Sun and Moon and Stars

Chapter XIV

"What nightmares?"

"At night."

Frances carefully pulled the bottle behind her back. "Julian...what nightmares?"

"My wife."

"Helena."

He nodded and his eyes fell to the floor between them. "She's gone."

"Oh, Julian..." Frances put the bottle down on the windowsill and grabbed his arm, leading him to the sofa. "Sit."

He sat and took a deep breath. "What'm I gonna do?"

Frances sat beside him, keeping a few feet between them. "You don't have to do anything. Not right now."

"What'll I do with Winnie?"

He jumped to his feet, swaying for a few seconds. "What'll I do with all of them?" His eyes widened and he shook his head slowly. "Where will they go?" He whispered.

He staggered forward towards the fire, bracing himself against the mantle. His face gleamed in the light of the fire.

Frances followed him and nudged him away from the flames. She grabbed a nearby bucket of water and put out the fire. It hissed and smoke billowed into the room. She coughed into her elbow and steered Julian away from the ash cloud. She waved the air in front of her and Julian pulled away .

"Jul—" But he didn't go far. He paced the room as if trying to find a door to escape through. Frances knew that he couldn't escape from his thoughts.

"The children, Frances. What'll happen to them?" He yanked his fingers through his mess of hair. His leg shook impatiently, the heel of his untied boot tapping against the floor.

Frances rubbed her eyes; it was far too late to have any sort of conversation. "Julian..." She took a deep breath and grabbed his arm. She gently tugged him towards the staircase. "You need to go to bed. You need to sleep all this—" she glanced at the empty bottles on the table. "—off."

Julian's eyes narrowed, twisting his body to face Frances. She backed up, her back bumping against the wall. Her hands pressed against the wallpaper. She felt a rip, the ripple of the edge soft against her tense fingers. "Julian—"

"What will I do, Frances?" His eyes were locked on the wall above Frances' head, but his voice was surprisingly steady.

Frances swallowed hard. "You'll do what you've been doing this whole time."

"What's that?" His voice shook. His eyes darted down to Frances' face.

"Being a loving father. The children may lose their mother, but that only means that they'll need their father even more. A father who is always there..." She tried to smile reassuringly. "Especially at night, when a bottle seems more urg—"

Warm lips swallowed up her words. He tasted oaky, as if he had swallowed an entire forest of golden leaves. His fingers laced around her neck and pulled her close. She didn't resist. She couldn't. Her hands reached up to his face and cradled his scruffy cheeks. His arms dropped down her shoulders and wrapped around her waist.

Everything had stopped. The world. Time. Everything. Pinned between the cool wall and the heat of Julian's chest, Frances could barely tell if she was still standing or if he was holding her up.

A bright light flashed behind her closed eyes. It slowly morphed into the figure of a beautiful woman: long chestnut hair, pale skin, flushed cheeks, sitting up in a bed...

With a gasp, Frances pulled away, slipping out under Julian's arms. She stood on the second step, her eyes burning at the sight of him, her lungs desperate for air. Her legs and arms tingled.