SAMUEL
I knew the second she was out. Her entire body relaxed, and she melted into me.
I absently rub my hands over Baby Girl's exposed skin as I think back to when my phone started buzzing. My hands barely able to hold onto it as it shocked me over and over. The panic that flushed through my body as I called her to see what was wrong. I just took one look at Dane as I was talking to her, as I grabbed my coat and keys, and he nodded his head once. He'll look after the prophet while I took care of our girl.
As I raced to her house, my mind was all over the place. Is she hurt? What am I going to do if something happens to her? This thing is so brand new, but I know down to my soul that she's the one for me.
My mind doesn't want to think about what every sign is telling me. I don't want to send her into the lion's den alone. The guys and I have to come up with some other solution. There's always another way. We'll think of something.
She adjusts herself in her sleep, and I groan internally. This might be the hardest thing I've ever done. Hold my girl platonically. She doesn't need that kind of reaction from me right now. She just went through something horrific. I glance down at her neck, and the red marks are mostly gone. The rage I felt when I saw them the first time, courses through me again, and I tighten my hold on her just a little.
I don't know how long I sit like this with her, my mind wandering, before my eyes start to droop. I move slowly, lying down on the couch and maneuvering her so she's lying on top of me. I grab a fluffy throw blanket at the end of the couch and cover her as best I can without disturbing her rest. I put one arm behind my head, while the other is holding on to her, and close my eyes. It doesn't take long for the sandman to claim me.
DANE
The prophet has been working for hours, tirelessly, to try to translate this tablet. We've offered him food, which he has denied. We've offered him drink, to which he replied, "Got any scotch?" We didn't but I text Leo to pick some up on his way. He has drank the entire fifth that Leo brought, and we've made two more trips to the liquor store. How this man is still conscious, I will never know, but, hey, whatever works for him.
He described looking at the tablet was like looking through someone else's glasses, and that the alcohol helped make everything clearer. I just took it at face value and let him do his thing.
Cas has popped in and out, checking to see how the prophet is doing, while also checking in on Sam and Snow. He says they are sleeping now, which I'm relieved to hear. From the look on Sam's face when he was leaving, I was really worried something really bad had happened. Cas assured me that she is okay.
I'm on the couch in the living room, absentmindedly watching sports highlights. The Royals didn't do so great this year. The entire city had been hoping after our World Series win a couple of years ago, that we could ride it out and win a couple of more times. I hope with the staffing changes, we can get back on top.
I'm brought out of my wanderings by Cas.
"I think he's found something." He tells me in his signature gravelly voice. I just want to clear my throat listening to him talk most of the time.
I move to get up and walk to the kitchen table, where he has been working.
"Whatcha got?" I ask.
He points to a spot of the tablet, as if I could actually read it. While the tablet is written in Enochian, only a prophet, God or the scribe, Metatron, can actually read it.
"This right here. It's a prophecy. Right on the tablet." He's talking fast in his excitement. "Heart on sleeve... white way... three protectors..."
"Wait, what do you mean 'three protectors'?" I interrupt. "I've read this prophecy before, but it never said anything about protectors." My heart starts hammering, and I glance over at Leo, who looks equally as panicked as I feel. He's standing at the end of the table with his hands braced at the edge, his knuckles completely white. I will myself to calm down as I look at Donatello, with an expression willing him to continue. He flips his notebook to a fresh page and starts writing, alternating his glance back and forth between the tablet and his notebook. When he finishes he rips the page out and hands it to me.
To kill fear, the fair and strong, with a heart on her sleeve, must take the white way with three protectors.
Oh boy. This just changed things.
JESSICA
I snuggle closer to the warmth that surrounds me, and let out a contented sigh. A pair of large hands land on my hips, stilling my movement.
"I'm going to need you to stop moving, Baby Girl, or this day is going to start on a very good note." A voice rough with sleep says over my head. I immediately stop moving. Not that I wouldn't want to start a day like that, but it's way too soon for such activities.
"I'm sorry. It's just... you're so warm." I say and duck my face further into his hard chest, which starts bouncing with silent laughter.
"It's okay. I get it. It's very nice to get to hold you like this."
I lean back as far as I can, which isn't much considering I'm trapped between his behemoth frame and the back of the couch. He accommodates me by backing his head up a little and looking down at me.
"Thank you so much for coming last night. You have no idea how terrified I was." I shiver slightly from the memory of her hands around my neck. At the memory, my hands lift to touch my neck. I no longer feel any welts. "Are the marks gone?"
"Yes. They were gone before I laid down with you. I'm glad they didn't last long." There was an expression is his dark eyes I couldn't make out, but I can't think about it too much, I need to pee. I pat his chest and he moves back, nearly spilling off the couch. I giggle a little at just the thought of this big man taking that tumble.
"I'll be right back." I climb over him and go to the bathroom. I do my business. While I wash my hands, I look in the mirror. All the telltale signs of my fight with the demon are gone, just like Sam said. Not that I didn't believe him, I just needed to see for myself. My eyes travel up, and dear god almighty. I can't believe he saw me like this. My hair is standing on end. I rush to my bedroom door.
"I'm going to take a quick shower, okay?" I yell out. I hear his affirmation.
I take the quickest shower of my life. Washing my hair and important bits. I shaved yesterday, so I'm concerned with it today. I towel off, then wrap it around me, tucking it tightly between my breasts. I brush my teeth. I can't believe I was talking with him in such close quarters with morning breath. Now that I think about it, he didn't have any. How does that work? I step through the door into my bedroom and grab some clothes. Once I'm dressed I go comb my hair, adding a little mousse so it doesn't stand back up.
I head back out to Sam, but decide to make coffee and breakfast when I see him on the phone. I start the coffee, then pull out stuff to make biscuits and gravy. I preheat the oven and pop the tube. I put the biscuits on a sheet pan and set them aside until the oven is ready. I grab my cast iron skillet and turn a burner on and dump sausage into it to start browning. I use a potato masher to separate the sausage into small chunks. The oven dings at me so I put the sheet pan in and set the timer.
When the sausage is finished I scoop it out with a slotted spoon, leaving the grease in the pan. I add a little butter and when it melts I sprinkle in some flour. I stir it together and let it cook a little to cook out the raw flour taste. I slowly add in some milk until I get a smooth, somewhat thick gravy. I add the sausage back in and add salt and lots of black pepper. I turn the heat down to barely a simmer.
I pull out another pan and turn another burner on. I whip up some eggs and added them to the greased pan, slowly stirring them into scrambled eggs.
The oven dings, so I turn off all the burners and pull the biscuits out. I put them into a little basket and carry everything to the dining room table. I go back and get some plates and utensils. When I come back into the dining room, Sam walks up and takes the things from me and sets them on the table. We each take a seat. I serve him up a plate, then make my own.
"This has to be some of the best sausage gravy I've ever had." He tells me after a few bites. I swallow the bite I'm chewing.
"Thank you. I love cooking and feeding people. It's a passion and my back up profession." I answer, a small flush across my cheeks. I always get embarrassed when people compliment my food. I don't know why, because I know it's good.
We finish our meal in silence, and he helps me clean up when we're done.
I'm leaning over the dishwasher, loading it, while he hands me dishes. In no time at all we're finished. I dry my hands on a dish towel and hang it on the oven handle. I turn and Sam is standing right behind me. His hands land on my shoulders to steady me, as my hands land on his chest.
I glance up to his eyes. There's a warmth there.
"I've been dying to kiss you since last night." He confesses in a whisper. My heart jumps, and I can think of nothing more that I would like better to be doing right now. I move my arms to wrap around his neck. and one of his raises to my cheek. I close my eyes as he leans in.
Soft as a feather, he brushes his full lips across mine. After a second he adds pressure, tilting his head slightly. I tilt mine and kiss him back, my lips falling open to allow his tongue entrance. We duel for a time, slowly, taking our time getting to know how the other kisses.After a few minutes, he growls deep in the back of his throat and deeps the kiss. He picks me up and turns to push me against the wall. He holds me place by his hips, my legs wrapping around him as much as they can. His arms wrap around my back, pulling me closer to his chest as he ravages my mouth. Liquid pools at my center. I'm on fire, and Sam is the match.
I pull away, just to catch my breath. He takes the opportunity to trail kiss across my jaw and down to my neck. He starts to softly suck at the juncture where my neck meets my shoulder. My head falls back against the wall, pure pleasure driving through my body. My hips start rocking against the front of him and I moan out. I tilt my head to give him better access. His teeth gently scrape against my skin, and I'm lost. I grab onto his head, keeping him right where he is, encouraging him to continue.
After a few minutes of alternating sides of my neck, he lifts his head and captures my lips in another delicious kiss. After a little while, he slows things down, and eventually breaks the kiss. He leans his forehead against mine, both of us panting for breath.
"I think... you... broke me." I say in between pants. He chuckles, and steps back a little, keeping his hands under my thighs until my feet hit the floor. He keeps his hands on my waist until I'm steady on my feet. I look into the depths of his brown eyes, which are shining with something I can't decipher. I clear my throat. "Thank you for staying with me last night." I tell him sincerely. My hand on his chest, over his heart which is beating a strong, steady beat.
"It was my privilege, Baby Girl, to take care of you in your time of need." He says, sincerity written all over his face. My heart beats faster knowing someone is in my life who feels this way. Sure, I have Memaw, the girls, and Matt, but I've never had a love interest who made me feel like this. Like I could take on the world, and they would be by my side the entire way.
I lean up and place a soft kiss on his cheek.
"So, who was on the phone?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
"Oh! That was Dane. The prophet we have made a breakthrough on the demon tablet. Apparently, there's more to the prophecy we found."
"What do you mean? More?"
"Yeah. More words. 'With three protectors.' is added to the end."
My mind works this out, but it still doesn't dawn on me what he means until I think back of the times i dream walked with the demon. She called the guys protectors.
"Nope. No way am I letting you guys go in with me. What if something happens to any of you? It would be my fault. I couldn't live with myself if something happened. Uh uh. Nope not happening." Sam holds both of my cheeks in his hands as he forces me to look at him. I take a deep breath.
"Baby girl. We don't know what any of it means. We will all get together and talk about everything, okay. Nobody is doing anything until we have a solid plan."
His words are reassuring, but there's a little niggle of worry in the back of my mind. I might not know the guys very well, but they are growing on me fast. And if what Missouri told me is true, I eventually fall in love with all of them. There's no way I can put that future to risk. My own plan starts forming in my mind, and while I'm sure none of them will like it, they will just have to live with it.