Dream a little dream (warnings for a swear and some scary bits)
Category: Pink Sheep RPG
Screaming. A bloodcurdling scream of terror was the first thing to cut through the fog of sleep that clouded Jake's mind. Popping up, out of bed, he rubbed his eyes as the screams sounded again, turning his head, he met Mandy's gaze. "Sam," he said after a moment, reaching down to grab a pair of sleep pants off the floor. As soon as they were on he was off and running out the door and up the stairs.
Barely even nodding to Ced who had already made his way into the room, Jake fell to his knees beside the bed. Though the screams had ceased for now, the lines of her body were stiff, full of tension, as she lay prostrate on the bed. Sam slept on her side, never on on her back. He reached out and brushed a few strands of sweat streaked hair away from her face. "Sammy Sunshine," he murmured softly. "Sammy."
Blue eyes slammed open, unseeing, as she let out a wordless cry. Seizing for a moment, Sam surged into a sitting position before slumping forward.
"Whoa, whoa." Jake stood swiftly, catching her. Pulling her into his arms, he sat on the bed, holding her close and rocking slightly.
Pinpricks of fire danced along her skin, causing Sam to moan as her eyes came into focus. "Jake?" she asked softly, her voice scratchy and strained. Her head lolled against his bicep, as if she didn't have the strength to hold it up. "What...?" she trailed off, exhausted.
"You had a nightmare, sunshine." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "That's all." He chose not to mention the seizing or the screaming. That discussion could be saved for when they were both more coherent.
"Oh." Her cheeks burned hot as eyes flicked first to Ced who was leaning against her desk to Mandy who hovered, worried, in the doorway. "Sorry.
"Not your fault," Jake kissed her temple again. "Unless you enjoy waking us all up in the middle of the night." He laughed slightly as he could feel her body shift. "Relax. It was a joke."
"No joking," she pouted sleepily, curling into his warmth. "Stay."
His eyes flicked over to Ced and Mandy, nodding minutely. "I had no intention of going anywhere." Jake's hand began to run through her hair soothingly. "Sleep now."
"Mkay."
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The night before had been exhaustive. Jake pulled the potion vial from the cupboard, placing it on the counter. Sam would be down any moment, probably looking for tea to keep her awake, even though all she needed was to sleep. He put the water on to boil and took out the tea. He would prefer if she slept, but he'd humor her for a bit before insisting she take something.
Covering her yawn with her hand, Sam shuffled into the kitchen, intent on getting herself some tea. The night before had shook her to the core. She thought she had a handle on her childish fears. Obviously not. Shivering, why was Jake's house always so cold, she pulled her commandeered hoodie closer to her body.
"Hi Jake." She smiled, seeing the water already set to boil.
"Hey, Sunshine." He held out an arm, indicating that she should snuggle up to him. "No offense, but you look like crap."
"Feel like crap," she said, wrapping an arm around his waist, hugging him. "Thank you for making tea." Yawning again, Sam's eyes fell on the potions vial. "What's that?" She reached over, taking the vial in hand, looking it over. It was brand new, the wax seal hadn't even been broken. "Jake?"
"Dreamless sleep," he plucked it out of her hand, putting it back on the table. This wasn't exactly the best forum to inform her of his plans, but it needed to be done. "You need to sleep, Sammy. It's not perfect, I know, but....."
She pulled away, horrified. "What? What do you mean? You want to drug me?"
As the kettle began to whistle, Jake pulled it off before it shattered his eardrums. He was a bit confused at her reaction to be honest, but she had been running short on sleep. Crankiness was to be expected. "You've got to admit, you're a little bitchy when you don't sleep," he joked, trying to keep the tone light.
She scowled at him, taking a few steps back, as blood pounded on her ears.
He began to prepare two cups of tea, careful to add a dose of Dreamless Sleep to one of them before adding milk and sugar. "Tea?" He tried not to react to her unusual reaction.
"Of course not," Sam snapped. "I'm not drugging myself to satisfy your need to feel manly and overprotective."
"Sam, that's ridiculous." Jake pushed the cup and saucer towards the teenager. "Just drink the damn tea and take a damn nap."
"No." Her chin jutted out stubbornly, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "No."
"Samantha," Jake snapped. "It's not like that and you know it. Calm down. Do you think I liked waking up to your screams, knowing that there was something I could do to help you? So drink the damn tea," he bit out.
"Well, it's not your decision to make!" Sam screamed at him, blinking back the tears. She didn't know why she was so upset, but she was frustrated with the whole damn situation. The nearby cup of tea exploded. Drops of hot tea landed on bare skin, scalded her. She didn't notice.
"Sam," he came around the island to grab at her, but she darted away. "Calm down."
Mandy came into the kitchen just as Sam was moving away, nearly colliding with the younger girl. She'd slipped on one of Jake's button down shirts and crept out of bed to find coffee when she'd heard their discussion, deciding to wait it out on the stairs until it seemed there was nothing else for it but to inject a hopefully calming influence into the situation. She put a gentle hand on Sam's forearm, trying to stay her retreat. "Are you okay, sweety?" she asked softly, flicking a questioning glance at an irate Jake.
Sam's eyes flicked over the older woman's form, a bubble of annoyance bursting when she saw Mandy was clad in one of her brother's shirts. Again. "No." She wrenched her arm away from the light grasp.
"Samantha!" Jake darted after his sister and around his girlfriend. He easily caught up to her on the stairs. "Stop acting like a spoiled brat. Drink the damn tea and take a nap. Merlin, you're worse than you were when you were two." Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he easily lifted her from her spot on the stairs, bringing her back into the kitchen.
"Takes one to know one, you big oaf." She kicked at him, smirking in cruel satisfaction as one well placed kick landed on a kneecaps, earning her a few choice words.
Mandy watched with wide eyes as he hauled her back into the room, slipping onto one of the stools so as to keep out of the way of flialing limbs. "Anyone for a calming draught," she muttered, feeling slightly uncomfortable but not willing to leave them alone and have things descend further.
Jake dropped his sister in a chair. "Sit. Stay." He went to retrieve the forgotten vial of potion.
"I'm not a dog to be ordered about, Jacob." Sam sniffed, crossed her arms and legs, but remained sat.
"Two sips. No more. No less." He held the vial out to her.
She looked up at him, a small, but identical smirk to his own, stared up at him. "No. And you can't make me."
Jake crouched down, looking into her eyes, his own smirk coming out to play. "Them's fighting words, Sunshine. Do really think you can fight me? I'm bigger, stronger. More agile."
"You forgot dumber too," she added sourly, as her hand came out, landing on his cheek with a crack. She pulled back slightly, her nails raking across his skin Pushing him off balance, sending him sprawling on his arse. Sam darted up and towards the door. She just wanted to get out of here. Maybe she'd floo back to her parents' home, spend the rest of the week there. Something. The air had become heavy, making it hard for her to breathe.
Mandy slid quickly from the stool and moved over to help Jake up, checking his cheek as she did so, concern flooding her eyes. "You okay?" she asked gently.
The commotion leading him straight to the kitchen, Cedric entered to find a curious sight before his eyes; Mandy helping up a pissed off looking Jake while Sam headed straight for him. Reflexively, he took hold of her skinny arms, effectively stopping the small girl from leaving. "What in the hell happened to breakfast?"
"Ask the drug happy bastard." Sam shot her brother a dirty look, a big ball of hurt began to form in the pit of her stomach, not helped when she caught sight of blood. "Let go, Ced." She was breathing heavily now and the only sounds she could hear was her breathing and the blood pounding in her ears.
"I'm fine. I'm fine." Jake assured Mandy as he stood, wiping away the wet tackiness of freshly spilled blood. Damn, her nails were sharp. "Ced, let her go. I can't help it if I'm trying to help her and she responds like an over tired toddler throwing a temper tantrum."
Sam let out a wordless, frustrated noise as she lunged for her brother, intent on inflicting more damage, but it was only Cedric's arms around her middle that stopped her from getting very far.
"Stop it," Mandy bit out, sounding frighteningly maternal. "Sit down, Sam, and take a deep bloody breath," she ordered, before turning to Jake. "And get your hand off your cheek so I can heal it, for Merlin's sake."
Now that a modicum of calm had been brought, Ced spoke in a low, even tone. "Sam, talk. What's wrong?" He chanced a glance over at Jake, who was being browbeaten into a chair by the tiny brunette, wand ready to fix the damage.
Sam whined slightly, but when the man nearly holding her upright shot her a dark look, she sighed. "He's a cunting bastard."
"Samantha!" Jake peeked around Mandy's shoulder, eyes almost comically round at the type of language coming from his normally polite sister. Something was going on here. She wasn't acting like herself. While the teenager was never afraid to say no to him, it was never over something as simple as getting extra sleep after a difficult night. "Watch your language." He turned to glare at Mandy. "Will you stop poking at me with your wand?"
Mandy plonked herself unceremoniously on his lap, as if just to prove that she wasn't going anywhere. "I'm not poking you, I'm trying to bloody well fix you," she hissed with a tap to his shoulder, emphasising her point. "Hold still."
Instinctively, Ced leaned forward to wrap her in a hug, not sure if he should let her have her way or stay and talk. Obviously, they needed to discuss this at some point, but maybe letting her go back to her parents' place and giving everyone a chance to calm down would be the best course of action.
Jake sneered at Mandy, but still, his arms came up to wrap his arms around her waist so she wouldn't fall off his lap.
Sam leaned into the hug. She quite liked physical affection, only not when she when she was about to be forced to do something against her will. She blinked as she tried to calm her breaths, feeling like she was about to hyperventilate any moment.
Poking him once in the side for good measure, Mandy set about casting healing spells over his face, watching in satisfaction as the skin knit itself back together and smoothed over once more. Valiantly, she resisted the urge to let it sting and pay him back for his mulishness, instead leaning in to kiss it better.
Cedric didn't say anything, just held her tightly until she knew he wouldn't let go. He understood the reasoning behind what Jake had done, but he couldn't agree with keeping the truth from Sam about this. Then again, it wasn't his issue to judge. He just needed to know how to fix it.
Jake leaned over, returning Mandy's kiss. "Thanks." He looked over to his sister and best friend. Sam looked about ready to pass out from pure exhaustion rather than from any potions induced sleepiness. "You can let her go, Ced." Catching Ced's eyes with his own, Jake tried to convey his thoughts and feelings. His little sister would be looking for physical comfort right about now, but not from him. Ced was the next best thing and probably the right person to offer such comfort. Besides, with all his fancy DoM training, if Sam made a move to slap him, Ced could probably pin her against any available surface.
At her brother's words, Sam's eyes flew open. She didn't really want to leave Ced's warm and comforting embrace right now. Especially when he was practically the one holding her up. She yawned again, leaning her head on his arm. "Bite me," she mumbled, fight suddenly gone.
Despite Jake's words, they both knew she didn't want to be let go or left alone. "How about you have a nap and the biting can happen when you're a bit more awake?" Without waiting for an answer Cedric scooped her up, careful to keep her head from jostling. He nodded to Jake and Mandy over the top of Sam's head, sitting there looking somehow perfectly natural with each other, and headed for the stairs. "I'll stay with you," he promised in a murmur.
Once they were alone, Mandy turned back to Jake, a gentle hand on his now-healed face. "You alright?" she asked softly.
"Well that went all pear shaped." Gingerly, he touched the side of his face that Sam had scratched. The area was still slightly tender. "Vicious little bitch," he said softly, a tinge of pride in his voice. Their stubbornness was equally matching. It was no surprise, to him at least, that it had become physical. Thank Merlin they weren't closer in age, or else they both might be carrying scars by the other's hand.
"You didn't answer my question," Mandy said wryly. Even so, she moved slightly so that she was nestled against his chest, hoping that the closer she got, the better he'd feel.
Gently depositing a barely-conscious Sam on the large guest bed, Ced tucked the blankets around her and then stretched out next to the tiny thing, pulling her gently into his side, knowing she'd need the comforting contact.
Sam rolled into her heat source, a wordless groan sounding somewhere from her throat. Shutting her eyes tight against the light spilling in from the window, she tried to force herself to sleep, to get away from the mess that was downstairs. Slowly, but surely her breaths evened out.
Downstairs, Jake pulled Mandy into a hug. "Thank you," he said again. "Someone needed to be the voice of reason around here."
"I think I was more the voice of bossiness," she murmured, content as he held her against the warmth of his chest. "I don't know if it was necessarily the right thing, but I know why you did it. You're always trying to be a good brother." It's one of the things I love about you.
"Bossiness we can handle." He ran a hand through her hair. "You've not seen much of our mother, but she's definitely bossy."
"All the best ones are. I intend to be the bossiest mother around." Her eyes widened at what she'd just said. He probably didn't even want to know about her plans for kids.
"And you'll be a damn good one. How about some tea or coffee?" He helped her off his lap. "And I promise, no potions added." Jake hadn't missed the ways her eyes widened after she mentioned the thing about kids. He was too good at reading people not to. The mere mention of them didn't frighten him, much. Personally, he never really saw himself as a father figure, but in many ways he had been playing that role since Sam was born. The only difference would be that he had some part in the actual creation of the little spawn.
"You could add whiskey instead and make it Irish," she joked, perching on a stool and watching him move about the kitchen. While she'd certainly thought about kids, she'd only vaguely considered Jake and kids. Was that what she wanted? Would it be something he could want with her? She didn't know. She needed coffee.
He pulled the coffee beans from the freezer and began to grind them. "While I would normally be liberal with the alcohol, isn't it a bit early in the morning?" His eyes flicked up at the clock as he put the coffee on brew "We have to wait until noon at least."
"Technically, it's after twelve somewhere in the world." She slipped from her stool and moved over behind him, wrapping her arms around Jake's waist and leaning her cheek against the warm expanse of his back.
"But not here," he laughed. "Want anything else, besides coffee? I make some mean toast and jam."
"Sounds good," she said through a yawn, still wrapped around him. "Any chance we could take it back to bed and snuggle, maybe?" Ah, the benefits of being self employed.
"Raspberry or strawberry?"
"Strawberry, obviously." Unwilling, she detached herself from Jake's frame and bent down to retrieve plates, setting them on the bench.
Fifteen minutes later they were making their way up to his room, coffee and toast in hand. "I'm going to check on them, okay?" Jake asked as they reached the first floor's landing. His eyes glanced upwards.
"'Kay." Mandy took his breakfast stuff with a levitating charm and headed off, leaving him alone to look in on his sister. When she reached the master bedroom, Mandy conjured up a little table so they could eat in bed and crawled back under the warm covers, nestled in the cozy cavern of blankets.
Jake continued up the stairs. When he reached the landing to the next floor, he saw one of the doors to the spare bedrooms propped open. Good, so Ced had taken Sam to a nice neutral zone. Knocking on the door lightly, he popped his head in. A spot of jealousy flared up when he saw his sister wrapped up in his best friend's arms, sleeping peacefully. Shaking his head, he gave his friend a small smile. "Everything okay?"
Ced nodded from where he was propped up against a mound of pillows. "Mmm, nothing unusual so far, just a bit of sleepy murmuring. Apparently you're to give back her blue sandwich," he relayed with a smile. Once she'd had a decent amount of sleep, he'd make sure they sorted out this mess. He had to admit to himself that a part of the reason for staying with her was to see just how bad things got, whether Jake was right.
"Blue sandwich, got it. I'll get right to that as she returns your Hufflepuff hoodie she stole." Jake smirked at his friend, moving into the room. Ced had already tucked her in, but he wanted to make sure. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, he glanced at the other man. "You do realize you're never getting that back, right?"
"Don't underestimate the unspeakable skills, man," he replied, ever grateful that he'd been grafted back into the Summers family; just like before. "Besides, isn't there another undersized brunette waiting for you somewhere around here?" He threw in a dodgy eyebrow wiggle for effect.
"You're just jealous," Jake decided as he moved away from the bed. "Just, just take care of her for me? Because she wont let me." Turning on his heel, he left the room to have breakfast--and more--in bed with Mandy.
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Sam was feeling nice and floaty as she snuggled down. The air was quiet and still, so still that she could hear the crickets chirping from behind the cabin's walls. She liked being at camp. It was really really fun, except at night. Night was when she missed Mummy and Daddy and Jake the most. She missed the nights where she stayed up late watching telly with Jake before she fell asleep to the sounds of some guy named Jay Leno. It was times like this she wished she could go home.
"Hey, Sammy. Are you awake?" It was Thalia, who slept in the bunk below.
"Yep." Sam peeked over the side, her plaits swinging freely in the air. "What's up?"
"I miss home," the redhead whispered as she sat up. Even in the dim light the moon offered through the windows, Sam could see the beginning of tears shining in the other girl's blue eyes.
"So do I," she confided. "But the week's almost over and I can't wait to see my Mummy and Daddy and Jake."
"Who's Jake? Your dog?"
The brunette shook her head. "He's my big brother. He's the best."
"Oh. Well, goodnight, Sam."
"Night, Thalia." Giving a little wave, Sam slipped back into sleeping bag, thoughts of being back at home dancing in her mind's eye. She couldn't wait to go home.
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It was dark and cold and she could feel herself falling. Falling from where? She didn't know. Sam braced herself for an impact that never came. The crickets weren't chirping now. Their song replaced by yells and cries and screams for help. Something was on top of her, holding her down. "Where am I?" she cried out, her voice not the nine year old's she had been, but the sixteen year old she had become. "Help me?" She tried to push the formless object up and away from her, it wouldn't budge.
She was helpless and alone. And it was dark. Her eyes couldn't adjust. Her fingers couldn't find purchase. All she wanted to do was go home and now she was here. In the no where place. "Mummy? Daddy? Jake?" She clutched at herself. It was all her fault. All her fault.
His arms tightened around her tiny form, trying to still the vicious flailing that had suddenly exploded out of the tiny person next to him. Someone so small shouldn't be so strong, Ced thought with a grimace as he held her arms tight against her sides, keeping long-nailed hands from anywhere near her face. "Sam," he called, trying to break through the obvious nightmare. "Sam."
"My fault. My fault." She shivered as everything became tight around her. She couldn't move. "Not right. Not right." Everything was so mixed up. She had fallen and stopped, but nothing hurt. She was alone, but not. It was cold, but she remained fine. Green shadows danced at the corner of her vision as voices whispered at the edge of her hearing. A scream of frustration burst from her mouth, jolting her awake. She could move again. Her heart pounding, she glanced around the bare room. There was nothing. There was light. She was safe. Sam took deep, shuddering breaths.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Cedric pulled Sam into his chest, squeezing her narrow shoulders while he murmured in a low, comforting voice. "It's okay Sam, I'm here. Everything's fine. It's fine."
Sam tried to match her breathing to Ced's soft and steady one, but her heart was beating too fast and too loudly for her to do much of anything. "It's all wrong," she whined, groggy after the first jolt of adrenaline wore off. "I'm all fine and they're not. It's not fair. Why me?" She wrung her hands in her lap.
Why me, indeed. Cedric had asked himself that question countless times in various permutations of circumstances. Why couldn't he have just been let go, why didn't he know anything useful, why did his name get spat out of that contemptible cup? Now, as ever, all answers came up short, unsatisfactory. "I don't know, Sammy," he whispered against her hair, clasping her anxious hands in one of his own to stay their twisting, "I just don't know."
"Broken," she mumbled, her hands stilling under the light pressure of his large one. "Everything was fixed, but the no where place is back." She shivered, unconsciously burying deeper into his hold. "Broken."
It was not right, that what she was saying, no where places and broken things, seemed to be making so much damned sense to him. He knew all about nowhere places. What was he meant to say to her? Unsure, Cedric held her more tightly, instinctively rocking and murmuring low, soothing nonsense, willing her into wakefulness.
Clutching at his shirt, Sam took a few shallow breaths, tears leaking out of the corner of her closed eyes. Crimson was mixing with copper. She forced her eyes and ears open. Ced's heartbeat drowned out the screams. Grabbing on of his larger hands in hers, she began to examine it, taking in the most minute details and trying to supersede the images that still flashed in her mind's eye. He wore no rings, like Jake did on occasion, but his hands did tell a story. She traced the lines on his palms delicately, trying to piece together what exact story was being told.
He thought maybe it would help to get her to talk. "Sam," he began, making sure she was secure in his arms, "who am I?"
She blinked up at him. "Ced," she said slowly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"That's right, good girl. And where are we?" He needed to know that she'd stopped seeing the nightmare. Ced had't known if it was the right thing, but understood why Jake had taken the route that he did.
Her eyes returned downward. "Home." Sam ran her thumbs over his much larger palm, still trying to find the story. "Jake?" she asked after a few moments of silence.
"We're at Jake's house. He's asleep, kiddo." He improvised his answer. "Tell me what you can see," Cedric prompted.
"You, the bed, the walls, the furniture. The painting." She pointed to a landscape Jake had hung when Sam had commented about how depressingly boring the room's decor was. "This is a spare room." She looked up at Ced, worry etched across her face. "Is Jake mad at me?"
Her return to full consciousness flooded him with relief. "Of course not. A bit worried about you, maybe, but not mad."
She nodded, taking his words at full value. "Okay, but I'm still mad at him." Sam stared off into the distance, still holding Ced's large hand in the two of her smaller ones. "He lied," Sam said, unsure of what exactly she was accusing him of. She had lied to him too, before, but it was never like this. Because now she felt like she had been lying to herself. That she wasn't okay. Wasn't fixed. Wasn't whole. She had been, but something had shifted in the middle of the night.
"You're allowed to be mad, kiddo," even if he did it for all the right reasons. "D'you want me to take you home?"
"To my parents'?" She shook her head violently. She'd be alone there, parents already off to work. She didn't want to be alone now. Besides, Jake was just as good as home. "Jake's here."
"And so am I."
Sam pressed her face against his palm. "Yes you are."
Screaming. A bloodcurdling scream of terror was the first thing to cut through the fog of sleep that clouded Jake's mind. Popping up, out of bed, he rubbed his eyes as the screams sounded again, turning his head, he met Mandy's gaze. "Sam," he said after a moment, reaching down to grab a pair of sleep pants off the floor. As soon as they were on he was off and running out the door and up the stairs.
Barely even nodding to Ced who had already made his way into the room, Jake fell to his knees beside the bed. Though the screams had ceased for now, the lines of her body were stiff, full of tension, as she lay prostrate on the bed. Sam slept on her side, never on on her back. He reached out and brushed a few strands of sweat streaked hair away from her face. "Sammy Sunshine," he murmured softly. "Sammy."
Blue eyes slammed open, unseeing, as she let out a wordless cry. Seizing for a moment, Sam surged into a sitting position before slumping forward.
"Whoa, whoa." Jake stood swiftly, catching her. Pulling her into his arms, he sat on the bed, holding her close and rocking slightly.
Pinpricks of fire danced along her skin, causing Sam to moan as her eyes came into focus. "Jake?" she asked softly, her voice scratchy and strained. Her head lolled against his bicep, as if she didn't have the strength to hold it up. "What...?" she trailed off, exhausted.
"You had a nightmare, sunshine." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "That's all." He chose not to mention the seizing or the screaming. That discussion could be saved for when they were both more coherent.
"Oh." Her cheeks burned hot as eyes flicked first to Ced who was leaning against her desk to Mandy who hovered, worried, in the doorway. "Sorry.
"Not your fault," Jake kissed her temple again. "Unless you enjoy waking us all up in the middle of the night." He laughed slightly as he could feel her body shift. "Relax. It was a joke."
"No joking," she pouted sleepily, curling into his warmth. "Stay."
His eyes flicked over to Ced and Mandy, nodding minutely. "I had no intention of going anywhere." Jake's hand began to run through her hair soothingly. "Sleep now."
"Mkay."
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The night before had been exhaustive. Jake pulled the potion vial from the cupboard, placing it on the counter. Sam would be down any moment, probably looking for tea to keep her awake, even though all she needed was to sleep. He put the water on to boil and took out the tea. He would prefer if she slept, but he'd humor her for a bit before insisting she take something.
Covering her yawn with her hand, Sam shuffled into the kitchen, intent on getting herself some tea. The night before had shook her to the core. She thought she had a handle on her childish fears. Obviously not. Shivering, why was Jake's house always so cold, she pulled her commandeered hoodie closer to her body.
"Hi Jake." She smiled, seeing the water already set to boil.
"Hey, Sunshine." He held out an arm, indicating that she should snuggle up to him. "No offense, but you look like crap."
"Feel like crap," she said, wrapping an arm around his waist, hugging him. "Thank you for making tea." Yawning again, Sam's eyes fell on the potions vial. "What's that?" She reached over, taking the vial in hand, looking it over. It was brand new, the wax seal hadn't even been broken. "Jake?"
"Dreamless sleep," he plucked it out of her hand, putting it back on the table. This wasn't exactly the best forum to inform her of his plans, but it needed to be done. "You need to sleep, Sammy. It's not perfect, I know, but....."
She pulled away, horrified. "What? What do you mean? You want to drug me?"
As the kettle began to whistle, Jake pulled it off before it shattered his eardrums. He was a bit confused at her reaction to be honest, but she had been running short on sleep. Crankiness was to be expected. "You've got to admit, you're a little bitchy when you don't sleep," he joked, trying to keep the tone light.
She scowled at him, taking a few steps back, as blood pounded on her ears.
He began to prepare two cups of tea, careful to add a dose of Dreamless Sleep to one of them before adding milk and sugar. "Tea?" He tried not to react to her unusual reaction.
"Of course not," Sam snapped. "I'm not drugging myself to satisfy your need to feel manly and overprotective."
"Sam, that's ridiculous." Jake pushed the cup and saucer towards the teenager. "Just drink the damn tea and take a damn nap."
"No." Her chin jutted out stubbornly, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "No."
"Samantha," Jake snapped. "It's not like that and you know it. Calm down. Do you think I liked waking up to your screams, knowing that there was something I could do to help you? So drink the damn tea," he bit out.
"Well, it's not your decision to make!" Sam screamed at him, blinking back the tears. She didn't know why she was so upset, but she was frustrated with the whole damn situation. The nearby cup of tea exploded. Drops of hot tea landed on bare skin, scalded her. She didn't notice.
"Sam," he came around the island to grab at her, but she darted away. "Calm down."
Mandy came into the kitchen just as Sam was moving away, nearly colliding with the younger girl. She'd slipped on one of Jake's button down shirts and crept out of bed to find coffee when she'd heard their discussion, deciding to wait it out on the stairs until it seemed there was nothing else for it but to inject a hopefully calming influence into the situation. She put a gentle hand on Sam's forearm, trying to stay her retreat. "Are you okay, sweety?" she asked softly, flicking a questioning glance at an irate Jake.
Sam's eyes flicked over the older woman's form, a bubble of annoyance bursting when she saw Mandy was clad in one of her brother's shirts. Again. "No." She wrenched her arm away from the light grasp.
"Samantha!" Jake darted after his sister and around his girlfriend. He easily caught up to her on the stairs. "Stop acting like a spoiled brat. Drink the damn tea and take a nap. Merlin, you're worse than you were when you were two." Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he easily lifted her from her spot on the stairs, bringing her back into the kitchen.
"Takes one to know one, you big oaf." She kicked at him, smirking in cruel satisfaction as one well placed kick landed on a kneecaps, earning her a few choice words.
Mandy watched with wide eyes as he hauled her back into the room, slipping onto one of the stools so as to keep out of the way of flialing limbs. "Anyone for a calming draught," she muttered, feeling slightly uncomfortable but not willing to leave them alone and have things descend further.
Jake dropped his sister in a chair. "Sit. Stay." He went to retrieve the forgotten vial of potion.
"I'm not a dog to be ordered about, Jacob." Sam sniffed, crossed her arms and legs, but remained sat.
"Two sips. No more. No less." He held the vial out to her.
She looked up at him, a small, but identical smirk to his own, stared up at him. "No. And you can't make me."
Jake crouched down, looking into her eyes, his own smirk coming out to play. "Them's fighting words, Sunshine. Do really think you can fight me? I'm bigger, stronger. More agile."
"You forgot dumber too," she added sourly, as her hand came out, landing on his cheek with a crack. She pulled back slightly, her nails raking across his skin Pushing him off balance, sending him sprawling on his arse. Sam darted up and towards the door. She just wanted to get out of here. Maybe she'd floo back to her parents' home, spend the rest of the week there. Something. The air had become heavy, making it hard for her to breathe.
Mandy slid quickly from the stool and moved over to help Jake up, checking his cheek as she did so, concern flooding her eyes. "You okay?" she asked gently.
The commotion leading him straight to the kitchen, Cedric entered to find a curious sight before his eyes; Mandy helping up a pissed off looking Jake while Sam headed straight for him. Reflexively, he took hold of her skinny arms, effectively stopping the small girl from leaving. "What in the hell happened to breakfast?"
"Ask the drug happy bastard." Sam shot her brother a dirty look, a big ball of hurt began to form in the pit of her stomach, not helped when she caught sight of blood. "Let go, Ced." She was breathing heavily now and the only sounds she could hear was her breathing and the blood pounding in her ears.
"I'm fine. I'm fine." Jake assured Mandy as he stood, wiping away the wet tackiness of freshly spilled blood. Damn, her nails were sharp. "Ced, let her go. I can't help it if I'm trying to help her and she responds like an over tired toddler throwing a temper tantrum."
Sam let out a wordless, frustrated noise as she lunged for her brother, intent on inflicting more damage, but it was only Cedric's arms around her middle that stopped her from getting very far.
"Stop it," Mandy bit out, sounding frighteningly maternal. "Sit down, Sam, and take a deep bloody breath," she ordered, before turning to Jake. "And get your hand off your cheek so I can heal it, for Merlin's sake."
Now that a modicum of calm had been brought, Ced spoke in a low, even tone. "Sam, talk. What's wrong?" He chanced a glance over at Jake, who was being browbeaten into a chair by the tiny brunette, wand ready to fix the damage.
Sam whined slightly, but when the man nearly holding her upright shot her a dark look, she sighed. "He's a cunting bastard."
"Samantha!" Jake peeked around Mandy's shoulder, eyes almost comically round at the type of language coming from his normally polite sister. Something was going on here. She wasn't acting like herself. While the teenager was never afraid to say no to him, it was never over something as simple as getting extra sleep after a difficult night. "Watch your language." He turned to glare at Mandy. "Will you stop poking at me with your wand?"
Mandy plonked herself unceremoniously on his lap, as if just to prove that she wasn't going anywhere. "I'm not poking you, I'm trying to bloody well fix you," she hissed with a tap to his shoulder, emphasising her point. "Hold still."
Instinctively, Ced leaned forward to wrap her in a hug, not sure if he should let her have her way or stay and talk. Obviously, they needed to discuss this at some point, but maybe letting her go back to her parents' place and giving everyone a chance to calm down would be the best course of action.
Jake sneered at Mandy, but still, his arms came up to wrap his arms around her waist so she wouldn't fall off his lap.
Sam leaned into the hug. She quite liked physical affection, only not when she when she was about to be forced to do something against her will. She blinked as she tried to calm her breaths, feeling like she was about to hyperventilate any moment.
Poking him once in the side for good measure, Mandy set about casting healing spells over his face, watching in satisfaction as the skin knit itself back together and smoothed over once more. Valiantly, she resisted the urge to let it sting and pay him back for his mulishness, instead leaning in to kiss it better.
Cedric didn't say anything, just held her tightly until she knew he wouldn't let go. He understood the reasoning behind what Jake had done, but he couldn't agree with keeping the truth from Sam about this. Then again, it wasn't his issue to judge. He just needed to know how to fix it.
Jake leaned over, returning Mandy's kiss. "Thanks." He looked over to his sister and best friend. Sam looked about ready to pass out from pure exhaustion rather than from any potions induced sleepiness. "You can let her go, Ced." Catching Ced's eyes with his own, Jake tried to convey his thoughts and feelings. His little sister would be looking for physical comfort right about now, but not from him. Ced was the next best thing and probably the right person to offer such comfort. Besides, with all his fancy DoM training, if Sam made a move to slap him, Ced could probably pin her against any available surface.
At her brother's words, Sam's eyes flew open. She didn't really want to leave Ced's warm and comforting embrace right now. Especially when he was practically the one holding her up. She yawned again, leaning her head on his arm. "Bite me," she mumbled, fight suddenly gone.
Despite Jake's words, they both knew she didn't want to be let go or left alone. "How about you have a nap and the biting can happen when you're a bit more awake?" Without waiting for an answer Cedric scooped her up, careful to keep her head from jostling. He nodded to Jake and Mandy over the top of Sam's head, sitting there looking somehow perfectly natural with each other, and headed for the stairs. "I'll stay with you," he promised in a murmur.
Once they were alone, Mandy turned back to Jake, a gentle hand on his now-healed face. "You alright?" she asked softly.
"Well that went all pear shaped." Gingerly, he touched the side of his face that Sam had scratched. The area was still slightly tender. "Vicious little bitch," he said softly, a tinge of pride in his voice. Their stubbornness was equally matching. It was no surprise, to him at least, that it had become physical. Thank Merlin they weren't closer in age, or else they both might be carrying scars by the other's hand.
"You didn't answer my question," Mandy said wryly. Even so, she moved slightly so that she was nestled against his chest, hoping that the closer she got, the better he'd feel.
Gently depositing a barely-conscious Sam on the large guest bed, Ced tucked the blankets around her and then stretched out next to the tiny thing, pulling her gently into his side, knowing she'd need the comforting contact.
Sam rolled into her heat source, a wordless groan sounding somewhere from her throat. Shutting her eyes tight against the light spilling in from the window, she tried to force herself to sleep, to get away from the mess that was downstairs. Slowly, but surely her breaths evened out.
Downstairs, Jake pulled Mandy into a hug. "Thank you," he said again. "Someone needed to be the voice of reason around here."
"I think I was more the voice of bossiness," she murmured, content as he held her against the warmth of his chest. "I don't know if it was necessarily the right thing, but I know why you did it. You're always trying to be a good brother." It's one of the things I love about you.
"Bossiness we can handle." He ran a hand through her hair. "You've not seen much of our mother, but she's definitely bossy."
"All the best ones are. I intend to be the bossiest mother around." Her eyes widened at what she'd just said. He probably didn't even want to know about her plans for kids.
"And you'll be a damn good one. How about some tea or coffee?" He helped her off his lap. "And I promise, no potions added." Jake hadn't missed the ways her eyes widened after she mentioned the thing about kids. He was too good at reading people not to. The mere mention of them didn't frighten him, much. Personally, he never really saw himself as a father figure, but in many ways he had been playing that role since Sam was born. The only difference would be that he had some part in the actual creation of the little spawn.
"You could add whiskey instead and make it Irish," she joked, perching on a stool and watching him move about the kitchen. While she'd certainly thought about kids, she'd only vaguely considered Jake and kids. Was that what she wanted? Would it be something he could want with her? She didn't know. She needed coffee.
He pulled the coffee beans from the freezer and began to grind them. "While I would normally be liberal with the alcohol, isn't it a bit early in the morning?" His eyes flicked up at the clock as he put the coffee on brew "We have to wait until noon at least."
"Technically, it's after twelve somewhere in the world." She slipped from her stool and moved over behind him, wrapping her arms around Jake's waist and leaning her cheek against the warm expanse of his back.
"But not here," he laughed. "Want anything else, besides coffee? I make some mean toast and jam."
"Sounds good," she said through a yawn, still wrapped around him. "Any chance we could take it back to bed and snuggle, maybe?" Ah, the benefits of being self employed.
"Raspberry or strawberry?"
"Strawberry, obviously." Unwilling, she detached herself from Jake's frame and bent down to retrieve plates, setting them on the bench.
Fifteen minutes later they were making their way up to his room, coffee and toast in hand. "I'm going to check on them, okay?" Jake asked as they reached the first floor's landing. His eyes glanced upwards.
"'Kay." Mandy took his breakfast stuff with a levitating charm and headed off, leaving him alone to look in on his sister. When she reached the master bedroom, Mandy conjured up a little table so they could eat in bed and crawled back under the warm covers, nestled in the cozy cavern of blankets.
Jake continued up the stairs. When he reached the landing to the next floor, he saw one of the doors to the spare bedrooms propped open. Good, so Ced had taken Sam to a nice neutral zone. Knocking on the door lightly, he popped his head in. A spot of jealousy flared up when he saw his sister wrapped up in his best friend's arms, sleeping peacefully. Shaking his head, he gave his friend a small smile. "Everything okay?"
Ced nodded from where he was propped up against a mound of pillows. "Mmm, nothing unusual so far, just a bit of sleepy murmuring. Apparently you're to give back her blue sandwich," he relayed with a smile. Once she'd had a decent amount of sleep, he'd make sure they sorted out this mess. He had to admit to himself that a part of the reason for staying with her was to see just how bad things got, whether Jake was right.
"Blue sandwich, got it. I'll get right to that as she returns your Hufflepuff hoodie she stole." Jake smirked at his friend, moving into the room. Ced had already tucked her in, but he wanted to make sure. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, he glanced at the other man. "You do realize you're never getting that back, right?"
"Don't underestimate the unspeakable skills, man," he replied, ever grateful that he'd been grafted back into the Summers family; just like before. "Besides, isn't there another undersized brunette waiting for you somewhere around here?" He threw in a dodgy eyebrow wiggle for effect.
"You're just jealous," Jake decided as he moved away from the bed. "Just, just take care of her for me? Because she wont let me." Turning on his heel, he left the room to have breakfast--and more--in bed with Mandy.
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Sam was feeling nice and floaty as she snuggled down. The air was quiet and still, so still that she could hear the crickets chirping from behind the cabin's walls. She liked being at camp. It was really really fun, except at night. Night was when she missed Mummy and Daddy and Jake the most. She missed the nights where she stayed up late watching telly with Jake before she fell asleep to the sounds of some guy named Jay Leno. It was times like this she wished she could go home.
"Hey, Sammy. Are you awake?" It was Thalia, who slept in the bunk below.
"Yep." Sam peeked over the side, her plaits swinging freely in the air. "What's up?"
"I miss home," the redhead whispered as she sat up. Even in the dim light the moon offered through the windows, Sam could see the beginning of tears shining in the other girl's blue eyes.
"So do I," she confided. "But the week's almost over and I can't wait to see my Mummy and Daddy and Jake."
"Who's Jake? Your dog?"
The brunette shook her head. "He's my big brother. He's the best."
"Oh. Well, goodnight, Sam."
"Night, Thalia." Giving a little wave, Sam slipped back into sleeping bag, thoughts of being back at home dancing in her mind's eye. She couldn't wait to go home.
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It was dark and cold and she could feel herself falling. Falling from where? She didn't know. Sam braced herself for an impact that never came. The crickets weren't chirping now. Their song replaced by yells and cries and screams for help. Something was on top of her, holding her down. "Where am I?" she cried out, her voice not the nine year old's she had been, but the sixteen year old she had become. "Help me?" She tried to push the formless object up and away from her, it wouldn't budge.
She was helpless and alone. And it was dark. Her eyes couldn't adjust. Her fingers couldn't find purchase. All she wanted to do was go home and now she was here. In the no where place. "Mummy? Daddy? Jake?" She clutched at herself. It was all her fault. All her fault.
His arms tightened around her tiny form, trying to still the vicious flailing that had suddenly exploded out of the tiny person next to him. Someone so small shouldn't be so strong, Ced thought with a grimace as he held her arms tight against her sides, keeping long-nailed hands from anywhere near her face. "Sam," he called, trying to break through the obvious nightmare. "Sam."
"My fault. My fault." She shivered as everything became tight around her. She couldn't move. "Not right. Not right." Everything was so mixed up. She had fallen and stopped, but nothing hurt. She was alone, but not. It was cold, but she remained fine. Green shadows danced at the corner of her vision as voices whispered at the edge of her hearing. A scream of frustration burst from her mouth, jolting her awake. She could move again. Her heart pounding, she glanced around the bare room. There was nothing. There was light. She was safe. Sam took deep, shuddering breaths.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Cedric pulled Sam into his chest, squeezing her narrow shoulders while he murmured in a low, comforting voice. "It's okay Sam, I'm here. Everything's fine. It's fine."
Sam tried to match her breathing to Ced's soft and steady one, but her heart was beating too fast and too loudly for her to do much of anything. "It's all wrong," she whined, groggy after the first jolt of adrenaline wore off. "I'm all fine and they're not. It's not fair. Why me?" She wrung her hands in her lap.
Why me, indeed. Cedric had asked himself that question countless times in various permutations of circumstances. Why couldn't he have just been let go, why didn't he know anything useful, why did his name get spat out of that contemptible cup? Now, as ever, all answers came up short, unsatisfactory. "I don't know, Sammy," he whispered against her hair, clasping her anxious hands in one of his own to stay their twisting, "I just don't know."
"Broken," she mumbled, her hands stilling under the light pressure of his large one. "Everything was fixed, but the no where place is back." She shivered, unconsciously burying deeper into his hold. "Broken."
It was not right, that what she was saying, no where places and broken things, seemed to be making so much damned sense to him. He knew all about nowhere places. What was he meant to say to her? Unsure, Cedric held her more tightly, instinctively rocking and murmuring low, soothing nonsense, willing her into wakefulness.
Clutching at his shirt, Sam took a few shallow breaths, tears leaking out of the corner of her closed eyes. Crimson was mixing with copper. She forced her eyes and ears open. Ced's heartbeat drowned out the screams. Grabbing on of his larger hands in hers, she began to examine it, taking in the most minute details and trying to supersede the images that still flashed in her mind's eye. He wore no rings, like Jake did on occasion, but his hands did tell a story. She traced the lines on his palms delicately, trying to piece together what exact story was being told.
He thought maybe it would help to get her to talk. "Sam," he began, making sure she was secure in his arms, "who am I?"
She blinked up at him. "Ced," she said slowly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"That's right, good girl. And where are we?" He needed to know that she'd stopped seeing the nightmare. Ced had't known if it was the right thing, but understood why Jake had taken the route that he did.
Her eyes returned downward. "Home." Sam ran her thumbs over his much larger palm, still trying to find the story. "Jake?" she asked after a few moments of silence.
"We're at Jake's house. He's asleep, kiddo." He improvised his answer. "Tell me what you can see," Cedric prompted.
"You, the bed, the walls, the furniture. The painting." She pointed to a landscape Jake had hung when Sam had commented about how depressingly boring the room's decor was. "This is a spare room." She looked up at Ced, worry etched across her face. "Is Jake mad at me?"
Her return to full consciousness flooded him with relief. "Of course not. A bit worried about you, maybe, but not mad."
She nodded, taking his words at full value. "Okay, but I'm still mad at him." Sam stared off into the distance, still holding Ced's large hand in the two of her smaller ones. "He lied," Sam said, unsure of what exactly she was accusing him of. She had lied to him too, before, but it was never like this. Because now she felt like she had been lying to herself. That she wasn't okay. Wasn't fixed. Wasn't whole. She had been, but something had shifted in the middle of the night.
"You're allowed to be mad, kiddo," even if he did it for all the right reasons. "D'you want me to take you home?"
"To my parents'?" She shook her head violently. She'd be alone there, parents already off to work. She didn't want to be alone now. Besides, Jake was just as good as home. "Jake's here."
"And so am I."
Sam pressed her face against his palm. "Yes you are."