[J1W] Affection
[Set in wayward_au. Sam is likely_evil who is used with permission because it’s his mun’s birthday and she wanted Sam/Ruby fic. Set a bit in the future.]
“Mommy?”
For about five seconds, Ruby was tempted to just leave her eyes closed and pretend that she was in the deepest of deep sleeps, but she knew that Olivia wouldn’t take that well. At all. Olivia seemed to have landed herself a case of nightmares that didn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. Ruby wasn’t really sure what to make of it at this point, because she was so young that it really could be anything. Add to that the fact that she was a really sensitive kid to begin with and ignoring her didn’t go over well at all.
She usually went to Sam first-she was a Daddy’s girl all the way-but tonight Sam wasn’t here and so Ruby was her only option. Ruby shifted a bit so that she was lying on her stomach, before cracking an eye open to look at the four year-old standing next to her bed, clutching her favorite stuffed puppy under one arm and looking at her the wide eyes pouty eyes.
“What’s wrong, kiddo?” she asked, reaching one hand out to brush the top of her head lightly. “Can’t sleep?”
She shook her head sullenly and just moved closer to her mother burying her face in Ruby’s shoulder as she got picked up and placed on the bed next to her. “Bad dream,” she murmured. “Where’s Daddy?”
“He’s out late tonight,” Ruby replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “He’ll be back, though.”
“Don’t like it,” she murmured, a tiny cold nose pressed against her mother’s side. “He should be home. It’s late.”
“I don’t disagree with you,” she said softly, rubbing her daughters back, hoping the affection would lull her back to sleep. “But he’ll be home soon. I promise.”
“I don’t want him home soon, I want him home now.” There was a hint of fear in her voice, just a twinge and just enough for her to hear it, and Ruby looked down at her daughter, using her hand to brush the little girl’s hair away from her face.
“Why?” Ruby asked softly. “Liv, what happened in your dream?”
“Don’t wanna talk about it.”
“Livvie-”
“I don’t wanna talk about it!”Ruby could feel her daughter’s shoulders shaking, almost as though she was trying to hold something back, and she took a breath before letting it go, just pulling her daughter closer.
“It’s okay, baby,” she sighed softly. “We don’t have to talk about it.”
Olivia relaxed a bit at the reassurance, before curling into her mother’s side again. “’m gonna stay up till Daddy gets home, ‘kay?”
“Might be waiting a long time.”
“I can do it,” she said softly.
Fortunately for Ruby, her need for sleep overran her determination, and in about thirty minutes she was asleep again, but Ruby wasn’t as lucky. She was still up when Sam stumbled in from wherever he had gone, frowning slightly when he saw his daughter next to his wife.
“She have another nightmare again?”
Ruby nodded, watching him as he stripped out of his shirt and jeans and pulled on a pair of sweatpants before starting to slide into bed next to her, placing an gentle arm around Olivia so that he didn’t crush her. “They’re getting worse. And a little bit closer to home.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, looking up at his wife.
“She didn’t like it that you weren’t home,” she replied. “Not that I am all that fond of it either, but it almost seemed like her dream had been about you. That something bad was going to happen to you.”
“You think she might be-?”
“It wouldn’t be farfetched.” She looked down at her daughter before looking up at Sam again. “And I’m not fond of the idea, but it’s a possibility.”
Sam nodded slowly, before leaning over his daughter to kiss her gently. “I’ll ask Alec to look into it in the morning.”
“Thank you,” she sighed, curling up next to him and feeling the warm weight of their daughter pressed between them. “And I still want to know where you went tonight.”
Sam chuckled, kissing her forehead lightly. “What? Don’t like surprises?”
“When it comes to my birthday that I never should have told you I had? Yes. I definitely don’t.”
“Relax,” Sam sighed. “You’ll like it. Trust me.”
“Are there strippers?”
“Ruby-”
“I’m just saying. Could be better if they were strippers.”
“How ‘bout just me stripping later? When we’re alone.”
She took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and settled in closer. “I think I can work with that.”
“Good.”
772 words
“Mommy?”
For about five seconds, Ruby was tempted to just leave her eyes closed and pretend that she was in the deepest of deep sleeps, but she knew that Olivia wouldn’t take that well. At all. Olivia seemed to have landed herself a case of nightmares that didn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. Ruby wasn’t really sure what to make of it at this point, because she was so young that it really could be anything. Add to that the fact that she was a really sensitive kid to begin with and ignoring her didn’t go over well at all.
She usually went to Sam first-she was a Daddy’s girl all the way-but tonight Sam wasn’t here and so Ruby was her only option. Ruby shifted a bit so that she was lying on her stomach, before cracking an eye open to look at the four year-old standing next to her bed, clutching her favorite stuffed puppy under one arm and looking at her the wide eyes pouty eyes.
“What’s wrong, kiddo?” she asked, reaching one hand out to brush the top of her head lightly. “Can’t sleep?”
She shook her head sullenly and just moved closer to her mother burying her face in Ruby’s shoulder as she got picked up and placed on the bed next to her. “Bad dream,” she murmured. “Where’s Daddy?”
“He’s out late tonight,” Ruby replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “He’ll be back, though.”
“Don’t like it,” she murmured, a tiny cold nose pressed against her mother’s side. “He should be home. It’s late.”
“I don’t disagree with you,” she said softly, rubbing her daughters back, hoping the affection would lull her back to sleep. “But he’ll be home soon. I promise.”
“I don’t want him home soon, I want him home now.” There was a hint of fear in her voice, just a twinge and just enough for her to hear it, and Ruby looked down at her daughter, using her hand to brush the little girl’s hair away from her face.
“Why?” Ruby asked softly. “Liv, what happened in your dream?”
“Don’t wanna talk about it.”
“Livvie-”
“I don’t wanna talk about it!”Ruby could feel her daughter’s shoulders shaking, almost as though she was trying to hold something back, and she took a breath before letting it go, just pulling her daughter closer.
“It’s okay, baby,” she sighed softly. “We don’t have to talk about it.”
Olivia relaxed a bit at the reassurance, before curling into her mother’s side again. “’m gonna stay up till Daddy gets home, ‘kay?”
“Might be waiting a long time.”
“I can do it,” she said softly.
Fortunately for Ruby, her need for sleep overran her determination, and in about thirty minutes she was asleep again, but Ruby wasn’t as lucky. She was still up when Sam stumbled in from wherever he had gone, frowning slightly when he saw his daughter next to his wife.
“She have another nightmare again?”
Ruby nodded, watching him as he stripped out of his shirt and jeans and pulled on a pair of sweatpants before starting to slide into bed next to her, placing an gentle arm around Olivia so that he didn’t crush her. “They’re getting worse. And a little bit closer to home.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, looking up at his wife.
“She didn’t like it that you weren’t home,” she replied. “Not that I am all that fond of it either, but it almost seemed like her dream had been about you. That something bad was going to happen to you.”
“You think she might be-?”
“It wouldn’t be farfetched.” She looked down at her daughter before looking up at Sam again. “And I’m not fond of the idea, but it’s a possibility.”
Sam nodded slowly, before leaning over his daughter to kiss her gently. “I’ll ask Alec to look into it in the morning.”
“Thank you,” she sighed, curling up next to him and feeling the warm weight of their daughter pressed between them. “And I still want to know where you went tonight.”
Sam chuckled, kissing her forehead lightly. “What? Don’t like surprises?”
“When it comes to my birthday that I never should have told you I had? Yes. I definitely don’t.”
“Relax,” Sam sighed. “You’ll like it. Trust me.”
“Are there strippers?”
“Ruby-”
“I’m just saying. Could be better if they were strippers.”
“How ‘bout just me stripping later? When we’re alone.”
She took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and settled in closer. “I think I can work with that.”
“Good.”
772 words