Hunter: Crossroads

Chapter 1

Opening one eye, it was still dark and I'm not sure why I was waking up until I felt something wet moving beside me. Turning on the bedside lamp, I look at Cain and sure enough he's tossing and turning, his skin sleek with sweat. It wasn't an unfamiliar sight, at least not since we'd been back from the other realm and his nightmares only seemed to be getting more intense as the days went on.

"Cain?" Touching his arm, I don't know if I should wake him. "Cain."

Just as I'm about to say his name again, he's up with a gasp. Looking around confused, I give him a second, shifting further to turn to face him.

"Another bad dream?" I whisper, unsure if he even heard me as he doesn't respond. He just wipes his face and heads off into the bathroom. So I sit and wait., toying with the edge of the sheet unsure what to do now.

This is how it goes. He won't talk about it, and I stopped asking. Instead I wait, and the guilt he comes out with is worse than anything else I'd be willing to face. He'd get back into bed and that would be it until the next night. I wasn't sure what it would take to stop it at this point.

"My, hasn't everything changed." Portia mused, suddenly beside me in the bed.

"Because my night couldn't get any better." I groan.

"If you ever wondered what domestic bliss looked like, you just left the honeymoon stage Elise. It only gets worse from here. Secrets. No communication." She frowned, looking serious as she faced me now. "Giving up all you did for whatever this is hardly seems fair."

"I want to be here, I gave up nothing. Is this how it's going to be now?"

Her endless little pop ups, a hello here and a pretend crown on my head there were nearly as reliable as Cain's nightmares each night. Apparently tonight, the two wanted to crossover.

Portia shrugged, glancing towards the bathroom door. "Well, that depends."

"On what?"

"What happens next."

She's gone as the door opens, the exhausted guilty look on Cain's face disappearing as he looked around and stopping at the end of the bed his question was clear.

"Portia." I sigh, laying back down. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not unless she told you how to get rid of her once and for all." Sitting back up, he just shrugs.

"It's practically every night."

"She's been here every night?" His face goes blank, but there's still guilt in his eyes.

"Stupid doesn't look cute on you." Getting up I stand in front of him, forcing him to look at me as he instantly went to move away. "You and me, remember? I gave you time, some space. I wait, every night and you can't say it's nothing because clearly it's something. I know it's all been a lot and I understand, at least some of it, just dont push me away."

His body stiffened as I slid my hand down from the side of his face and onto his chest. Slowly his hand came up to cover mine.

"I'm not pushing you away. There are things I can't-"

"Can't or won't?" He said nothing and with a small nod, I stepped back. "You know, I'm not actually tired anymore. I am just going to take a run."

"Elle," he followed me out into the living room. "It's nearly two in the morning and you don't run."

He had a point.

"She got in my head." I admitted. "Secrets. No communication and-"

"They're just, nightmares. It doesn't mean anything." It felt more like a confession.