Sokeefe - Until She Was Ready For More

Chapter 24

Sophie and Keefe soon fell into a bit of a rhythm.

Mornings consisted of getting the boys ready for school, afternoons held adventures with Alora, and evenings, the contentment of being a family. Sophie and Keefe continued to have small moments, moments when their hands would brush or one of them would get particularly close to the other. Sophie continued to deny her growing attraction to the elf she shared a room with, although, they both continued to sleep separately. While both were willing to share the bed, neither had the courage to bring it up, rendering their willingness useless. 

This routine continued on for five days before something finally changed. 

***

"Goodnight, Keefe." Sophie said as she slipped under the sheets of the large bed her future self shared with her future husband. 

"Night, Foster." Keefe sighed. 

Sophie's eyebrows crinkled in worry. She hated making Keefe sleep on the floor, but Keefe would never let her switch with him, and the only other alternative was one she wasn't ready to offer unless he brought it up first. 

Sophie shifted her gaze to the ceiling, staring at it like it held to the answers to all her questions. 

"Keefe?" she asked after a few minutes of silence. Not knowing if he was asleep, she said the name quietly. 

"Yeah, Lady Fos-Boss?" he answered quitely. 

"Do you think..." she started before pausing. "Do you think we'll ever get home?" she questioned softly. Keefe was silent for a moment.

Just when she was convinced he'd fallen asleep, his sleepy and slurred voice answered her. 

"I don't know, Sophie." he whispered and Sophie noticed his change of names and the exhaustion in his voice that didn't come from being tired. "I really hope so."

Sophie nodded, even though he couldn't see her, and turned on her side, snuggling into her pillow.

"But, as much as I want to go home, I wouldn't mind being stuck here forever as long as you were by my side." Keefe added so quietly that Sophie almost didn't hear him. Instead of saying something in acknowledgement of his words, Sophie moved closer to the side of the bed, letting her hand fall over the side and welcoming Keefe to take it. 

Within seconds, she felt a large and warm hand clasp her own. Keefe stroked his thumb over the back of hand, providing her solace. 

The added comfort of Keefe's touch soon caused Sophie's eyes to start falling closed. Sleep slowly drew her in until she was a captive of it once more. 

***

She was running through a forest. She didn't know what she was running from, but she knew it wasn't good. Sophie jerked her head backwards to look at the figure chasing her, continuing to pump her legs. The elf behind her was wearing a cloak with a stitched white eye on it. Neverseen. 

"Stop running." an all-too familiar voice said from under the black hood. Sophie ran faster, but was still unable to put more distance between her and the man chasing her. 

"Stop running away from me, Foster." the voice continued and now she knew exactly why it sounded so familiar to her. It was Keefe.

"Keefe?" Sophie breathed, coming to a stop and turning around. 

"Hello, Foster." he said, slowly walking towards her and stopping in front of her. He pulled his hood down, revealing a face she knew almost as well as her own. 

"Keefe, what's going on? Why are you wearing that?" 

"Why, because I'm part of the Neverseen, of course." Keefe smirked darkly.

"What?" Sophie gasped, all the air leaving her lungs. She felt she had been punched in the gut. 

"You heard me, Foster. I was never on your side. I can't believe you were dumb enough to fall for it. Oh wait. I can. You were so naive. So stupid. So desperate for someone you could trust. You are weak. You are nothing, Sophie Elizabeth Foster. No one will ever love you. I will never love you. I hate you." Keefe hissed, his words cutting into Sophie like a knife. 

She fell to her knees, as sob bubbling out of her. How could Keefe do this to her? He'd promised to never to hate her, just as she'd promised to never hate him. Her heart felt like it was being ripped out of her chest. 

Suddenly, a blue breeze blew through the air. It blew past her, a sense of calm settling over her. 

"Foster?" Keefe's voice whispered. At the nickname, the same sense of devastation washed back over her, erasing the calm. She wouldn't - couldn't - look at him. Tears started to run down Sophie's face, her sobs the only sound in the quiet forest. A pair of arms wrapped around her from the back and she leaned into them and cried. The arms tightened their grip around her, holding her close. 

"It's ok, Sophie. I've got you." Keefe murmured in her ear. 

"No! Stop messing with my head! Get away from me!" Sophie cried, pushing herself out of his arms and holding her hands to her head. Tears still ran down her face as she put more and more distance between them. A look of hurt crossed his face and he reached his hand out to her. 

"Don't touch me!" 

Keefe visibly flinched. 

"Foster-"

"Stop calling me that! I'm so sick of being played. I know you hate me, so just leave me alone." she sobbed. 

"I could never hate you." Keefe said softly. 

"Stop lying." 

"I'm not, Sophie. Whatever happened before wasn't real." he said, slowly moving towards her. She watched him warily, but let him keep coming until he was sitting in front of her. He held his arms open and she fell into them. 

"It's going to be alright. I'm here now." he whispered. 

***

Sophie sat up in the bed, her eyes flying open, pure terror filling them. She gasped for breath, everything from her nightmare coming back. 

"Just a dream." she muttered to herself over and over again.

Her eyes filled with tears and she turned to the side, suprised to see Keefe sitting next to her on the bed, her hand in his.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. She nodded, even as the tears ran down her face. Keefe smiled slightly and held his arms open. Sophie collapsed into them and clung to him. 

"It was just a nightmare." he soothed and she nodded against his chest. 

After a few minutes, Sophie started to calm down and Keefe slowly started to work his way out of her hold. He went to move back to the floor, but her hand caught his. 

"Could you stay up here tonight?" Sophie whispered, a blush creeping across her face as she averted her eyes from his face. 

"Sure, Foster." he breathed, moving back to the bed. 

They both laid down, on separate sides but facing each other. 

"Could you..." Sophie trailed off, motioning for him to come closer. 

"Foster-" he started.

"Please?" 

Keefe sighed before moving closer to her, leaving only centimeters between them. Being that close to Sophie just reminded him of what he couldn't have. 

Sophie reached for his hand and buried her face in his neck. 

"You don't hate me?" she murmured.

"I could never." he said softly.

"Thank you, Keefe."

"No problem, Foster." 

They both soon drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, no nightmares in sight.