Sweet silk; Tattered leather

Chapter Ten: Spending time together

Johnny waits in the doorway, watching Fable as she sleeps. He left her hours ago to finally eat. Honestly, how much she has been sleeping is worrisome.

'Is she having a nightmare?' Johnny thinks as Fable whimpers in her sleep. He has been watching her for a few minutes now, listening to her whimper and watching her toss and turn. The longer he watches, the worse the feeling in his gut gets. With a sigh, he crosses the room. The bed groans slightly as he crawls across it.

"Baby girl," Johnny whispers in Fable's ear, chuckling when she curls up into a tight little ball. She looks so tiny on his bed.

"Baaaby, it's time to eat," Johnny adds, placing a sweet kiss on her ear. With a groan, Fable pulls the blanket over her head.

"Fable, dear... You need to get up and eat." Johnny chuckles, sliding his arms under the cover. Fable whimpers, rolling away from him.

"What?" Fable whines, burying her face into Johnny's chest as he carefully scoops her up. It takes a little work to dig her out of the covers, but he manages it.

'Damn, he smells good.' Fable thinks as she struggles to open her eyes. She has a massive headache, but having Johnny so close seems to be helping a little.

"It's time to eat, honey," Johnny says sweetly, carefully untangling her earrings from her hair.

"I'm not hungry," Fable mutters sleepily as she buries her face into his chest.

'Why does he have to smell so good? It's intoxicating.' Fable thinks, nudging the crock of his neck with her nose.

'Is it his aftershave?' She thinks before gasping when Johnny pulls her to the edge of the bed, still firmly against his chest.

"I don't care. Dear, you need to eat." Johnny says firmly as he stands. Fable gives a startled gasp, clinging to Johnny's shoulders as he carries her out of the room.

"You don't weigh a thing," Johnny adds about halfway down the stairs. Fable remains quiet, too disappointed in herself to look at him.

Once in the dining room, Johnny carefully sets Fable in his normal seat, pushing her in before walking around the table and taking a seat in her normal spot.

"I hope you like pork," Johnny says as he begins assembling a pulled pork sandwich from the spread between them.

"As long as it's not pork chops," Fable says with a forced smile as she slowly builds her sandwich.

"I'll make a note of that." Johnny chuckles before taking a large bite of his sandwich. He pouts slightly when a bunch of the filling comes out the other end.

"That's why you pinch the end." Fable laughs before demonstrating with her sandwich, taking a large bite. Johnny simply chuckles before giving it a try.

"See, easy." Fable giggles before diving into her food.

'I didn't think it would be that easy to convince her to eat.' Johnny thinks with a smile. After a few moments of silent nibbling, Johnny speaks.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Johnny asks from across the table.

"Fine," Fable says simply.

"Fable." Johnny sighs as he uses a napkin to clean his hands. Fable grows still before slowly setting the remains of her sandwich down.

"You're showing signs of depression, baby...That's the last thing I want." Johnny says with a deep sigh, watching Fable with worried eyes.

"I'm sorry," Fable says weakly as her hands tremble beside her plant. Much to Johnny's shock, Fable flinches when he stands. He immediately freezes, watching her carefully. Her lower lip is trembling slightly as she stares a hole into the table. With slow and careful steps, Johnny makes his way around the table. Fable doesn't move, even after he kneels beside her.