KOTLC After Stellarlune-A Sokeefe Story

A Gift

"Alright, Foster, it's time to wake up." Keefe's voice was quiet and gentle, his hand softly rubbing her arm as he tried to wake her.

Sophie groaned but didn't open her eyes. Instead, she merely tried to nestle in closer to Keefe and bury her face in his chest.

That was, until she heard someone clear their throat.

Sophie's eyes flew open. She scrambled to sit up straight and looked at Grady, standing over them.

She could see that he wasn't angry. Sandor must've filled them in on the situation. But still, Grady finding her cuddled up sleeping next to Keefe was not a comfortable experience.

It would seem Grady was choosing not to address it. At least not yet. He simply helped her to her feet, pulled her into his arms for a hug and said "I'm sorry you had such a rough night, kiddo. But I'm glad Sandor and Tha...Keefe took good care of you."

"Thanks, Dad," Sophie said as she pulled away. "Last night was..." she shuddered, remembering. "I haven't had nightmares in a while now, especially one that bad."

"Hopefully that'll be the only one," Grady said. His eyes darted to Keefe and back to Sophie. "We may need to figure out how to handle it if this is going to start happening more often though."

Sophie merely kissed Grady's cheek and nodded. "Guess it's time for Foxfire?"

"You probably have a few minutes until you need to get ready, but yes." Much to Sophie's surprise, Grady smiled warmly at Keefe. "Thank you for taking care of our girl last night." And with that, he headed back to the house. Sophie turned to Keefe, who had stood up and was attempting to stretch his back. She loved seeing the happy grin on his face at Grady's words.

"Sleeping with my back up against a tree is...not great," he admitted, laughing. But then he reached out and lightly traced his fingers along her cheek. "But sleeping with you in my arms might have been the best thing I've ever done."

Sophie blushed. "Thank you for that. For all of it. I woke up from that dream and felt like I was drowning. It reminded me of how I felt with the shadowflux...like even when I was awake I couldn't escape it. And then you came and pulled me out of it."

Keefe stepped closer. "I know you feel a little embarrassed about it, but please don't. You gave me an amazing gift last night."

Sophie looked at him, confused. "A gift?? How was waking you up and scaring you and crying irrationally in your arms a gift?"

Keefe smiled as he put his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer. "Because it's my arms you wanted around you. I know we've been together for several months now, but it still feels almost too good to be true that you chose me. I could feel how much you trust me, how much you love me. You needed me last night. You don't know how amazing it feels to be wanted and needed." He brought one hand up, hooking one finger under her chin to tilt her face up towards his. "And you gave me a glimpse of what my future holds, getting to fall asleep next to you at night, being the one to protect you and comfort you."

With that, he tilted his head down and kissed her. This one sweet, gentle kiss chased away the last vestiges of the nightmare.

After a moment, Sophie pulled away and said "you already do that so well."

Keefe snickered. "What, kiss you? Believe me, I know how much you like that. Empath, remember? It's obvious that I make you weak at the knees, but honestly, who could blame you?" He smirked.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Well you're not wrong, but that's not what I meant. I was talking about how you already protect and comfort me. You always have."

"I try. It's been my main goal from the start. Pretty much from the moment we met."

Sophie smiled. "I know. I really do love you, you know."

"I love you too," he whispered. Then he kissed her forehead. "Guess I'll head out, but I'm sure I'll see you at Foxfire later."

Sophie started to turn to head inside, but at the last moment Keefe grabbed her and spun her back around, pulling her close. Without a word, he kissed her, slow and sweet, before resting his forehead against hers for just a brief second. His hands gently squeezed her waist as he pulled away. Then he gave her a sweet smile and pulled out his crystal to leap back to Foxfire.

Sophie rushed upstairs to get in her uniform to find Edaline waiting on her bed.

"I'm not in trouble, am I?" Sophie asked.

"Of course not. Sandor told us everything. Grady and I agreed it was very respectable that Keefe wanted to find a chaperoned way to comfort you."

Sophie stepped into her closet to dress while Edaline was talking. "I have a feeling there's a "but" coming...?" She called from the closet.

Edaline chuckled. "Well, yes and no. We love that you have found someone who cares for you so deeply. And we desperately hope that this was an isolated incident and that you won't be plagued with chronic nightmares again."

Sophie came out, dressed in her Foxfire uniform, and quickly pulled a brush through her hair. "Yeah, I really hope so too."

"But if it is going to happen more often, we will have to insist that you or Sandor come get us. I trust you, and I trust Keefe. We have no doubt that absolutely nothing happened last night that shouldn't have. But still, spending the night together, sleeping next to each other...that fosters an intimacy that's best left until later."

Sophie understood what Edaline was saying, but for some reason all she managed to say in response was "I love him."

Edaline grinned, and reached for Sophie's hand, fingering her promise ring. "I know, Sophie. I know."