Quiet Moments

31 - A Stitch in Time

Octavia woke with a start, the limited moonlight from the window well spilling in a blue pool on the cement floor. She slid her hand across the cool sheets of the bed she and Jade shared to find the covers pulled back, and the comfortable space her wife usually inhabited at night was empty.

Octavia sat up in their bed, eyes straining against the dark, when she saw a dim, flickering light in the alcove that held their ratty old couch and battered DVD player. Stuffing her feet into socks she'd previously kicked onto the floor, she got up, dragging the knitted blanket that rested on top of their homemade comforter for those particularly cold nights behind her as she padded towards the light.

Illuminated by the sputtering candle, Jade sat on the couch, eyes fixed in concentration as she deftly sewed, catching the torn edges on her scrub shirt with the needle and thread, pulling them together with a practiced hand from the years of cuts and gashes Wonkru brought to her to be stitched. Orion was curled into a tight ball on top of the couch, looking much like a smudge against a photograph instead of a living thing.

"Hey," Octavia pulled the blanket around her shoulders tighter, sitting down on the cushion next to Jade. "Can't sleep?"

Jade smiled at her, eyes only flicking up for a second before returning to her work. "Yeah. Figured I'd deal with this now instead of the morning. I was too tired to do it when I got home."

Octavia nodded and they sat in comfortable silence as Jade sewed. Octavia leaned back against the couch cushions, sinking in as they contoured to her shape. She pulled the edge of the blanket over Jade's bare feet, fixing the fabric so it wrapped around Jade's shins.

Jade quickly leaned over to press a kiss to Octavia's cheek, only allowing herself to be distracted momentarily from her project. Octavia watched through the light of the candle, the edges of the tear marrying once again with the aid of the black thread, contrasted against the teal blue scrubs.

Almost as if she'd read Octavia's mind, Jade began tying a knot to finish it off and muttered "Wish I had matching thread for this", snipping the tail with her beading scissors and holding a small lighter to the edge of the thread, burning it into place.

"It just shows off how good you are at that," Octavia smiled, poking Jade's thigh with one extended finger. "Seriously. I've never seen such good stitches in my life."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Jade teased, placing the mended shirt on the arm of the couch and pulling Octavia by her legs onto her lap, wrapping two strong arms around Octavia and holding her close. Octavia rested her head against Jade's shoulder, and they sat like that for a while, almost falling asleep on the couch.

"It's so easy to pretend things are normal, in the middle of the night like this," Jade murmured against Octavia's black hair. Octavia snuggled in further to Jade's chest, tucking her head under Jade's chin and listening to her heartbeat.

"Do you want to watch something?" Octavia asked in a hushed tone. She felt Jade shake her head above her. "I'm fine like this," Jade replied, turning her cheek against the top of Octavia's head.

It was these stitches in time, where the world outside the bunker didn't exist and the night stood still, where Jade and Octavia could see the fragile hope their love stoked like the light of a candle, where safety and peace could become enduring realities instead of fleeting moments. No matter who they were outside the doors, they were just themselves here, the slate wiped clean once their cement door clicked shut.

"Do you need anything sewed, while I have the needle and thread out?" Jade's whisper cut through the dark, snapping Octavia back into reality.

"No, but thank you," Octavia sat up and met Jade's eyes reflected in candlelight. "Can we move this to the bed?"

"Don't have to tell me twice," Jade replied with a smirk, allowing Octavia to take her hand and lead her back to the low bedframe. They pulled the covers up to their chins, and Jade pressed her cold toes against the warmth of Octavia's calves, causing her to squeal.

"God! Your feet are freezing!" Octavia complained good-naturedly, scooting away from Jade on the bed, who only extended her arms beneath the sheets and pulled her back. Octavia sighed, a low sound that skipped like stones over the smooth skin of Jade's shoulder, the steady rise and fall indicating she'd already fallen asleep.

Octavia shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "You have a gift for that, I swear," she chuckled against Jade's arm, before she too let her eyes flutter shut.

Though the room was small, it always felt bigger with them together inside of it, big enough to hold all their hopes and dreams.