It was late, or early rather, when Stone awoke from a deep sleep to the sound of Billie crying. At first he thought something was wrong, but quickly realized she was having a bad dream. He hated that she had so many of them.
He untangled her arms from the sheet and stroked her hair, hoping to soothe her without waking her. He brushed the golden strands off her forehead and she turned toward him, her brow knotted with grief, whimpering.
She mumbled something unintelligible and he gathered up her warm, solid weight and and tucked her in under his chin and stroked her back slowly until he felt her body start to relax, but then she rolled sharply away, and in a voice so full of panic that it didn't seem quite like her own, she called out very clearly, 'Christ. Where are you?', then frowned deeply and reached out her hand.
Stone's heart squeezed hard in his chest, and he felt the breath go out of him in a rush.
For all that he understood that Billie still loved Tim, when he was confronted with the fact, he felt a wild surge of jealousy and some other unpleasantness he couldn't quite name.
Tim was gone. There was no chance of losing Billie to him, yet there it was. He was jealous of a dead man. Pathetic.
He'd found himself looking at the photos around her house and trying to picture her life before.
Tim was a handsome guy. A huge blonde viking, all blue eyes and bulging muscles.
Asshole.
There were things in the house that Stone was sure weren't Billie's. Books about cars and politics and lots of war era history. Art that didn't seem her style. Weapons, including a bow and some clubs and sheilds. A man's coat and shoes in the wardrobe and a bunch of packing boxes in the spare room with his name on them.
Evidence of an alternative reality. One in which Stone didn't exist. It made him nervous even though it was a figment and he was indeed here.
Here with her, warm and soft against him. He tried his best to push away the thoughts and be in the moment.
Billie had fallen quiet again but even in her sleep she looked tired.
Stone carefully levered himself up onto his elbow to look at her closer in the faint light.
Her eyebrows were still knit and even though he didn't like to see her upset, her face was so lovely. He ached to wake her up and touch her again. He couldn't get enough. He felt like he'd been bewitched.
He quietly got out of bed, made his way to the bathroom for a pee and the kitchen for a drink but instead of going back to bed he sat looking out the kitchen window for a long time.
Billie's kitchen was a nice place. It smelled of nutmeg and the bananas in the fruit bowl and the big old fashioned roses she'd jammed in a teapot.
Just when he was thinking of going back to bed, he heard her come quietly into the kitchen and stand behind him, one hand on his back.
'Are you ok?' she whispered.
'Sure, I just got up for a drink and wasn't sleepy.' he smiled at her over his shoulder and she came around in front, sat on his lap and lay her head on his shoulder.
'I had an awful dream that I couldn't find you and then I woke up and you were gone.'
She was matter of fact, but a wobble in her voice gave her away.
Stone closed his eyes and let out a huge sigh. Here he was stewing in his jealously and she'd been dreaming of him. He felt equal parts relieved and stupid.
