Fireproof: Phoenix

Nightmares And Singing In The Shower

Phoenix POV

I lay there for hours, unable to fall asleep as Jesse lay with his head cradled against my chest while softly snoring.

How could someone do that?

Jesse and I had talked for hours before he finally passed out from exhaustion. He told me everything that had happened in those ten years and my heart broke with each word. I couldn't sleep and I doubted that I'd be able to for the rest of the night.

Suddenly, he tensed up. He started to mumble incoherent things in his sleep and gripped onto the sheet beneath me. What he was saying started to become a little bit clearer as he whimpered softly and clung tighter to the bedding.

"No. Please." It wasn't until he let out a sob that I tried to wake him up as he was clearly having a pretty bad nightmare.

"Jesse. Wake up baby."

At the sound of my voice he seemed to instantly relax if only slightly, and even murmured my name in his sleep, making me smile, before moving his hands from the bedding to around my waist.

"Mine." He sighed as he nuzzled at my breásts.

I slid my fingers into his hair and gently stroked his cheek with my other hand when his beautiful face relaxed and his soft snores returned making me giggle because he looked so damn cute. Then his brows furrowed and he started whimpering again. Only this time his breathing became really erratic and it was like he was either having or on the verge of having a panic attack and it really freaked me out.

"Jesse, wake up! Jesse!" I yelled frantically and shook him. He started gasping for air and then broke out in a cold sweat. I pushed his hair back from his face as it was sticking to his forehead from the moisture. His face was pale and sickly looking.

"Jesse!" I yelled again, this time louder, and it actually worked this time because he jolted awake. At first he seemed kind of dazed, like he didn't know where he was but then his gaze locked on my – no doubt panicked – face and he immediately jumped into protective mode.

"What's wrong? Are you ok?"

I sighed when his colouring slowly returned to normal and his breathing had calmed down, although he still had a coat of sweat covering his skin. I rested my hand on the side of his face and gently stroked his cheek with the pad of my thumb.

"You were having a nightmare honey. It really scared me." He placed his hand on top of mine and sighed.

"Yeah. I've been having them every night ever since..."

"It's ok baby, you don't have to say it." I murmured, shaking my head as I knew that he most likely didn't want to mention the whole ordeal all over again.

A small smile teased his lips but it didn't reach those stormy grey eyes.

"I've been having the nightmares for about twenty years now." He continued to talk, his smile faded with each word. "Every night except last night." My heart fluttered in my chest at his sentence. "You make everything ok Princess. You make the pain go away."

I pressed a light kiss to his lips, his eyes slowly drifted closed and one of his hands slid beneath the heavy fall of my dark hair as he deepened the kiss.

"Phoenix." He groaned as he gently lowered me back down to the bed. My fingers tangled in his hair and I pulled away slightly.

"What are you doing Jesse?"