Sleep Paralysis - Josh Franchesci, You Me At Six AU (COMPLETED)

1.4

R O S E ' S  P O V

"Rose? Rose? Wake up, babe," I heard Dan's voice slowly whisper as I woke up. Instead of lying on the kitchen floor, I was lying in bed. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"How'd I get in here? I passed out in the kitchen..." I mumbled, sitting up. My eyes met Dan's, a mixture of concern and relief lying in his gaze.

"You did, I didn't realise until a few minutes ago. Are you okay?" he soothed, caressing my face as I regained my focus. I looked over at the time. Three thirty-two am. I lied down again, rubbing my face.

"I've been out for an hour and a half," I mumbled, ignoring his question. All of my memory quickly rushed back and my eyes widened in shock. Josh, Angela, Timothy. The day he died. I quickly sat up and grabbed my phone, opening Safari as I desperately searched for answers.

20 Year Anniversary of Weybridge Murder-Suicide, Reflecting on the Events.

This Thursday marks the twentieth anniversary of the Weybride murder-suicide that resulted in two deaths and one, sole survivor, Timothy Gale. Joshua Franceschi, who has since become the one of the many poster boy's for warning signs of mental health, ruthlessly gutted Gale and stabbed his girlfriend, Angela Burke, in the heart. When asked for an interview, Gale politely declined, not wanting to be reminded of the tragedy.

I tossed my phone down, holding my face in my hands. It was real. I need to find Timothy.

"Rose, what's happening?" Dan asked, rubbing my arm. I shook my head, looking up before forcing a smile on my face.

"Nothing. Just had an... odd dream and I was a bit confused," I lied, leaning into his embrace. I felt him trace his thumb along my throat, making me giggle a little - I knew what he was touching.

"I like that little mark you have there," he chuckled, kissing the tender spot from last night. "I bet it'd look better with even more," he continued, pushing me down onto my back before connecting his lips to my throat once more. I moaned a little at the feeling, enjoying the pleasure and calmness that came from it. After a few minutes he lifted his head with a proud smirk.

"I'm sorry for the future questions, or should I say harassment, from Kelly," he joked, kissing the fresh marks softly. I rolled my eyes, sitting up before jumping out of bed.

"It's kind of fun seeing her becoming excited like that anyways - I'll wear them proud. Maybe I'll give you some next time," I called out jokingly. He groaned loudly in response.

"Why must you make me so impatient?" he gasped, following me out into the hall. I turned around, blushing slightly.

"You go back to bed. I need the bathroom," I replied, kissing his cheek. I entered the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I slapped my hand over my mouth in order to not alert Dan. On my bathroom mirror, a message was written in lipstick. The lipstick from Dan and I's first date.

'You never promised me any hickies in return for mine, sweetheart. A bit unfair that seems.'

I felt a few tears roll down my face as I quickly wet a washcloth and began to wipe down my mirror. The mixture of soap and red lipstick running down the mirror reminded me of blood, like the blood I spilt the last time I saw Josh. Oh god, why? I thought he was gone. I heard Dan knocking on the door as I wiped away the last remains of the lipstick, my face still puffy from tears.

"Um, I-I'll be out in a second," I shakily yelled, dumping the wet washcloth into the hamper before drying the mirror. I inhaled softly, wiping away my tears before turning to the door and opening it.

Josh stood there with a wide smirk. I screamed as his hands wrapped around my shoulders.

'What's wrong, babe?' he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. Wait. This isn't real. I closed my eyes and opened them again only to see Dan standing in front of me. I stared into his concerned eyes, crying once more as I leaned into his embrace. He rubbed my back as he guided me back to bed.

"I'm so s-sorry," I whispered, drying my eyes.

"What are you apologising about? You have no control over this," he cooed, tucking my hair behind my ear. I shook my head.

"I haven't been honest with you... for a while now," I whispered, holding his hand in mine. Dan was silent, allowing me to take as much time as needed to explain myself. "I-I've been seeing Josh outside my sleep paralysis for a while now. I used to see him during the day, and usually if I saw him during the day, I wouldn't experience sleep paralysis that night. When we started dating I stopped seeing him, until just then," I muttered, tears streaming down my cheeks and onto my chest as I recalled everything.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was scared, I didn't know what to-" Dan silenced me, hugging me tightly.

"I'm going to be by your side through all of this no matter what. I'm going to get you an appointment, and we're going to get through it. Together," he whispered, pecking my lips softly. We laid down together, holding each other tightly like an unbreakable bond.