You Found Me: An Arrow Fanfic

Chapter 10

Slade was the first one to stir. The room was still dark, but based on the sounds of life outside, he knew it wasn't early morning. He felt snug and contented, something he hadn't felt in years. Honestly, he couldn't remember the last time he'd had such a peaceful night's sleep – probably some time before he'd been sent to Lian Yu. After Laurel had woken him, he'd had no more nightmares. In fact, he hadn't any idea what his previous one had even been about. That had never happened before. He always remembered.

Adjusting his head slightly, he was aware of the warm body contained within the circle of his arms. Laurel. Opening his eyes, he could see over the top of her head. His arm was curled around her, resting on her flat stomach. Her hand was covering his, their fingers linked. His body was bowed around hers, her back pressed into his chest, their legs a tangled mess. He couldn't remember anything ever feeling more right than waking up with her in his arms.

The previous night, and early hours of the morning, had been incredible. He'd never known such pleasurable heights existed, or that a woman could be so attuned to his needs and wants, that he could so easily conform to hers. They'd woken up earlier when Laurel's phone had rang. It had been her assistant wondering where she was since she hadn't arrived at work. Having literally just woken up had made her argument that she was feeling ill all the more believable. Thereafter, she'd climbed right back into bed and made love with him again before both of them had fallen into an exhausted slumber.

She moved and his arms tightened around her instinctively. Turning around, she faced him, a sleepy, contended smile on her face. His heart squeezed as he looked into her beautiful face.

"Morning," she mumbled, nuzzling her nose into his neck.

He grinned. "You snore, Miss Lance," came his teasing reply.

She pulled away and looked at him, horrified. "I do not!" Then realising that he was kidding, she swatted him across the arm and laughed. "How are you feeling?" He knew she was referring to his nightmare.

"Better. I don't remember what it was about," he responded truthfully.

She nodded, her hand gently caressing his chest. He liked having her touch him.

"Do you have them often?" There was some hesitation in her voice before she asked the question.

He'd never spoken to anyone about the demons that haunted his dreams mostly because there'd never been anyone to talk to. Coupled with that was his belief that no one would understand. He was surprised by how much he wanted to tell her.

He pulled her closer to him and tucked her head into the crook of his neck, playing with the silky stands of her hair. "Almost every night."

He took a deep breath.

"They started once I was captured and smuggled off the island. Fyers had done a good job in the torture department and no matter how I tried, I couldn't stop the dreams. Sometimes I'd try to stay awake for as long as I could to avoid them before I realised that sleep deprivation only made them worse."

He felt her hand move across his chest to hold him close and he absorbed all the comfort her touch provided.

"They're mostly the same with a few variances here and there. A dark room, whips and chains. Sometimes they feel so real I wake up crying out, as you've already discovered." He kept his voice even despite the fact that talking about it made him want to heave. It wasn't easy.

"There were days when they'd leave me alone without food or water in a completely dark space. It was times like those that I imagined I was going mad. Then just before I'd succumb to that downward mental spiral, they'd bring me back up top and the beatings would resume."