Let Me Love You

Good Morning

The next morning warm fingers trace shapes and letters up and down my back and arms, slowly bringing me back to consciousness.

"Mmm," I lazily groan, wrapping my arms tighter around Brett's middle and pulling myself closer to him without opening my eyes even the tiniest bit, "The only time you tickle my back is when you want something."

"Oh, I can't just say good morning now?" he mutters in the entirely too attractive and raspy morning voice that I've heard hundreds of thousands of times in the last few years of my life, stopping the back tickles altogether. Earning a disappointed whine from me.

"No, no, no. Keep going, it's so relaxing!" I grab his wrist, moving his hand back to where it had been previously tickling my arm. Finally opening my eyes to meet his playful ones.

"Good morning," he smiles down at me, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead and then the tip of my nose before pulling me closer and running his thumb over my cheek.

"You're an asshole," a grin slowly making its way to my lips before I plant mine on his, "But good morning to you too."

"Any plans for today?" He asks, letting out a small sigh of content.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," I smile at him, kissing his nose once he looks down at me.

"How about staying right here all day?" He smiles down at me with a large toothy grin that many people don't usually get to witness.

"Don't you need to see Satomi?" I question, eyebrows furrowing.

"Not really, she asked if I'd see her when I have a chance but my time is all taken up by a certain someone today," he shrugs before raking his fingers through my hair, sending tingles down my spine.

"Go see Satomi, I'll still be here when you get back!" I playfully pull myself away from him, pushing him toward the edge of the mattress with the springs squealing in protest alongside him.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Brett, yes."

"Hadlee, no."

"Brett, please."

"Babe, no."

Thunk!

"I hate you, Hadlee."

"Just go see your alpha, please. I promise you that I'm not going anywhere!"

He runs a hand through his hair while rolling his eyes at me, attempting to hide a smile, "Fine. I'll be back later."

He stands up off of the floor that I had just pushed him onto and moves to grab a black t-shirt out of the closet, lazily pulling it over his head before putting a pair of jeans on then moving toward the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"I'm glad you at least remembered to brush your teeth, your morning breath gets bad sometimes!"

Seconds later my spare toothbrush hurtles its way to me on the bed faster than I could blink, smacking me right in the forehead.

"Ouch! Not cool man, that was rude!"

"And yet I'm not saying anything about your morning breath miss 'i haven't brushed my teeth yet!'" he pokes his head around the doorframe, toothbrush still in his mouth.

"Hey! I'm not the one going places today!"

"I mean we could go to the diner you really like, but I don't think I want to take you anywhere after that morning breath comment," he tells me after rinsing his mouth out and shutting the faucet off.

"That's fine, I'll just stay here all day and sleep and not let you back in bed later," I roll over to face him, pulling the covers up over me and snuggling in.

"Brush your teeth and get ready will you?" He cradles my face between his hands and plants a gentle kiss on the tip of my nose.

"Sir yes sir," I salute him and get an eye roll in return before he turns to leave. As soon as he closes the door behind him, I roll over and go back to sleep after setting an alarm for later.

>>>

"Hadlee, sweetheart run! Derek take your sisters and go!" My mother yells to us over the crackling of the roaring flames in our living room, the heat searing my skin like I was in a frying pan and threatening to light my clothes on fire as well.

No one knew where the fire had started from or how long it took to catch, but it engulfed our entire home in minutes, threatening to take everything inside of the house with it.

"Mom!"

"I love you, my sweet girl. Never forget what you are and how strong you are, now go!" She brushes the hair off of my sweat-slicked forehead, pushing me into my brother.

Derek throws me over his shoulder, Cora's hand in his, and takes off running toward the closest door. At only ten I hadn't fully been able to cope and understand what had happened, that took years and then some.

"Derek! What about mom?" I yell to him, attempting to run back into the house but he holds me back, "We can't just leave her!"

"We have to!" He yelled at me causing tears to well up in my eyes and he pulled me as well as Cora into his embrace. The three of us sat there outside of our burning home, trembling with tear-streaked faces,  for what seemed like hours until the fire department finally showed up, but it was too late to save the house and our family.

"Hadlee! Hey, babe shh," Brett says soothingly, holding me while rocking back and forth, "It's okay, you're okay."

"I-It-"

"You don't have to talk about it," he pulls me into him even more so and I instinctively wrap my arms around his middle and place my head on his chest. The light thumping of his heartbeat does wonders to help me regain my composure.

"I was ten again... Watching my mom stay in the house as it collapsed on top of her while burning," I mumble, not moving an inch from my small safe haven.

"I know."

"Was I talking in my sleep again?" I tilt my head up to look at him.

"More like whimpering and on the verge of screaming, but don't feel bad about it. You mumble in your sleep like 99% of the time anyway," he tells me with a ghost of a smirk threatening to break free. I nuzzle my head into his chest and hug him even tighter, closing my eyelids and just letting myself be in order to forget the traumatizing memory that frequents my dreams.

"How about we go get something to eat, huh?" he suggests, looking down at me with a questioning expression.

"That'd be nice," I mumble, running my fingers through my knotted and unbrushed hair. He let me go so I can stand up and move to the bathroom and somewhat make myself presentable.

>>>

To Hadlee from Derek:

Peter has an idea of how to stop Jackson.

To Hadlee from Isaac:

Jackson was dead and now isn't. Call one of us black, please.

To Hadlee from Scott:

We need your help.