~.: "Fly On the Wall" :.~
~.: Thousand Foot Krutch :.~
~.: Jared's POV :.~
Thrashing from beneath the covers at my side where Acacia was sleeping startled me out of my dreamless sleep and I groaned exhaustedly, carefully sitting up as Acacia let out soft muffled whimpers while her entire body shook with anxiety. The sight of her looking so vulnerable and scared in her sleep wrenched painfully at my heart and I quickly pulled her into my arms gently, rubbing her back soothingly as she began to mutter incomprehensible sentences in between her agonized whines.
"Babygirl, wake up," I murmured softly, despite the urgent beating of my heart in my throat as a sense of urgency started to wash over me, "It's just a bad dream! Wake up for me, babe, I'm right here!" I pleaded, pushing her bright red hair away from her dampened and sweaty forehead while Peyton and Paisley started to cry in confusion from their crib at seeing their mom in so much distress despite being fast asleep.
"Don't leave me," Acacia sobbed hysterically, clutching my body tightly against hers as I leaned down and kissed her hair again and again reassuringly, "Pl-please don't leave me, Jared!" She wailed in between heart breaking sobs and I was just about to try to carefully shake her awake when she suddenly roused herself with a violent series of hiccups. Relief flooded over my senses as I held her close, pulling her face into my shoulder while I gently rocked us back and forth in a comforting manner as I hushed her softly.
"It was just a bad dream, babygirl," I sighed gently, rubbing reassuring circles into her back as she tried to fight off the horrible hiccups that were shaking her entire frame, "I'm right here, I'm never leaving you, I swear," I murmured fiercely into her hair as she shakily clung to me while burying her face into my neck vulnerably.
"I-It was s-so sc-scary," Acacia started blubbering, gasping for breaths in between each of her hysterical sobbing hiccups, "I-I s-was you a-and I was ba-back at my old h-house when th-those stu-stupid robbers broke in! Oh god, Jared..." She whimpered pitifully, her fingers digging into my hair as I rubbed her back calmingly while nodding in understanding.
"Well, all of that is gone now," I murmured softly into her ear as Peyton and Paisely continued to whimper from their crib, standing up now and reaching their arms between the crib bars toward Acacia and I, "It was just a nightmare and none of that was real, okay, hun?" I sighed, stifling a yawn that forced its way out of my chest anyway, "You're safe now and I'm right here to protect you and the twins. Just like I always promised," I kissed her cheek reassuringly as she finally started to calm down enough to give me a sad look from behind the curtain of her blazing red hair that had fallen back into her face while she was in hysterics just moments before.
I smiled softly at Acacia, pushing her hair gently out of her face as I laid back against our pillows and sat her down on my stomach so that I could lovingly gaze up at her, even despite her face being all red and puffy from the sobbing episode she'd woken up in. Even like this, you're still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen before, I found myself thinking fondly, caressing one of her reddened cheeks gently in my hand as I smirked up at her. She blushed softly, clasping both of her hands on top of mine to keep it in place as she sighed quietly, closing her eyes while her breathing finally slowed to a normal pace. Must've been a really really bad nightmare... I thought quietly, using the pad of my thumb to rub tiny circles against her soft cheekbones while she and I sat in silence like that for a few moments longer.
"Thank you, babe," Acacia sighed softly, glancing over at the twins who were now quiet but still staring worriedly at us, "I'm sorry for scaring you guys so badly... it's just that those nightmares felt so real... It was almost supernatural," She murmured, running a hand through her hair anxiously before sliding off my lap and padding carefully over to the twins' crib, pulling them out, and cradling them both to her chest reassuringly while coming back to our shared mattress. I nodded quietly, pursing my lips in thought as I watched her rocking the twins gently.
"Was there any reason why you think you had those nightmares in particular?" I asked her gently, sitting up and wrapping an arm around her shoulder while placing a tender kiss to her lips as she raised her head to look up at me, "Have you had these bad dreams before?"
Acacia shook her head, blue gaze deeply troubled as she frowned anxiously while holding Peyton and Paisley closer to her body in a sheltering manner, "I've never dreamed about you leaving... but I used to have nightmares about the break in when I was younger... That was when I was still with Dick before everything though. I don't understand why I'm having this dream now when five years have gone by since then..." She sighed quietly, leaning her head against my shoulder as I hugged her reassuringly.
"Trauma can resurface in dreams, babe..." I murmured softly, comfortingly rubbing her back as she gently kissed the twins on their heads in reassurance. She nodded in agreement but she still seemed deep in thought, her eyebrows tightly knit together as she chewed anxiously at her bottom lip.
"It just... didn't feel right," She murmured, closing her eyes tightly, "It felt like.. someone was forcing me to see those things... But I don't understand why," She trailed off softly as I raised an eyebrow bewilderingly at her.
"But that doesn't make any sense, babygirl," I murmured, glancing worriedly at the twins, "The only person we know who can make people see things that will emotionally upset them is your sister..." I pursed my lips thoughtfully as I narrowed my eyes at the moonlight shining in through our uncovered window.
"That's exactly why I don't understand why I feel the way I do about those nightmares, Jared..." She sighed, watching as I got up and closed the blinds so the moonlight wasn't so bright in our darkened room.
