~.: "Ghosts That We Knew" :.~
~.: Mumford and Sons :.~
~.: Wally's POV :.~
Almost as soon as I've slid into her folds, the water splashing slightly around us, she tenses up and buried her face in my bare chest, whimpering uncomfortably as she struggles in my arms. I raised an eyebrow at her in confusion but before I can ask if I've hurt her, she starts pushing me away from her.
"N-no," she whimpers in anguish, "St-stop touching me, Blake!"
Wait...Blake?
"Aria," I murmured, somehow managing to sound calm despite the startling reaction she's having as I'm trying to hold her still so she doesn't knock over the unlit candle nearest to her, "Ari, it's me! Babe, it's okay, I promise! Blake's not here-," Aria bursts into tears as I pull her close and my heart falls into my stomach, twisting and tearing at the name that she cries out while I shift our bodies so that I'm not inside of her anymore. Her entire frame trembles violently as I rub her back and I can't help the rise of anxiety threatening to swallow me whole as I try to get her to look at me.
"Le-leave me alone!" She sobs and before I can try to stop her so she doesn't hurt herself, she hurriedly scrambles out of my arms, nearly tripping over the bathtub ledge and successfully knocking the glass candle into the floor, "You're not real! Wallykins, where are you?" Alarm washes over me as I carefully step out of the bathtub and skirt around the broken candle that's shattered on the hotel tile floor. I should've just let her sleep- I thought anxiously, hurriedly grabbing one of the hotel towels and briefly drying off before throwing my clothes back on to see that Aria is now cowering under the bed.
"Hey, calm down, babe," I gently murmured, casting a worried glance at our daughter's sleeping form underneath the covers as I approach Aria slowly, "You'll wake up Amelia. I promise, Blake is not here. It's me, baby, it's me," My heart skips a beat at the pain and horror shimmering in my fiancé's bright blue eyes while I sit down beside the bed, in hopes that she'll listen to me despite her panicked state.
"No, you're not my Wallykins!" Aria whines as I frown in concern at her while trying to figure out what to do to get her to come out, but she manages to flatten herself enough to actually fit beneath our hotel bed in my haste, "You're lying to me! Get away from me! Deanne, Dick, Wally!!!!" She cries out in panic as I run a hand anxiously through my hair before flattening myself to the ground to lay on my stomach in front of her, fixing my dark emerald gaze on her.
"Aria Michelle," I gently murmur despite the frantic pounding of my heart in my throat, tentatively reaching out and taking her hand in one of mine despite her burying her face into the hotel carpet while letting out another hysterical sob, "I swear, it's me. I'm right here and everything is okay. Please, baby, please listen to me, you're safe and Blake is in jail," I patiently explain as she keeps her face hidden from my view.
"Prove it then," she mumbles pitifully into the carpet, heaving a shaky breath before warily turning her face to look fearfully up at me, "Tell me something only my Wallykins would know, then I'll come out..." She whispers as I smile faintly in reassurance.
"You mean like the fact that you're extremely afraid of frogs?" I chuckled softly, using the pad of my thumb to rub circles into the palm of her hand and she blushes profusely, fresh tears trickling down her face, "Or the fact that you used to have a diary that you'd write about me in? I found that by the way, I just didn't get to tell you~" I laughed quietly and she gasps in embarrassment, swatting my hand away.
"You found my- Ugh, nevermind," she huffs, dragging herself out from beneath the bed as I grin amusedly at her while sitting up once more, "It's definitely you... I'm sorry I flipped out..." she whispers softly, hanging her head anxiously as I pull her into a reassuring embrace before pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"It's okay, baby," I whispered back, rocking her back and forth comfortingly in my arms, "It's not your fault..." I sighed softly, rubbing circles into her back as she wrapped her arms around me in response.
"I just want to stop seeing Blake and Lukas in my dreams..." She grumbles irritably, laying her head on my shoulder as I carefully pick her up and lay her out on our mattress carefully, "It's freaking me the fuck out.. can you get my phone, baby?" She sighs, closing her eyes as she tugs frustratedly at her hair. I raised an eyebrow at her confusedly.
"Don't you wanna get dressed first, babe?" I chuckled softly, nodding at her pajamas spread out on the bedside table from when she'd picked them out right before our bubblebath, "Or do you wanna sleep naked?" Aria teasingly kicks out a foot to hit me in the side but I dodged as I bent down to open her suitcase so that I could retrieve her phone as asked, "Personally," I chuckled, handing her cellphone over as I leaned down and kissed her lips teasingly, "I wouldn't mind if you slept naked~ But Amelia is sleeping beside you so," Aria rolls her eyes slightly as she carefully sits up and unlocks her phone.
"I'll get dressed in a minute, babe," she giggles softly, unlocking her phone with ease as I slip under the covers beside her, "Right now, I'm gonna text Chelsea and ask her for some meds. Maybe she'll have something that'll keep me from sleeping," she murmurs, straining her eyes as she squinted at the dimly lit screen while I reach over and turn out the light so Amelia won't wake up.
"I still think that Dick's right," I sighed, running my fingers through Aria's hair as she types away on her keyboard before putting it down and scowling irritably at me, "Maybe we should just go home-"
"Don't even try to side with my brother," she huffed, rolling her eyes as she rolls out from beneath the blankets and snatches her pajamas off the bedside table, "I wish he'd stop treating me like a baby," she mumbled agitatedly, slipping into a clean pair of panties as I run a hand stressfully through my hair while sitting up to watch her carefully clip her laced bra around her chest, "He can treat De and Brodie like that, but not me. I'm a big girl now and I can look after myself without him constantly butting in. Stupid dummy with his stupid hair," she growls softly under her breath as I chuckle softly in amusement while she angrily slips one of my turtlenecks over her head before yanking her pants on before trudging over to and climbing back into the bed with Amelia and me again.
"Yknow he's just looking out for you, right, babygirl?" I chuckled softly, wrapping my arms affectionately around her once more as her phone chimes with a text from Chelsea.
"Yeah, well, he should focus more on De and his kids," she sighed irritably, "Thank god for Chelsea though, she says she'll bring me a bottle of anti-sleeping pills in the morning." She murmured softly, laying down in my embrace and kissing the tip of my nose cutely as I shake my head.
"I really hope you know what you're doing," I sighed, closing my eyes as she nuzzles into my arms and lays her head on my chest before letting out a content moan at the feeling of my arms around her, "Dick will kill me if you get hurt because I didn't tell you no," I murmured softly, rubbing circles into her back as we got ready to go to sleep. She rolls her eyes in response before reaching one of her hands up my stomach until it finally rests on my chest. I smirk down at her in amusement.
"I love you," she whispers, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips before relaxing once more and closing her eyes sleepily.
"I love you more, babygirl," I murmured in reply, kissing the top of her head as the quiet sound of her gentle breathing lulls me to sleep.
~.: Tim's POV :.~
I raised an eyebrow confusedly at Isaac holding Lexie in his arms while she let out soft tearful whimpers, her face buried in her hands.
"What did you do to her?" I bewilderingly demanded, sitting beside him on the floor as Lexie continues to sob while refusing to look up at either of us, "She was fine in the hallway just a second ago-"
"Me?" Isaac chokes, pulling slightly away from Lexie, "I'm not the one who's leading her on because I can't get over my dead ex," he snaps in irritation and I froze as if I'd been slapped in the face. Lexie timidly raises her head up, wiping frantically at her teary eyes as I backed away slightly.
"N-no, it's not your fault, Tim," she whimpers softly, managing to grasp my hand before I can get out of her range, "P-please don't leave..."
~.: De's POV :.~
Almost as soon as I closed my eyes, I felt myself drifting into a dreamless doze, the sound of Dick's light snoring lulling me just enough into a sense of security. With him at my side as I'm asleep, I surely won't have any bad dreams... I thought to myself as I curled closer against him.
How very wrong I was.
~.: TO BE CONTINUED :.~
