Title: Lulled into Peace

Summary: "I listen to the steady cadence of her heart beating. A sound I had become so accustomed to over the years- my favorite lullaby."

Disclaimer: I do not own OITNB or any of its characters. They belong to Jenji Kohen, I do however own my writing, please don't steal- Johanna002©

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A/N: Short and sweet, enjoy!

Thunder clasps in the distance and the room is soon lit up by the strikes of lightning flashing wildly outside. I toss restlessly in my bunk, and adjust the blanket over myself for probably the millionth time in ten minutes.

I can hear Norma snoring lightly and I groan. Today had been a longer day than usual and I had expected to be asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. However, seeing as it was now sometime after midnight, that obviously was not going to be the case.

My hands come up to tangle in my hair and I scratch angrily at my scalp in annoyance before turning over to face the concrete divide. My eyes are begging to feel incredibly heavy but it feels as if my brain is running a marathon. Groaning into my pillow I fight the urge to scream out.

I was tired damn it! Why couldn't I sleep?

Sitting up, I nervously cast a glace towards Norma. I would hate to wake her up with all if my fussing. I suck at my teeth, and roll my eyes. She hadn't moved a muscle. God, what I would give to be able to sleep!

Fidgeting with the blankets, I look over my right shoulder and stare at the divide. My eyes roll heavenward as I ponder what, or rather who, lay on the other side.

Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, I don't even give a second thought to what I am about to do. I do however second guess walking around with no socks on. Why didn't anyone warn me the floor would be freezing cold?

The small walk from my cube to the cube next door was over in a second. My eyes flicked from my empty bed to where Chapman laid, before finally coming to rest on Red's sleeping form. Despite myself, I can feel a small grin tug at the corner of my lips. I shift around not in nervousness, but in a lame attempt to warm my feet.

Tip-toeing further into the space, I take special precautions to not wake Chapman up. Finally nearing closer to Red's bunk I squat down gently so that I can observe her more closely. I pray she doesn't wake up to find me staring at her.

Her breathing is deep and steady, and simply watching her I can feel my mind start to calm down. "Red," I whisper, nudging her shoulder gently. I can't help but groan like a toddler when she doesn't respond. "Ma!" I try again, a little louder.

Standing up, I quickly scan the dorm and can't help but smile proudly at the fact that no one is watching me. Bending down once more, I stare longingly at the small space between Red's body and the edge of the bed. No way was I going to fit, but it wasn't going to deter me from trying.

I slowly pull the blankets off of her, only stopping every couple of second to make sure I hadn't been caught.

"Ma!" I whisper, pushing into her more forcefully. At this point I am lying down next to her, but I know it'll only be a matter of seconds before I hit the floor if she doesn't wake up and move over. "Ma! Move over!"

The breath I exhale is one of pure annoyance. I reprimand myself at how childish I am being. It wasn't like this was rare- us lying down together. Red had said on one than more occasions that she enjoyed how close we were.

Well, actually her words to me were, "I only realize how small and delicate you are when you are mellow and on the cusp of sleep, otherwise, when you're wide awake you just talk me into exhaustion. "

As the next round thunder and lightning illuminate the room, a lightbulb suddenly goes off over my head.

I bite my lip nervously, attention focused on Red's features as I contemplate my next move. My eyes never leave her face as I quietly and slowly maneuver my feet underneath the covers. My breath catches in my throat at the same times my freezing toes make contact with the warmth of her legs.

"Nicky!" Suddenly she jumps up and I fall to the ground with a thud. Her eyes haven't even fully adjusted to the dark, but I know she's glaring at me. "You're freezing! Have you lost your mind?" She hisses angrily.

I love how her accent always seems to be dramatically enhanced by whatever mode she's in.

Finally I speak, softly saying, "You wouldn't wake up." She's still glaring at me and I smile at her in hopes that it'll soften her up. I climb to my knees and blink my eyes at her sweetly. "Can I lay down with you?"

Asking is really just a formality. Before she can answer I am already crawling back into her bunk.

"You're worse than a child!" I hear Red grumble angrily. I don't have the energy to convince her otherwise as I feel her shift over and finally snake her arm around me.

Snuggling close to her, my head tucked under her chin. I listen to the steady cadence of her heart beating. A sound I had become so accustomed to over the years- my favorite lullaby.

Closing my eyes I curl even further into her. She's rambling on quietly at how much of a handful I am. "You just appear here in the middle of the night, and put your cold feet all over me!" As she's reprimanding me she's pulling me impossibly closer to her and rubbing her hand down the length of my arm.

Smiling against her, I allow myself to enjoy her motherly ministrations. "You love it." I whisper softly, voice barely audible as I slip further and further into unconsciousness.

Huffing in annoyance she nods her head in admission. "I find you incredibly annoying at times."

Chuckling gently, through hooded eyelids one of my hands finds one of her own. Normally I would tussle and fight until I heard her speak three little words, "I love you". They always sounded better in her thick, sleepy, Russian accent.

"Ma,"

"Hmm?" She, herself, was slowly being lulled back into unconsciousness.

I find it ridiculous that not even thirty minutes ago I was unable to sleep, tossing restlessly in my own bunk. Here though, crammed tightly next to the woman who had taken me in when no one else would, I was comforted and at ease.

"Ma," I call to her again. "Tell me…"

Her hold on me tightens and I feel a feathery, light kiss to my crown. "I love you Nicky."