This drabble takes place during "Because I Care," between sections one and two of chapter sixteen.
When Dylan turned on the lamp on his night stand, Jade turned off the main light and sat down on the edge of Dylan's bed with Jackson in her arms, wondering what exactly Dylan was going to come up with. Jordan curled up beside her. Though her younger brother was usually, in her opinion, a bother, tonight he had clung to her, and she found that she clung right back. Protecting him, taking care of him. Tonight he wasn't a bother, he was a brother, her brother, and he and Jackson needed her.
(Excerpt from "Because I Care," chapter 15, section 2)
When Jade Hayes was woken up from a deep sleep, the first thought that made it through the fog of her sleep-muddled brain was surprise that she had fallen asleep at all. After all, her family's home, along with numerous others', had been burned down that very evening; thus her current sleeping accommodations – Dylan Mitchell's sleeping bag on the floor of his bedroom with the other four members of her family filling up the small space around her. Everyone who had been affected by the fires was going to be staying with the Mitchells at their house until further notice as they rebuilt their lives.
The second thing that Jade noticed was what – or rather, who – had caused her to wake up. Five year old Jordan knelt on the floor beside her, looking down on her with eyes that were far too bright, considering the fact that it was just a little past midnight.
"Jade?" he whispered softly.
"What?" she asked, her voice sharpening with an annoyance that came far too easily when it came to this brother of hers.
Her attitude towards him softened, though, when she noticed the small tremor in his voice as he asked, "Can I sleep with you?"
She glanced at the pallet that had been made for Jordan and Jackson; it wasn't even two feet away from the sleeping bag, and Jordan always moved around a lot when he slept, which would probably mean an elbow in her back at some point during the night should she let him sleep with her. Looking a little closer at Jordan, though, she realized that the reason that his eyes were glistening wasn't energy – he looked as exhausted as she was – but, rather, tears.
Of course the little boy was scared. So was she, really, and he had even less of a grip on what was going on than she did.
She smiled softly up at him, hoping it looked reassuring, and quietly unzipped the blue sleeping bag. "Sure you can."
He smiled a little and climbed in beside her, burying his face in her chest as she zipped the sleeping bag back up. She wrapped her arms around her brother and kissed the top of his head before squirming around to get as comfortable as was possible.
Yes, Jordan could be a big pain, and he was one of the greatest tests of her patience, but he was her brother, and she would help to ease him through this rocky transition as best as she could.
This is another one-shot for the "Promises Trilogy" that has been renamed the "Through the Flames" series. As always, reviews make my day! Thanks, everybody!:)