It wasn't unusual for Kirsten Clark to come to work and encounter Cameron Goodkin's sunny disposition every morning. She was used to hearing his various terms of endearments followed by a cup piping hot coffee in the break room before she got into the stitch suit and they began the day. But it was never much more than that.
"Guys…?" she began when she saw Camille and Linus leaning against the door of the locker room. She stopped when they gave her harsh glares and Camille hushed her.
"What are you...is that singing?" she whispered, catching the ends of some familiar song she knew had been on Camille's repeat playlist for months.
"It's Cameron!" Linus fairly squeaked, his expression akin to a child finding free candy. Kirsten cocked her head in confusion.
"Cameron can sing?" she asked. Linus nodded and Camille grinned.
"Listen for yourself!" she urged. Kirsten took the bait and pressed her ear against the door and listened, finding herself beginning to smile.
His voice was high and smooth, hitting notes that tone-deaf Camille wouldn't dream of. A slight wavering in his voice made the notes shimmer and Kirsten vaguely remembered someone on some reality show calling it a vibrato. There was something so organic and beautiful about Cameron's voice and it made something inside Kirsten blossom and she tried to lean in closer to hear better.
If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea
I'll sail the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see
I'll be the light to guide you
We find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need
You can count on me like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you like 4, 3, 2
And you'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Ooooooh, oooohhh yeah, yeah
*Four Months Later*
Kirsten groaned softly and flung the covers back for the third time that night. She glanced at the clock and was discouraged to see it had only been a half hour since she last tried to fall asleep.
"Hey Cupcake, what's wrong?" she turned from her side of the bed to see a bleary eyed Cameron start to sit up and reach for his glasses on the nightstand. She reached over and stopped his hand.
"I'm just having a hard time sleeping. Go back to bed," she murmured gently, kissing his cheek. She stood and grabbed Cameron's discarded Flash tee shirt, pulled it over her head, and padded out to his fridge to grab some water.
She'd began spending more nights at Cameron's apartment than at her actual house with Camille. In all honesty, the house was filled with too many memories of Ed and with the information she'd uncovered about his part in the stitchers program, she wasn't sure she could consider that place home anymore.
Home was Cameron's apartment where they could spend countless hours watching Doctor Who and cuddling under a blanket, or Cameron spending the entire morning on one of his culinary projects only to tilt his head and ask her if she wanted pancakes with chocolate chips or blueberries after it didn't turn out just right. It was where she'd finally broken down and told him how she really felt about him after a particularly grueling stitch case and where they'd shared their second (first that she could remember by herself) kiss.
She took the time to finish her water standing by the window and looking out at the skyline visible from Cameron's window. She always took a minute to take in the scenery when her mind would buzz and she couldn't get it to stop running.
She felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and Cameron's chin rest on her shoulder. He'd put his glasses on and they caught the slight glare from the street lamps reflected in the window.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.
"A little bit of everything," she muttered back. "There is this one guy who is so into his girlfriend and it's honestly kind of suffocating…" Even she could hear the smile in her voice as Cameron snorted.
"What a jackass," he muttered into her clavicle. She chuckled and he grinned against her skin, gently pulling her back towards their bedroom. When they got back into bed, she snuggled into his side and he began running one hand through her messy blonde hair. She was beginning to drift off when she heard his faint humming and she was reminded of a moment in the lab a few months ago before they had began dating.
"Why don't you ever sing for me?" she mumbled. Cameron paused his melody and looked down at her.
"How did you know I sang?" he asked. Kirsten felt herself blush.
"Linus, Camille, and I heard you once in the lab. You're really good. You should sing more," she explained. Cameron grinned.
"You want me to sing for you?" he asked, his excitement evident. Kirsten nodded, snuggling deeper into his chest, pressing her customary kiss to his scar in the center of his chest. He wrapped her closer in his arms and began quietly murmuring the tune from all those months ago with the same beauty.
If you're tossin' and you're turnin'
And you just can't fall asleep
I'll sing a song beside you
And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me
Every day I will remind you
Oooh
We find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need
You can count on me like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you like 4, 3, 2
And you'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Ooooooh, oooohhh yeah, yeah
*Two Years Later*
The sun filtered through the blinds, gently skimming across Kirsten's face as she slowly began to wake up. It was then that she heard a quiet melody that was so familiar to her and she kept her eyes closed for a moment longer, enjoying the sound of Cameron singing softly to her protruding stomach.
"I know you're awake up there," he murmured, stopping long enough to pull himself over her and press a kiss to her forehead. Kirsten grinned.
"You caught me," she said, smiling up at him as he slid back down to lay eye level with her stomach and their unborn daughter.
"Mommy likes hearing Daddy sing," Cameron whispered, feeling Kirsten begin to run her fingers through his hair. "I think she likes it more than you. But you like it, don't you Miss Ailey?" In response to his voice, Kirsten felt the baby kick under Cameron's hand and the smile that split his face was blinding.
"I definitely think she wants to hear more," Kirsten urged. Cameron laughed and Ailey seemed to kick even more.
"Are...are you using our daughter to manipulate me into singing more, Mrs. Goodkin?" he asked with mock outrage, his eyes brightening.
"Oh please, like you won't do the same thing after she's born, Dr. Goodkin," she shot back. He laughed and pulled her into a searing kiss before placing one hand on her stomach and intertwining their other hands together, singing the rest of the song and getting lost in his wife's hazel eyes.
You'll always have my shoulder when you cry
I'll never let go, never say goodbye
You know...
You can count on me like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you like 4, 3, 2
And you'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Ooooooh, oooohhh
You can count on me 'cause I can count on you.
Alright. I did it again. I received this prompt of Kirsten waking up to Cameron singing and my sister suggested the song Count on Me by Bruno Mars and I ran with it. PLEASE REVIEW! This was one of my favorite things to write. Check out my other storied on my page and my Tumblr at brooke0297. Thanks for reading! ~Brooke