Disclaimer: I do not own POI.
Author's Notes: Second in Shoot + Gen series.
Implausible Dreams
If it were any other situation, the pair standing in the doorway would be considered a creepy action. As it were, their concern outweighed any rational thought, but also prevented them from acting upon that worry immediately because neither woman was particularly good at platitudes. Neither were they comfortable with comforting a thrashing and grumbling child amidst an obviously bothersome dream bordering on nightmare if their assumption was correct.
Root had been awoken ten minutes ago by The Machine in order to correct the scenario, to soothe Gen's nightmare away and she of course immediately woke Shaw for backup, for moral support. Now they stood in the door of Gen's room, watching the young blonde roll back and forth on her bed, a miracle she hadn't fallen out of it yet.
"I...I don't know, Root. We've both had nightmares, but how do we help her?" Shaw asked.
"Uhm...well I've always appreciated being woken up," Root began in a stilted voice.
Shaw glared at the ceiling briefly. "Well yeah, but what about after?" she asked, always at a loss when she hung around for Root's nightmares. She always felt her actions weren't enough, that she wasn't doing the right thing, but Root did always thank her.
"You usually curl around me and it makes me feel safe, like nothing in the world can get to me," Root said, a small dreamy smile on her face. Shaw wasn't much for cuddling but she made an exception when Root was in the mood and it truly spoke volumes. "Maybe we should try that with Gen? Or something similar?" she suggested, glancing at her partner. Shaw thought about it for a moment before nodding curtly and moving into the bedroom and toward the farthest side of the bed, Root taking the closest.
Root reached out first, always the more tactile of the pair and gently shook Gen's shoulder, whispering her name in as soft and calm a voice she could manage. When Gen awoke she sat up straight, heaving breaths through her mouth and nose combined. Slowly she calmed down, irises adjusting to the dark around her and the people sitting beside her.
"Root? Gen?" she said in a gravely voice. Clearing it, Gen looked at Shaw with furrowed brows.
"Yeah, kid," Shaw admitted, figuring maybe Gen was surprised she had tagged along for nightmare soothing duty. Perhaps she had only been expecting Root.
Gen smiled briefly, than situated herself on the bed, legs crossed, hands resting in her lap. She found it difficult to look either woman in the eye. "It was stupid" she muttered, shaking her head.
"Of course not," Root said immediately, not wishing Gen to ever feel the way she had once felt as a condemned child in Bishop. She needed to know her feelings, her thoughts, her ideas, everything about her was valid and valued. That was important for Root to impart on the impressionable girl.
A shrug was the only response Root received and she reached out to rest a hand on Gen's knee. Shaw's hands remained firmly in her lap, clenched in what Root could only guess as concern she wasn't contributing enough.
"I dreamt..." Gen sighed. "I dreamt the Russian mafia had found me and were going to take me away from you guys, make me spy for them or something, and there wasn't anything anyone could do. You and Shaw were taken down, John was off on a wild goose chase and neither Harold nor Zoe nor Fusco could find me with their immense resources," she sniffled a little at recalling the memory of her dream.
"Hah," Shaw scoffed. Root's eyes darted to the Persian, nervous about her reaction. "Like that would ever happen. There's no way with Big Sister in Sometimes Eeyore's ear and my advanced training that we'll ever be taken out that easily. And there's not a thing Harold can't find out some way or another. Hell, I heard tale of him tracking down physical records of an old Stasi operative because his digital footprint was nonexistent. There will always be a way to find you," Shaw said logically, pure confidence projected in her voice. "We'll never give up."
Gen's face broke out into a grin and without a second thought she threw her arms around Shaw's shoulders. "Oh thank you, Shaw!" she exclaimed, burying her face in the woman's hair for the moment, taking comfort in the temporary contact as long as she could. She pulled back after a few moments when she felt Shaw tense up. "Thanks," she muttered again, a little more embarrassed this time.
"Of course," Shaw muttered back, earning a head shake from Root. "What?"
"You two are truly two peas in a pod sometimes. I swear you'd make the perfect relatives," Root grinned, careful about her phrasing to not concern Shaw further. They were a sort of pseudo family, Gen and her two mommies, but Root knew it would be too intimate a thought and may spook her partner. Family was already a strange enough concept for the sociopath and psychopath, parenting...was a whole other ballpark they skirted to the best of their ability but any outsider would know instantly that is what they were doing for Gen. Better than Harold probably could anyways. He was better in the funny uncle category anyways.
"So...does that mean we don't have to cuddle?" Shaw asked warily.
Gen giggled, "No, that's okay, Shaw. I know it's not your thing and my bed's certainly not big enough for two of us, is it?"
"It's almost not big enough for you, now that I look at it," Root commented offhandedly, head tilted in thought. "But you can always come to our bed if you need anything. You know that right?" she asked.
"Yeah. Thanks, Root," Gen said, a soft smile on her face. She got settled back under the sheets, Shaw practiced enough to make a show of effort of tucking the girl in.
"Goodnight, kid," Shaw said, walking toward the door.
"Goodnight, ma..." Gen mumbled sleepily around a yawn. Shaw paused, head snapping back to look at Gen.
"Don't worry too much about it, sweetie," Root whispered, a hand on Shaw's lower back. "She's tired."
"Is...is that how she sees us?" Shaw whispered back as they headed to their room.
Root shrugged. "I'm not sure but The Machine said it's not unheard of for such a connection to be made. She's been without her mother for almost half of her life now so...," she trailed off, shrugging again.
Shaw glanced at Root. "I don't like Her creeping on us in our own home," she muttered, flopping into the bed, hardly bothering with the sheets. Root smiled, and crawled languidly over Shaw to half lay on the smaller woman, an arm propped up to watch her face.
"She's always watching or listening, Sameen, you know that," Root replied. Shaw pushed at Root's shoulders until the woman rolled onto her back and Shaw grumbled. "Does it really bother you that much?"
She knew Root had returned back to the conversation about Gen and she sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I dunno. I never saw myself ever becoming a parent. I knew I'd always be to restless to settle like that, knew I'd never have what others call a 'normal life'. Hell, I've probably outlived my life expectancy at this point," she said, face a stoic mask of contemplation. "But...it doesn't sound like a bad thing, so maybe its okay," Shaw finished with a shrug.
Root grinned and leaned over to peck Shaw's cheek. "I'd love to be a parent," she commented, causing Shaw to look at her with slightly wider eyes, a concern, nay, a slight fear in her dark eyes at the sub textual meaning that phrase evoked.