Chapter One:

Shooting up in bed I finally catch my breath, I can feel the wetness on my face from crying and my hair is damp and matted. I have no idea why this keeps happening, why this keeps happening to me more so. Feeling like the air has been knocked out of me and my body numb, I lay there paralyzed. Nothing feels like it can move, I'm exhausted. These dreams could not have come at a worst time in my life. My thoughts roam playing the dream over and over again in my head. Opening my eyes to only find myself somewhere I had never been before, them chasing me, the feeling of being lost and not having any idea where to go. The change in time periods and the stares from the people I would run through. As if they were real humans I felt their glares and I struggled to get away from the ones chasing me. Each dream they got just a little closer to catching me before I would once again wake up. Covered in sweat, in a panic and crying. It had become a routine. I turn and look at the clock and it reads 3:17, nearly four hours tonight that had to be a new record. Night after night now it seemed as if the dreams became more real as if it was an alternate reality more than a nightmare. All I knew was that it was an alternate reality I wanted no part of and it seemed that a certain group of people didn't want me to be a part of it.

I roll out of bed and head to the bathroom, I see my reflection and realize there is no hope for going to work tomorrow. My bags could have trophies for how large they had gotten, getting three to four hours of sleep for the last 13, well now 14, nights was taking its toll on me. I reach for my cup and fill it with warm water and chug three glasses. This sometimes helped calm my nerves but tonight nothing seemed to be working. They had gotten so close to catching me, their calloused hands had grazed my leg and I tried to back away only to feel a wall at my back. Just the thought brought my pulse rising again, they always had this sense of urgency as if they would die if they didn't catch me. Like their lives depended upon me being in their hands. The only thing different about tonight was that they had never gotten that close, and I still had no idea why they were chasing me. I was just lucky to get away every time, because it didn't seem that they were chasing me to tell me I'd won a puppy.

I walked back into my bedroom and giggled to myself as he lies there hogging every cover on the bed and completely sprawled out in the middle of it. There was one last thing to try and calm my nerves and it seemed to work every time, I slowly crawl back in bed and shove my butt into him creating a foot of space for me to fit on. "Another dream?" I jump ten inches off the bed, his voice scaring me half to death. He normally sleeps right through me waking up. "Sorry didn't mean to scare you, just it got cold when you went to the bathroom." He says groggily and his voice is heaven to my ears calming my nerves the second I hear it. "I don't know how you ever get cold seeing you hog all of the blankets." He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his chest, "Maybe that's just my ploy to get you to actually cuddle with me at night." I laugh and snuggle closer to his chest, his body is warm against my cool skin and I can smell his natural scent that I loved so much. It was a mix of spring time and apples, refreshing but homey. I feel his head fall heavier and heavier on top of mine, signaling he's back to his restful sleep. I just stay in the bliss of his sleep and realize how much people take sleep for granted. We don't understand how wonderful it is until we no longer sleep like we used to.

I occasionally close my eyes but the second I feel myself falling back asleep they snap open, I can't let myself slip back. There is no way, because this time if I go back they might catch me. Eventually I do slip but luckily not deep enough to start the dream, Nathan's alarm begins playing Biggie and my eyes spring open. He lazily unwraps from me and hits the snooze, he rolls over leaving me cold, without his body heat or the blankets. I reach over for any blanket material I can reach and pull as hard as I can with the lack of sleep I'm working with. Apparently it's not very hard because the blanket doesn't budge, I lay cold and realize what has to be done.

I lean over Nathan and begin kissing behind his ear, then slowly down his neck. I can hear him groan slightly so I know it's working and his hand finds the crook of my back. His fingers start slowly tracing my spine as my mouth makes its way across his collarbone and to his shoulder. My hand slowly slides across his chest and I find the glass of water that's been sitting there over night, he doesn't even notice as my kisses move back up towards his neck. As I grasp the glass I stop kissing him and his eyes shoot open to find me straddling him holding the full glass of water over his head. "Let the blanket hostage go and I won't pull the trigger." He rolls his eyes and his deep morning laugh rolls out of him as slowly takes the glass from my hands, unloading the gun. "Okay okay, no more Criminal Minds before bed for you." I laugh and roll off of his as he stands up, I lay in the middle of the bed and hold my arms up. He gets the cue and pulls the covers up to my chin and tugs me in as tight as he can. Kisses me on the cheek and saunters to our bathroom to shower, I can't decide to close my eyes in this blissful cocoon or to call work and break the news of my absence. I decide work was more important.

I sluggishly slide off of the bed out of the comfort of my blanket burrito and find my cell phone. The typical notifications on the screen, my fitbit notifying me I was lacking sleep once again, a call from my step mother along with a voicemail and a few social media alerts. I unlock it and begrudgingly dial work. After the first ring I hear a click, "This is Josh at Exposure Magazine, how may I help you?" I silently giggle at just how feminine his voice sounded through the phone "Josh, it's Maggie,I won't be there today." I hear a sigh of relief on the other end, "Thank goodness we were worried you were gonna get all of us here at the office sick too. Get better Mag's we will miss ya." Then a click and the conversation is over, he wasn't ever very good with the goodbye part of a conversation. But that was easier than expected, apparently the lack of sleep had become prevalent enough for people to believe I was sick. Honestly, I didn't even have the energy to be bothered by it. It got me some unargued sick days which I more than anything couldn't complain about. I walk back to the edge of the bed and trust fall into the bounding heap of white covers.

Laying there letting the blankets envelope my self pity and loathing of anyone who had gotten a good night's sleep. I close my eyes and slowly but surely I feel sleep falling upon me and then it's happening. The weight that's fallen upon me is unbearable and my heart begins to race like it's a part of the Daytona 500. Then the heat fills my body and the blankets feel more like a straight jacket. I knew it was gonna win this time, his hands find my waist and began to tickle me and I can barely breathe with the blankets covering my face. "Nathan!" I scream with a mouth full of linen. My abs begin to burn from laughing and the lack of oxygen I'm receiving. His hands find an opening of blanket allowing me air to breathe and I inhale immediately. "If you want to see you're bride walk down the aisle you'll never do that again." He smiles and his green eyes light up the way they do anytime I bring up the wedding, he plants a kiss on my forehead. "Well hopefully my bride doesn't look like she just lost a fight to Ronda Rousey." I smack his bare chest and can feel a few water droplets fall from his wet hair onto my arms, "I mean seriously you my dear need sleep, I could take a three week vacation with the bags under your eyes." I gasp, "Quit being a jerk!" He chuckles a light hearted laugh and pushes off the bed while shaking his hair out like a dog all over me. "Quittttttttttt" I yell, but in reality I couldn't care less because the scent of his shampoo was intoxicating to me.

He smiles, walking out of the bedroom back to the closet and before I know it he's tossing different garments of clothing at me, "What are you doing you maniac?!" I yell as another pair of socks lands in my lap with his impeccable baseball player aim. "Packing my bags!" I hear him yell from the closet, I grab one of the pair of socks and chuck them in the general direction of him with my less than impressive throwing capabilities. "Jerk!" I scream, he pops out from the closet and winks at me. "Jerk?! Me?! What kind of man would I be to act as a jerk to my lovely little lady?!" I can't help but roll my eyes and lay back on the bed. I was exhausted but no matter how tired I was he could always put me in a better mood. He walks back into the closet and I get up picking up the random articles of clothing that had been thrown, "Maybe next time you wanna make me laugh we don't throw the freshly folded laundry!" I say as I refold everything semi annoyed because I hate folding in the first place. He walks out of the closet in his usual workout attire, black shorts and a bright blue dry fit shirt that hugged his muscles in all the right places. "Okay okay, I'm sorry I'll try not to ruin your masterpieces next time." He says as he kisses the top of my head and wrapping his arm around my waist. I finish folding and walk out of his grasp towards the closet, he follows close behind which is strange.

I put the clothes away and he's waiting on the edge of the tub picking at his nails and I think I know what's coming. "I think you should call Doctor Davidson today, just go in and talk to him for a bit. Nothing too professional just see if he has any idea what might be going on." I sit next to him and grab his hands, we had stopped the habit of picking at his nails our senior year in highschool there was no reason to start it back up. "Stop, I'm fine. This is nothing like my mom, you know this. I'm just having some nightmares that's it, I'll run by the store and get some melatonin and sleep like a baby through the day. Be rested up and back to myself by tomorrow, just in time for the engagement party." He rubbed my thigh and took a sigh but quickly tried to cover it up as a yawn, knowing him sighing would only frustrate me further. "You know I can read you like a book, and a morning person like you doesn't yawn when he just woke up an hour ago." He grabs me in a chokehold and pulls me into his chest, "Ya know me too well Davis. I'm just worried about ya." I kiss his chest and wrap my arms around his waist, "And I love ya for it, if it doesn't get better in a couple of days I'll call him." He lets go and I pop up to see a huge grin on his face, "This doesn't mean you're right!" I smack his leg and he laughs and stands up leaving the bathroom.

I follow his lead and exit the bedroom, from the top of the stairs I realize just how messy our loft had become. Between me becoming a weekly columnist and his intense spring training these past few weeks it was as if Nathan and Maggie tornadoes had been blowing through. "Before my melatonin run I'm cleaning this place, it's going to be so spotless it'll be featured in a Mr. Clean commercial." I shake my head, I had no idea it had gotten this bad, it's quite incredible we had lived in it. There were dishes covering every inch of counter and dirty clothing laying in random places. The couch had become a catch all and the floor was barely visible. The clean steel look of our loft had been tossed to the side as the storm of messiness resided in it's absence. Nathan turned at the end of the stairs blocking me from taking the last step, he picked me up from hips and my legs instinctively wrapped around him. "Just promise there will be an open bottle of melatonin on the counter when I get home." I nod and kiss him before he puts me down. The kiss deepens as my feet touch the floor and I have to push him away for it to end, something about his kisses made me feel so at home.

He walks over to the kitchen and grabs his workout bag and his protein shake from the fridge the clock read 9:29 and he was way late to workouts. "Babe, didn't workouts start 30 minutes ago?" "I'm doing my own workouts today, the team had a day off." I nod and slap his ass as he turns around to head out the door. "Better get to it then sugar, gotta bring the money home." I wink and he rolls his eyes and he walks out the garage door. "Love you!" I hear him yell through the closed door and I smile to myself before reaching under the sink for the cleaning supplies. As soon as the endorphins from a morning with Nathan rubs off the exhaustion hits me and damn does it hit hard. I took a quick couple of shots of a five hour energy hoping I could get at least the kitchen cleaned making the loft seem almost livable. I had managed to clean the counters and most of the living room on pure adrenaline. Sure it wasn't my best work and no Mr. Clean commercial but it was decent for the amount of sleep I was running on. I sat on the couch between dusting and vacuuming and instantly knew I'd made a mistake, there was no way I was getting back up.

Before I knew it no matter how hard I fought I couldn't keep my eyes open, all I prayed was that I wouldn't get caught. No I knew I couldn't get caught, because who knows what would happen if I did.

I opened my eyes and I was in a much busier place than usual, and for some reason this dream felt very very different. Usually when I opened my eyes I felt alone and instantly knew I needed to start running but not this time. No this time I didn't feel scared or worried, I felt curious. I was in my leggings and old Led Zeppelin T-shirt that had holes worn into it from sleeping in it every night in college. Oddly enough I wasn't getting stares, people seemed too concerned with their own lives to be worried about some stranger dressed in strange clothing. But then I started to see band shirts surrounding me, then I realized maybe I wasn't in strange clothing after all. I look up and see the giant Coca Cola sign and instantly realize where I am, Times Square. One of my favorite places on earth, this place was magical to me. Maybe that's why this dream felt different, then I realized it had been some time and I hadn't heard the ringing that usually came before the chasing. Maybe I was right, they were just nightmares, nothing more.

Even if my outfit wouldn't make me seem strange the smeared makeup on my artificially tanned face may raise some questions. I began to go through my checklist I went through in my nightmares. Even if this felt different it was always better to be safe than sorry, you never knew when they would show up. First take in my surroundings and look for the best spot to hide but still make a quick getaway. I didn't want them to find me but if they did I needed an easy escape route. They always seemed to find me, it never failed as soon as the ringing started they began to head in my direction as if it was some type of sonar device. I spot an abandoned newsstand, easy to hide behind but easy to get out of. There was a dark alley next to it to run down to try and lose them which was perfect.

I begin to make my way to my hideaway which seems to be a difficult task in the packed Times Square. I'm beginning to get annoyed by the pushing and shoving, my blood pressure is rising but I keep quite to go unnoticed. My nerves begin to rattle, I just wanna be in the newsstand. It seems safe and the thought of them finding me out in the open like this is a sure way of them catching me. They would be able to push through this crowd as if no one was around. They had such a fluid motion to them, as if it was their will that made people to move. As I'm beginning to freak out I decide to focus on a group of people and take in the moment. I like to do this and try and figure out what time period I'm in, it was pretty easy to know this one. I wrote for a gossip magazine we had plenty of articles talking about how the 80's were making a comeback. Being in what seemed to be the actual 80's made it even more prevalent that those articles were 100% correct. I find a group of bachelor bad boys behind me and decide to focus on them. As I am trying to eavesdrop and walk to my destination I'm so in my own world that I don't even feel the arm wrap around my waist. Before I know it I'm being turned around and a set of lips is tightly pressed against mine. I'm enveloped in a kiss, a pretty damn good one at that.

This was one of those kisses where your leg moves up like a princess and you don't even notice it. One of those kisses that ignited a fire in the bottom of your stomach, that made fireworks go off in your head. He arm tightens around my waist and his other hand finds its way to my hair. Lacing his fingers through it and pulling head back to deepen the kiss. My hands find his face as well and the kiss lingers on my lips even as he pulls away. I open my eyes and stare in piercing blue eyes. I lean back and he lets go of my waist causing me to stumble backwards he grabs my arms and catches me. "I'm sorry dollface, that was a dare from my friends." He still looks just as surprised as me and I am standing there speechless I take in his looks. He has dark black hair that is longer and a mess, but a very stunning mess. His jaw line made of stone and his complexion nearly porcelain. His shoulders broad as the horizon and his body following was nothing short of what fiction characters were made of. He was wearing cuffed jeans and a plain white shirt tight in just the right places. I kept staring and he did the same, both of us not knowing what to say. All I can do is walk away, cause I had no idea what the hell I was doing.

As I'm walking away I feel a hand, that I hope is his, wrap around my wrist. I turn and his eyes are looking at me desperately but I'm not sure why, "I wasn't tryin to offend ya or nothin, if anything ya should be flattered." He winks his bostonian accent is much stronger than I had originally noticed and so are his arms. "No really, it's fine! Promise!" I say just trying to get away from this beautiful man and home to my fiance. Where I belonged even if it didn't feel like it right now. I begin to walk towards my hideaway and I can feel his eyes on me the entire time so I sway my hips a little more than usual knowing my Lulu's are hugging my hips just right. He catcall whistles at me and usually I would be highly upset but with him I couldn't help but let the widest grin spread upon my face and I couldn't help but turn around. I got one last glance before the crowd consumes him and my little fantasy is over which if for the better.

I get behind the newsstand and lay down staring at the sky left with thinking about what had just occurred. The longer I thought the more I realized what I had told him was such a lie, nothing about what just happened was fine. I was not fine, but I do have to admit it was a nice distraction from thinking of them finding me. As the time lingers on I wait for the ringing to start as I play the kiss in my head over and over again. I was almost praying they'd come just so I could stop feeling guilty for thinking about the man who had just swept me off of my feet. But they never came, and before I knew it I was asleep on the floor of the newsstand wishing for dreams of the mystery man who I would never see again.

I feel a warm body next to mine and I can smell the spring time and apples. I turn toward Nathan and am more than happy to be in his arms. "Hey sleepyhead, I didn't even see a bottle of melatonin. Didn't make it the store did ya?" I slowly lift my eyelids which feel like 100 pounds each, first I see Nathan's tan skin and I gaze up to his beautiful face and can't help but smile. I stretch out of his arms and suddenly am startled to realize it's pitch black outside the window. I quickly shift my body to read the clock, it reads 1:23 and I'm even more confused. Why is he already home, and why is it this dark this early in the afternoon? Then it hits me, it's not in the afternoon. I had slept 16 hours, oh my gosh I had slept. This was a miracle, I instantly stood up on the bed all of the energy in the world coursing through my body. Nathan deeply chuckles which makes the energy course through my body even faster. I jump with him between my legs and before I know it he's full blown laughing and I'm signing my own made up version of you are my sunshine.

I softly land straddling him and gaze down at him, I hadn't felt this refreshed in two weeks and I am so happy he is there to see me happy again. "Well Goodmorning to you too sweetcheeks." I kiss his lips quickly and get that comforting feeling in the heart once again. His hands find my hips and the warmth beneath them sends a chill down my spine. I look deeply into his dark green eyes, I take in every square inch of this man that I loved so much. "Have you not slept yet?" I ask pinch his chin between my forefinger and my thumb. He shakes his head no, a quizzical tilt my head insists on more information. One of us had just caught up on sleep we didn't need the other one falling behind.

He slowly stroked my thighs and his hands were just rough enough to feel nice but soft enough to calm me and bring me down from this high. "Well someone has to bring home the money," he leans us slowly sliding me on his lap as he sits up and kisses me. "Someone also has to deal with crazy family members who think you've died when you don't answer your cell or your work phone all day." I gasp, shit Mary had called this morning and I had completely forgot to call her back. I kissed him again and this time let it linger, "Were they mad? You are the absolute best, I don't know what I'd do without you." He smiled, "Well they weren't happy especially seeing it's the day before our party but I talked them down from the ledge." Instantly I was terrified, "You didn't tell them about me not sleeping did you?!" His eyes widened and I could feel my blood pressure rise. He knew better than to tell my family about that after my mother.

"No, of course not. Maggie Sue we have been together for nearly 12 years you think I don't know you!" He smacked my rear end and I laughed, "Well you called me Maggie Sue so it's questionable how well ya know me." I wink, "I know ya well enough to know that drives you insane." He leans in and pecks me, "I did deal with your family today which means I am literally to the maximum exhaustion level I could possible be at so let me get some sleep wild women. I de-straddle him and kiss his forehead, "Goodnight my knight and shining armour." He gags, "Goodnight ya brat, love ya more than you'll ever know." "Love you with everything in me." I close the door behind me and head towards the kitchen I am starving, a day of sleep does something to a girl's appetite.

As I poured a bowl of Fruity Pebbles I couldn't help but let my mind wander to the dream and wonder why the hell or more like how the hell had I slept for so long? First I wondered where the men where and why they didn't find me this time. Then I landed on the fact like nobody stared at me and that the dream felt safe and homey. Then the fact that everything in it had felt more real than any other dream I'd had. Then my mind wandered to him, first it started with his eyes. The way they seemed to look straight through me, to see parts of me I couldn't even see in myself. Their bright blue made it seem as if I was staring into an ocean that I would love to drift away in. Then it wandered to his hand, and how when it had grabbed me it grabbed with such force but yet so gently. He seemed as if he could take on an army but also wouldn't harm a butterfly and I had never realized someone could seem so contradictory. Then it fled to his voice, his silky bostonian accent laced with the depth of his voice was almost better than Nathan's half asleep voice. And then there it was, Nathan, the man I was engaged to.

I shouldn't feel guilty for a dream should I? I mean it wasn't even real, so in no way was that cheating on my fiance. Of course not, I would never see him again. But if that were true then why did I feel as if my heart wouldn't beat again until his lips were on mine. And lastly my mind had found what it was looking for. The kiss, the fire deep within me that hadn't gone out since his lips had touched mine. Why had the kiss with this dream boy made me feel fireworks while Nathan's made me feel at home? And which was better, fireworks or safety? My mind wouldn't stop and it was going 500 miles per hour and before I knew it I was tired once again and now had a headache. I drank my three glasses of warm water and headed back upstairs. I needed to try and sleep and not think, hoping there wouldn't be a dream at all. The men chasing me would be bad but I almost felt as if finding my mystery man would be worse.

Once I had gotten upstairs I laid next to Nathan and he was so exhausted he hadn't even budged when I kissed his cheek. I let him lay peacefully as I face the window and try to sleep. I knew tomorrow would be a long of dealing with family, and parties and hiding the dreams. Now more than ever I was thankful for the bags that had caused my co workers to believe I was sick. I closed my eyes and wished on everything for a dreamless sleep, nothing could prepare me for the next day.