A/N - This has already been published on LiveJournal so you might have already seen this but thought it was time I got myself sorted out and began posting on here too.
I'll happily admit to being shallow and will promise to love you forever if you leave a review
4.16am
The bright red LED display on the alarm clock Emma was facing had been taunting her for the last 25 or so minutes. She couldn't place exactly when she had lost her battle with temporary insomnia, but failed she most certainly had, and she was left in a bizarre situation of feeling wide awake, but completely exhausted at the same time. Lying on her side of the bed, she had worked her way free from Will's embrace during the night as she normally did. Not through the fact she didn't want to be close to him at every given moment (which she most certainly did), but mainly due to the fact that after 32 years of sleeping alone, she had become a particularly fidgety sleeper and was struggling to get used to having to share the space with someone. No matter how special that person was or how much she loved them. And so here she was as normal at an ungodly hour with her back to him, staring at the luminous digits on the nightstand, wishing she could do nothing else than close her eyes and return to whatever dreamlike vision she had left behind 25 minutes ago.
4.17am.
Another minute passed and Emma sighed with sheer frustration as time ignored her plea for a temporary halt so she could catch up on her sleep.
Repeated attempts to fall back into a deep slumber before the daily alarm roused them both before work had failed miserably. At first she tried readjusting under the covers as discreetly as possible so as not to wake Will, but to try and make herself more comfortable. It didn't work. If anything she had over thought the 'comfortable' situation too much all she could focus on was the fact that lying on her side meant her hipbone was digging into the mattress, leaving her with a dull ache that was more irritating than anything she'd encountered pre-fidget. Closing her eyes and trying to replay in her mind that evening's cuddle on the couch with Will had failed miserably too. The irony of the fact that whilst he was holding her close earlier, telling her just how much he loved her at the same time as slowly drawing circles on her back and then up her arms, she had almost dozed off from utter contentment and bliss, was sadly not lost on her now.
4.18am
This was hopeless. Her mind started to countdown the fact she had less than 2 hours sleep remaining before having to throw back the covers and get ready for another day at McKinley. As each moment passed the she felt more and more consigned to the fact that she probably wouldn't sleep again at all tonight and that her usual morning cup of tea would have to be replaced by an espresso. Double shot at least. She suddenly noticed the fact her shoulders had risen up of the top of the covers during the night and the cool winter temperature had reached her skin causing her to shiver slightly and burrow back into the eiderdown for warmth.
4.19am
Perhaps most frustrating of all was the fact that she couldn't understand why she'd woken up or why she couldn't sleep again. There was no nightmare that had suddenly bought her back into the land of the living, no loud noises from outside the apartment and although Will was lost in a deep sleep and making a gentle almost-snoring type noise, she found the rhythm of it calmed her and made her feel content. It certainly wouldn't have broken her slumber. She couldn't blame the insomnia on any fears or worries either. She could safely say that was she at peace with herself and everything within her life at last. Yes there were still insecurities and issues to work through with her OCD, but they didn't feel insurmountable anymore now that she had the love, support and strength of Will to help her through them. In fact, she felt that with him by her side she could take on anything. The world was finally now her own pristinely polished oyster to go and enjoy.
4.20am
This was just getting ridiculous. All she wanted was sleep. The ache in her hipbone had grown too strong and she was left with no choice but to fidget under the covers to try and find a new position in which to try and get comfortable and drift off. Rolling back over onto her other side facing Will again, she managed to discreetly work her way back into his arms. She slowly placed her hands on his chest over his t-shirt so she could feel his breathing in time with the way she could hear his gentle snores, whilst her head rested underneath his chin in a gap that seemed custom-built for her. Her mind became light-headed within seconds and the peace she had been desperately seeking for the past half hour was finally on it's way back to her. One final semi-conscious fidget found her craving more contact with Will than she had realised. The cotton barrier between her hands and his skin was frankly getting in the way of the comfort she needed. She placed her hands back on his chest where they had been seconds ago, but this time underneath his shirt so she could feel his heart beating slowly. Will twitched slightly in his sleep at the new contact, but merely pulled his arms and legs round her tighter unconsciously.
There.
That was all she needed. It turned out that Emma Pillsbury was a snuggler in bed after all; despite thinking the opposite for years.
'Love you' she murmured before letting the drowsy sensation take over her completely.
4.22am
Will was slowly awoken by a cold sensation on his chest and opened his eyes slowly to see swathes of red-hair tucked under his chin and Emma nuzzled into his body in almost the same position it had been when they feel asleep earlier in the night. Her fingers felt like blocks of ice but frankly he didn't care. All that mattered was the fact she needed that contact from him. He kissed the top of her head slightly and whispered 'love you' before closing his eyes and returning to sleep with an admittedly smug smile on his face.
He'd told her months ago he didn't mind if she needed space and wanted to sleep on her own side of the bed during the night as long as he could hold her when they first drifted off. Mainly because he knew that over time she'd work her way back to him again. He'd had Emma pegged down as a snuggler from the second she'd moved in months ago. It was just that she hadn't realised it yet but he knew he was right all along.