Storyline: Takes place a few days after chapter 21 ends. Not in canon, or maybe it is? Well, read it as separate. It might be easier that way.
Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue. I don't own this, but neither do you!
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I had that dream again. The one where Crehador gave us the wrong poison, and Cassandra hypnotized me, making me shoot you. The dream where, in my hazy mind, I couldn't control where I was pointing that gun. I didn't have time to murmur my reassurances into your ear. The dream where not even the thick vial of liquid could stop the bullet from plunging into your heart. No, it wasn't a dream…
…It was a nightmare.
And then, as my foggy mind slowly unclouded and the bang from the shot rang in my ears, I registered what had just happened. Slow, disbelieving eyes roamed the room until they fell upon your unmoving body.
Slowly, I walked towards you. Even if the others in the room had been paying attention to me, it wouldn't have mattered. My eyes were only on you.
I stepped across the room, closer and closer to your still form. The few yards we had been apart when I fired the gun suddenly stretched for miles on end. And just as I stood before you, reaching out with a few tentative fingers, the dream ended.
Almost always I woke up drenched in a cold sweat, my sheets clinging to my bare skin. You would call my name – "Master Cain?" – so quietly, ever the vigilant one.
As soon as I saw you my heart immediately beat faster, thumping deviously in my ribcage. Without realizing it, I found myself scrutinizing your body for signs of injury. I wish I could just write it off as clumsiness, but you get hurt much too often, and I know it's always for my sake.
My head is so clustered with all these thoughts that you notice my distress and walk to my bedside, putting a hand lightly on my forehead to check for a fever. I look up, startled, and you gaze down at me with the beginnings of a smile tugging at your lips.
You didn't know the influences you had over me, but that was alright. I just hid that tears that threatened to spill as I realized just how important you were to me.
I had to resist the urge to tug you down and hug your waist, just to see if you'd put those warm, strong arms around me. Or, I could pull back the covers a bit and pat the bed beside me, inviting you to lay down with me, erasing all the bad dreams from my system as I clung desperately to your sturdy form. And even if you refused, I could always order you, right? I am your master, after all.
But somehow, I didn't think you would refuse. You weren't that type of guy. Hah, "unconditional love?" Doctor's got nothin' on us.
