A/N: Alrighty, first thing first, this isn't a JT fic. If you don't like the idea of Theresa and Jay not being "Together", then this probably isn't something you'll like. That's cool, though. Just please don't spend three hours telling me that in a review. There'll be some small AA stuff, too. And no, I'm not trying to bash lovable Herry.
Disclaimer: Nope. Not today. Not tomorrow. Probably not Saturday either.
"Achoo!!"
Knowing all too well what was coming, he closed his eyes, beginning to count slowly in his head. "One... two..."
"A-a-achoo!" The familiar sneeze rang through the dark, sleeping house.
Neil sighed but didn't bother looking up from his magazine; he knew exactly who had been keeping him up. "You've deprived me of an hour and a half of my precious my beauty sleep, you know." He flipped a page. "Not to mention the amazing dream I was having earlier."
The figure slumping slowly down the stairs laughed for the first time that night. Grasping at the wall railing unsuccessfully, her foot slipped and almost in slow motion, she felt gravity pull her foreword.
T-Thump.
Neil looked up, half startled, half grinning.
"Owww…" A quite groan came from across the room. Neil airily stood, tossing the magazine he had skimmed through at least twice now on to the kitchen table. He strode towards his jumbled friend, who lay in a mess at the foot of the stairs.
"Geez, and I thought Cronus needed work on his entries," he began playfully, helping the sleepy teen to her feet. "Do you have a name for that amazingly graceful move?" She grumbled under her breath, working on re-gaining her balance rather than acknowledging the model's besetting jests. Neil mock gasped. "Brilliant! I simply must learn it and make it the next biggest show on the runway!"
She groaned. Pushing off the wall for support, she sat herself down and let her head roll onto the table. "Augh, I haven't beend dis sick in a long dime." She placed two fingers on her temples.
Slipping into a seat across from her, Neil studied what he could see of her tired, pale face for a minute. The usual twinkle in her eyes was absent, dark circle running under them instead. Her shoulders slumped sluggishly and her hair was tangled. This was not the Theresa he knew. "You need some tea," he decided. He searched the cupboards for moment, emerging with a flowery kettle hanging loosly in his hand and a sour look painted across his face. "Where the heck did we get this tacky thing from?"
"Herry picked it dup ad' a garage sale. Said it'd reminded him of his farm."
"Well, it reminds me of something from a Mother Goose story book." He filled the kettle and plugged it in. "And I think we should give it back before we start getting complaints from them. Hungry?" he asked, turning to the fridge.
"No... Don't have much of an'd appetite." As the light from the fridge spilled into the kitchen, her hands flung to shield her eyes. When she heard it click shut, again only the pale light from the moon came in through the window. Neil sat down and placed a bowl of blueberries in front of him. They sat silent for a moment, Neil eating his fruit, Theresa face down on the table, slowly drifting off to sleep until the high pitched squeal of the kettle jolted her up.
Neil stood and unplugged the demanding kettle. Taking two cups, he dropped a tea bag in each and filled them with the boiling water. "Dust a bit of milk and ugar," she mumbled, propping up her forearm on the table and placing a palm on her cheek to support her head in a sad attempt to keep her awake. He looked back at her suspiciously, about to question how she thought she could get away with turning him into her personal waiter. But seeing her face slowly slide out of her hands back to that fated spot on the table, he took pity.
She said a quiet thanks when he turned to hand her one of the cups. "Mmm... perfect." She took another sip before continuing. "I don't sound like an elephant anymore either!"
He flashed a genuine wink. "Couldn't expect anything less from me."
She grinned and happily finished the rest of her tea. Realizing that he hadn't even tasted his yet, Neil took a small sip. Although he hadn't really felt like tea, he hoped it would help him get back to sleep later on. "Sleep…" he groaned inwardly. Bored with his own repetitive thoughts of sleep and last season magazines, he thought for once it might not be half bad to talk about something other than himself.
"So, what made you risk coming down the stairs in your condition?"
She stuck her tongue out at him, and in the soft light, her eyes gently twinkled. "Couldn't sleep."
"No kidding?" He cocked one very well manicured eyebrow playfully. "Me neither."
"Ha ha." She rolled her eyes, absently mindedly sliding her tea cup around the table. "Its not just my cold. Just… some thinking."
"Jay?"
Her fingers automatically stopped pressing the cup this way and that, instead locking up and sliding under the table as if to hide from him, from the thought; from everything. The twinkle was gone. She shifted uncomfortably and looked away, knowing he was giving her "the look." Wouldn't Neil of all people simply make fun of her like the others? "There she goes again, obsessing over that poor boy."
It gave her the same frustrated feeling as nails on a chalkboard, although she knew their joking was in good humor. She was sick of getting made fun of by everyone. Time after time she had tried talking to Jay, to spark a flame, maybe even get things back to how they used to be. She used to love talking with him and listening to what he had to say, even if it was small stuff.
"He used to be at least slightly open..." she mused sadly. "But lately, either he has something better to do, or our conversations somehow shift towards something Cronus related. It's so... so…" She quickly bit her cheek to stop any tears from forming.
Curious as to where the sparkling Theresa had suddenly vanished to, Neil let his head drop to eye level with her, which was just above the table as her head had sunk lower in thought again. He could see in her eyes that her mind was elsewhere.
As much as she wanted it to be there, the flutteries and butterflies she had when they first met were gone, gone, gone, and she felt like a little schoolgirl trying desperately to catch them again. She was tired of it.
"...Theresa?"
Tired of listening to the others telling her to give up, although she knew they were right.
"Theresa??"
Annoyed with her failing attempts to push on something that was barely, if even at all, there. Sick of-
"Theresa!!" She jumped. Neil was desperately waving his hand in front of her face. "Phew! Thought I lost you there for a minute." She laughed bitterly and looked away, running a hand through her hair. "Oh, c'mon Reese, I didn't mean it like that!" He paused, waiting for a reaction. When none came, he continued with a sigh. "Look, I've never known you to mope over a guy, and I don't expect you to start now, do you hear me? C'mon, you're the tough fighter chick! You can handle anything that comes your way!"
She laughed, despite herself. "Lookie here, this coming from Neil! What is the world coming to? My, he hasn't checked his complexion in a whole," she paused to look at the clock. "Twenty-one minutes!"
"You're right!" He whipped out an imaginary mirror and began fussing with his only slightly messy hair. "What ever shall I do if my press decides to show up in the middle of the night?" He flashed his signature grin at her and she laughed.
Laughter...
"Yeah, we're heroes and we have responsibility..." Fixing her eyes on the wind moving through the trees outside, she frowned. "Heck, we're fated to save the world. But there doesn't always need to be a serious air with the team, which I see Jay pushing on the us more and more as he digs himself deeper into this Cronus hole." When was the last time she had just let loose laughing? When was-
Seeing her eyes drain and her head slowly sink down again, he intervened.
"Ah! Ah ahh!" He apprehensively leaned across the table and took hold of her shoulders, shaking her. "Oh no you don't! Get your thoughts outta' the negative non-happy stuff I know you're thinking," he scolded as though he had heard her every thought.
Surprised, she gaped blankly for a moment at how how seemed to know what was going on in her head. She shook her head slowly, smiling. "Didn't think I would be that readable..."
"I'm serious here!" He sunk back into his chair, snapping his fingers across his face in his goofy try-too-hard style. "Don't you go there girlfriend! Uh-uh!"
And suddenly she remembered why she had come to enjoy Neil's company so much. She could relax around him and have a good laugh when she really needed it, not an awkward chuckle that stung her with a sinking feeling afterwards. Over time, it seemed as though they had come to an unspoken understanding of each other. He would simply smile or swat back at her when she poked fun at him, showing he took no true offence. Despite the fact that Neil could have his… moments, she still respected him and appreciated their friendship. Surprisingly, she found that there was even something about him she had come to relate to, although she could never quite put her finger on it.
Digging into a pocket, Neil pulled out a coin to wave in front of her. "Penny for your thoughts?" Taking it slowly from his hand, she placed it on the table and sighed.
"I've done everything I can think of to loosen him up, to get him to notice me. You guys know that. Nothing is working… it's, it's like he's addicted to Cronus!" She threw her hands in the air, exasperated. "I mean, sure, sure, he's the leader and all he wants is the best for us but I just can't get through to him anymore! He doesn't even see my trying to-" her voice cracked, and she let loose a violent cough.
Neil cringed. "You need more tea."
In seconds, another cup of steaming tea was placed before her. Sipping slowly, she savored the warmth and attempted to calm her mind. The look in the blonde's eyes told her to go on. "I'm tired of it Neil. He's going to have to find someone as determined as him to defeat that man to make a relationship last... I'm just wasting my time! What's the point anymore?" Her arms flung across her chest defiantly, seemingly daring him to object.
Neil, however, felt no reason to object. This was definitely unexpected, but a pleasant surprise none the less. She had finally made her mind up to follow her senses. "You'd think the sixth one might do her some justice here, but noooo," he sighed inwardly. At first, everyone had figured the two would end up together, but when Jay had suddenly taken to Cronus so seriously, everyone shared that sinking feeling. The guessing game was getting old; especially for Theresa. She had dropped him all the clues she could come up with and waited for a response, but it just wasn't there.
Shoving the thought aside, a smug grin crossed his face. "Couldn't have said it better myself."
She looked up at him with a relieved smiled and sighed. "You have no idea how good it feels to get that off my chest. I can't believe how many people say I should go after him, but the next minute tell me it's not worth it."
He locked his fingers and extended them before him, cracking each one as though he were an old pro in the matter. "I'm a pretty straight up guy." Holding his chin high, his voice deepened. "Now that you've made your choice, there's no going back. Got it? Remember: His loss, right?"
"Yes, Dr. Phil," she laughed, trying to make herself sound serious. "Since when did you become a physiatrist?
He ran a hand through his hair and shrugged his shoulders innocently. "What can I say? When you're this good, these things come naturally."
She chuckled lightly, sliding the coin back at him. "Now, penny for your thoughts?" Theresa asked, wanting to stay off the subject.
He took a sip of his tea, letting his eye quickly catch hers. Despite all her tiredness, Theresa felt a chill run down her spine. "Just what goes on in that mind of yours anyway?"
After a long moment of what looked to be silent contemplation, Neil finally spoke. "I've really been thinking lately..." he placed both his hands under his chin. Letting his eyes intently survey her own, he placidly stretched out the moment as long as he could, all for the sake of driving her crazy inside, which he knew he was accomplishing quite well.
"Odie seriously needs a hair cut."
Baffled, she eyed him. "W-what?"
"Really, that volume of hair on one head worries me! You know, I bet if he really wanted to he could use his hair as a storage compartment! I wonder if he keeps anything in there..."
She shook her head, and with it, the mysterious feeling that had momentarily captured her. "Neil, you worry me sometimes."
Neil had decided to have another cup of tea and was up fixing it when he heard a thumping of feet coming from the stairs. The sound echoed through the room, until Theresa, who had almost fallen asleep at the table again, looked up sleepily.
"Who's that?" she asked rubbing her eyes.
"Mmmm… cake…"
They exchanged tired and confused looks. The thumping of feet echoed through the kitchen, louder and louder, until a tall, dark figure slumped into view. It stood there lazily for a moment, breathing deeply.
"Herry…?" Theresa asked as she stifled a yawn. "What are you-?"
"Carrot cake." His stomach growled demandingly.
Neil jumped up, squinting into the dark to get a better look at him. "Those have got to be the ugliest pajamas I've ever seen! Yeesh, I know what I'm getting you for Christmas this year." He laughed lightly at his own joke. "Herry?" Ignoring the blond completely, Herry walked past him and straight into the cupboard. He let out an annoyed groan, then fumbled toward the fridge. He opened it, and after shielding their eyes, they realized that he was, in fact, sleepwalking.
They looked at each other and laughed. Neil walked toward him, still snickering, and waved his hand back and forth in front of his face. No response. He poked his cheek and instinctively jumped backwards, barely missing the hand swatted in his direction. Deciding he had had his fun, Neil took his tea and sat down. They watched as Herry continued groping around the fridge for a few moments, finally emerging with left over birthday cake in his hands and a dopey grin plastered across his face.
"Boy, Archie isn't gonna' be too happy about that," Theresa whispered as she watched him clomp past them and back towards the stairs, all the while chuckling witlessly. "That's the last of his cake. Shouldn't we help Herry back up the stairs?"
"I'm sure he's very well acquainted with the path." He looked back at her. She stifled a yawn.
"Yeah, I guess it's not a good idea to wake up someone while they're sleepwalking. Especially Herry... For his sake I'm hoping he doesn't get a cake stain on the carpet up there; Athena will personally slaughter him."
Neil tried to finish his tea, but found he didn't want it at all this time. He simply took to stirring at it lazily while he held back yawns. Finally he asked, "So, what are you going to do now?"
Theresa looked up. "About Jay?" She wrinkled her brow in thought. "Nothing. I'm not going to do anything." A smile slowly crept across her face. She didn't need to explain. She knew he understood, and they left it at that.
When Neil stood and placed their cups in the sink, Theresa decided she was ready for bed. But upon actually standing, it hit her that she was much more tired than when she had first come down. She took a step, but her head spun, and she felt dizziness overcome her. The next thing she knew, she found herself on the floor with her friendly neighborhood model standing above her, a cocky grin plaster across his face.
"You're getting good at this." She shook her head, fighting to keep her eyes open. As she attempted to pick herself up, she suddenly felt herself being lifted off the floor. Surprised, she looked up finding herself held gently against Neil's chest.
"Neil?"
"You know, you are just fabulous at this! The runway would love you! I should talk to some people, maybe get you signed up. I mean, with moves like this in the industry, I might actually have some competion for once."
She squirmed, her eyes still wanting desperately to close. "Its fine Neil, I can… get… up..."
He felt her breathing begin to slow and watched as her eyes fluttered closed. She stopped squirming and slowly her head rolled onto his chest. He grinned down at the beauty in his arms, glad she was too tired to put up a fight. Cautiously, he padded his way through the dim room towards the stairs.
As he stepped up the stairs, he heard the toilet flush. "Man, I'd love to see the look on Jay's face right now." When he reached the top, the door opened and Herry stepped out with a toothbrush in his mouth. Neil found himself slightly disappointed yet rather amused all at the same time.
"... Neil?" The toothbrush slid out of the brawn's gawking mouth.
"What'cha doing?" Neil smirking.
"Me?" he started, still gawking. "I'd like to ask you the same thing!"
"Nuh-uh, I asked first."
"Well," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, one minute, I was having this awesome dream about an all you can eat dessert buffet, the next I woke up with this cake all over my face." He pointed his toothbrush at the sleeping girl in his arms and grinned. "Now, what's up with this? Is she okay? Or is it something I should know about?"
He chuckled, not sure whether or not to tell him about his sleepwalking. "No, she just fell asleep. She's already fallen down the stairs, and she'd most likely wake everyone up trying to crawl back up them."
"Sure. Well, I'm goin' back to bed." He stuck the toothbrush back in his mouth and mumbled a "G'night," before disappearing into his room.
Neil stood in the dark hallway, grinning. Mental note: Keep camera with me at all times.
Deciding that it was time for him to get back to dream land, he turned to Theresa's room and pushed the door open with his knee. Laying her carefully on the bed, he plopped down to catch his breath. She wasn't very heavy, but he was no Herry, either. In that moment, he would have preferred to collapse right there.
"You'd better be over your cold tomorrow." Feeling the cool night air drift in from her open window, he threw a quilt over her and she sighed happily. "Three days of being sick has got to suck." He watched her for another moment, almost feeling like time had stopped. Before he realized it, he gingerly, indeliberately swept a strand of hair behind her ear, letting his finger run softly down her cheek. "Girls are... kinda pretty when they sleep…" he smiled lightly. Realtiy quickly caught up with him and slapped him across the face, making him shake his head and head for the door. "I mean, hot. Yeah, that's what I meant." He sighed.
"You're Neil, not Romeo. C'mon."
Slipping out the door, he turned for one last thing. "Sweet dreams 'Reese… Sweet dreams."