I've no idea where this came from or what exactly it is that I've been doing here, but suddenly the idea popped into my head, and I just had to write it down. Perhaps it's my want for a happy ending for Harry and Ruth, which seems unlikely now that series 9 is drawing to a close. Please review :)
Quand Tu Dors
Ruth was overcome by feelings of panic, fear, and utter confusion. This couldn't possibly be real, could it? She had returned a few years ago, back home, back to her old life. So how had she ended up 'there' again? She didn't know whether it was even possible.
All of a sudden she had found herself back on Cyprus, the beautiful island she'd fallen in love with all those years ago. The autumn sun felt warm and comforting on her skin, but she could not enjoy it. Something was wrong. She was certain that she no longer lived here. She lived in London, had lived there for quite some time now. She had absolutely no idea how she had even ended up here.
Ruth started walking up the all too familiar path towards the only house in the area. That house which she had once called home. She'd had some happy times there. Family barbecues on the patio overlooking the sea, diving contests in the pool with Nico, sharing a glass of wine with George as they watched the sun set. It all seemed a lifetime away now, almost as though it hadn't really happened. But she knew it had in fact happened, and that that blissful happiness had been wrecked, all because of her. The pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach had re-emerged, and she had to take a couple of deep breaths to regain control over her emotions.
She had almost reached the house now. She could remember each and every tiny detail of the house, even after all this time. The beautiful, ancient stones with which the house was built, the bright blue shutters that were so typically Greek. Although Victorian style houses were still her favourite, this one was a very close second.
She peeped through one of the windows at the front of the house, and was shocked to see that nobody appeared to be living there. It seemed that most of the furniture was still there, but white sheets had been draped over them, and everything seemed to be covered in a thin layer of dust. Ruth wondered whether she should go in and take a closer look. She was unsure of whether it was the right thing to do under the circumstances. Eventually the decision was made for her as she tried the front door, only to find that it was locked. 'Not very surprising', she thought to herself.
Not knowing what else to do, she decided to walk along the path to the back of the house. Now that she was here, she very much wanted to see that gorgeous view over the ocean once more. On her way there she breathed in deeply, the heavy scent of all sorts of flowers filling her nostrils, making the memories of her time here that were swirling around in her head all the more vivid.
By now she had reached the back of the house. The first autumn leaves had started to fall down, drifting in the swimming pool and covering the patio, giving the area a messy and un-kept look. All of a sudden something caught her eye. A figure huddled over by the side of the swimming pool, their back to her. As she came closer, she was overcome by an odd feeling of déjà-vu. Surely it couldn't be? It was a boy of thirteen, perhaps fourteen years of age, with black hair. He must've heard her coming, because all of a sudden he turned round to face her.
Ruth was overcome by a sense of shock as she looked into the boy's eyes. Nico, the boy she'd loved with all her heart, and whom she thought she'd never see again. She'd expected him to say something, do something. But he just sat there, passively, just staring back up at her. She tried to talk to him, although she had no idea what to say. What did you say to a boy when you were the reason he had lost his father? She didn't know, but at least she tried. But no matter what she did, he did not respond. She tried reaching out for him, wanted to put her arm around him, but for some reason she couldn't quite reach him.
Suddenly everything was different. The atmosphere around them had changed. Ruth felt a shiver down her spine, and all of a sudden the beautiful weather was no more. Instead it had been replaced by a grey, cloudy sky. She could hear the faint rumble of a thunderstorm in the distance. Ruth looked around, thinking of a place to find shelter. She thought of the patio, but when she turned around it had disappeared. The pool had gone too, and so had her view of the sea. Instead she was standing in an empty wasteland. Nico was still there, but he appeared to have changed as well. He stood up, and to Ruth's surprise he was towering above her, at least 6 feet tall. He had a grim expression on his face that made Ruth's blood run cold. This was not at all how she remembered Nico, that sweet little boy. Suddenly his eyes turned pitch black and he started to move towards her. Ruth started to walk backwards, trying to get away from him, but for some reason couldn't manage to turn around and run. Suddenly he plunged himself towards her with a deafening scream, causing her to shout out. She felt a jolt in her stomach right before they both hit the ground. Then everything went black.
Ruth shot upright, breathing hard. Just for a moment she felt disoriented, but then she slowly started to recognise where she was. She took in the familiar surroundings the best she could in the darkness, and found she was in her own bedroom, safely tucked away in bed, in London. She let out a sigh of relief. It had been just a nightmare, nothing more. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened, and it certainly wouldn't be the last time. Overall she was doing fine. She had sought counselling to help her deal with the grief and guilt she was feeling, and it had definitely helped. She was fine now for most of the time, but every now and then something like this would seep in from her subconscious, something she didn't have any control over. It didn't bother her that much anymore. She had learned to accept that this was part of who she was now. Besides, she had so much to be thankful for these days, so a bit of trouble now and then was nothing she couldn't handle.
Still propped up on her elbows, she struggled for a bit to turn and lie down on her right side. As she did so, she found herself face to face with Harry. She was caught by surprise by this, she hadn't expected him to be awake as well. She could barely make out his eyes in the darkness, but she didn't need to. She always knew exactly what the look in his eyes would be, even when she couldn't actually see it. He was concerned about her.
"Are you ok Ruth?" he asked, and she could hear the worrying tone in his voice. So she had been right about that.
"Yes I'm fine Harry, don't worry." She replied. "It was just a bad dream."
His hand reached out to her, lovingly stroking the tiny bump that peeped out from under her pyjama top. "So this little one's been behaving then?"
"Definitely," she replied, before closing the gap between them to plant a soft kiss on his lips.
She then turned around again, her back to him, and rested her head on his broad chest. He wrapped both arms around her, as if trying with all his might to protect her and their unborn child from all the possible dangers in the world.
They slept.
The End
