"Life in Sedona"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 2: Sleeping Arrangements

"Good night, Galahad."

"Good night, Te'ijal."

Galahad blew out the candle on the nightstand, letting the bedroom be shrouded in darkness mixed with a little moonlight from the window. "Are you sure you don't want to come to the bed?" he asked, attempting to stretch his neck so he could see his wife, who was curled up on the floor next to the bed.

"Yes," she responded tartly. "Beds are for humans."

"Which you are now."

"Don't remind me," Te'ijal growled.

Galahad twisted his mouth and shook his head at his wife's stubbornness. He knew she missed her coffin, but was she really willing to risk her entire body aching in the morning for the sake of simulating a coffin?

"All right then," he said. "Good night."

"Good night."

He rolled to his back and stretched out his legs, savoring the mattress's softness, feeling like he could drift off to sleep as easily as anything . . . and yet something felt wrong. It felt like something was . . . missing. He rolled over to his side, facing the empty pillow next to him.

The pillow that was meant for Te'ijal.

They had a double bed, but only one person used it – that wasn't how it was supposed to be. How long was Te'ijal going to remain in this state where she refused to sleep in the bed?

Could he wait that long?

After a while, he rolled back to facing his wife, though he couldn't see her when he was lying down. Was she asleep yet? He held his breath, listening for any hints. Her breathing was slow and even, but that didn't necessarily mean she was asleep. How could any human fall asleep on that hardwood floor with no pillow and no blankets anyway?

He sighed. Back in the days when they shared a coffin, he would have given anything to get away from her, yet now when he was finally able to sleep alone, he craved her presence. Three hundred years with her had done something to him, something he still couldn't figure out.

Te'ijal groaned softly, causing Galahad to push himself up on his elbow and look down at her. She was curled up as tightly as her body could manage, shivering slightly. The dark red nightgown he'd bought for her didn't offer much protection from the cold, nor did the floor offer much comfort for her human body.

He had to do something about that.

Ever-so-slowly, careful not to step on his wife or wake her up, Galahad climbed out of bed, which awkwardly sandwiched him between Te'ijal and the bed. After shifting his weight around, he managed to bend over and scoop Te'ijal into his arms. She made a soft "mmm" sound, but other than that she didn't react to her husband picking her up. Her long arms and legs dangled from Galahad's arms, making her difficult to carry.

"You may not care if you wake up with aches and pains or freeze to death," he whispered, "but I do."

He carried her around the bed and gently placed her down on the side of the mattress that was meant for her. She moaned again as he pulled the covers over her, but she still didn't wake.

Galahad felt himself smiling as he tucked the blankets around her shoulders. She would probably complain about this in the morning, but somehow that didn't matter to him. What mattered was that she would be warm and safe during the night.

"You'll thank me for this someday," he whispered, making his way around the bed and climbing back in next to his wife. Her body was already making the bed a good deal warmer and the moonlight was illuminating her sleeping face. Galahad felt relaxed already. He wrapped his arm around her and closed his eyes, whispering one last thing to his wife before falling asleep.

"Good night, my love."