Title: RK Sleeping
Type: Deleted Scene
Genre: Romance
Explanation: I wrote it long before the end, in hopes that I could slip it in somewhere if I wrote Katty and Rod's return journey. But, alas. It was not meant to be. Enjoy the little section of fluff merely for what it is. And I think Roderic is slightly out of character. --wrinkles nose in distaste--
Roderic was just drifting off to sleep when he felt something moving. The hazy picture of a muddy town snapped out of view and he pulled the blanket a little further over him, trying to ignore the sounds of everyone else breathing in the room. His blanket was lifted partially off of him, making him shrink back from the relative coolness, but it was quickly replaced. Someone slid next to him, and his eyes jerked open, heart racing.
Katharine's dark hair was barely visible in the moonlight, but he recognized her figure. She was facing away from him, hesitantly and gingerly edging toward him, obviously hoping not to wake him. He shut his eyes again, unwilling to embarrass her if she looked over. He couldn't repress a small shudder of delight when her back eased against his chest and her head rested just below his chin. He breathed in the smell of her hair and just gloried in the feeling of being so close to her.
She was so distant and cold, so hard to get close to, that now when she was pressed against him, it was staggering. Her slightly curled form radiated warmth, banishing any chill he might have retained from the brief lift of the blanket. His arm was precariously rested on his side, where he had pulled it back in surprise, and he waited 'til her breathing slowed to move it. Carefully, slowly, he slid it over her stomach, where it rested perfectly. His chin barely touched her forehead.
Sleep was untroubled.
When he woke in the morning, Katharine was still sleeping, and his other hand was underneath her head. He had a evanescent image of nuzzling her cheek and whispering "good morning", but that was quickly banished. I do not think she would appreciate that. A slightly more plausible idea of wiggling his fingers on her stomach to test her ticklishness also crossed his mind, but again, he couldn't find it in him to go through with that. He contented himself with a chaste kiss on the cheek, which took more courage than he thought he had, and gently rolled out of bed.
Here's a bit of trivia for you that never quite made it into the story; when Katharine is touching Roderic while he sleeps, he doesn't dream. That way, he does have a bit of a break from dreaming. I would imagine it would get tiring.
Coming next: What if Samantha hadn't tried to kill Katharine?