Ch.9

It was 1:49 in the morning. Sophie lay in the chaise, still wide awake. She couldn't seem to fall asleep. She believed it to be because of the exciting & fun day that she & Nate had. But deep down, she knew it was because she was not able to sleep in the same bed with Nate. Jenny had brought her in a pillow and blanket to use, so Sophie & Nate both assumed that she knew they had slept together the previous evening. Neither of them wanted to mention anything to her though; it would just make matters worse, even though they didn't do anything.

Sophie heard Nate's light snoring, so she knew he was asleep. It appeared he didn't have any problem sleeping on his own. She, however, didn't like sleeping alone; that was when her nightmares would come. So instead of sleep, she lay on the chaise and stared at the pale blue wall; going over the day's events in her head.

They left the club shortly after they had danced together; Sophie knew it was mostly due to the fact that he didn't want to be teased by his crazy girl friends and she couldn't blame him. The girls had teased them both most of the time they were there. After they left the club, Nate took Sophie to a small, family owned café to get something to eat. It was rather nice. There, she was able to meet a friend of Nate's who went by Hardison. He was quite funny and he was really nice. He was the only one of Nate's friends who didn't assume they were dating.

Once they were finished at the café, Nate took her down to Boston Harbor. The water looked beautiful as the waves crashed into the rocks. And then, Nate had ruined the moment and pushed Sophie into the water. Sophie shook her head as she smiled despite herself. She was only able to stay mad at Nate for a few moments because he too had gotten into the cool water. Plus, he looked incredibly adorable with his wet hair slicked back. He had also helped to teach her how to swim, since she was never really taught how to do so. Her older brother had tried to teach her once but then he left her in the pool by herself for a while and she almost drowned, so she didn't try to learn again until today.

Since they were both soaking wet after they got out of the water, they had to dry out at the boat docks. Even then it was hard because they both kept on splashing one another with water. Sophie laughed lightly to herself as she remembered the look on Nate's face after she got revenge on him & pushed him into the water after he completely dried off.

As Sophie lay on the chaise, she saw a bright light come from the bay window. She raised an eyebrow, wondering what on earth it could have been. She started to get up out of the chaise to look out the window but jumped back onto it as she heard a loud crash of thunder.

"Oh great. A bloody thunderstorm." Sophie thought to herself. She wrapped her purple, silk blanket around herself and laid her head under the pillow to try to block out the thunder. She hated thunderstorms; they brought back terrible memories that she wanted so badly to forget. Clenching her eyes shut, Sophie tried to block the images that were emerging from the back of her head. But she knew it was no use. Once she heard the thunder, images of her father hovering over her flashed before her eyes.

Sophie quickly threw the blanket off of her and stood up from the chaise, her breath heavy and hot tears stinging her eyes. She couldn't deal with it; not now, not ever again. She just wanted to forget it all and she couldn't; she couldn't wash away those horrible memories no matter how hard she tried.

Swallowing thickly, Sophie wrapped her arms around herself and looked around Nate's bedroom. Her eyes fell on Nate, who was oblivious that she was still awake & was staring at him. Sophie licked her dry lips and grabbed her blanket and pillow. She softly laid her pillow down next to Nate's & laid down next to him, covering herself with her blanket. Taking in a deep breath, she slowly closed her eyes as she took in his scent. Almost instantly, she could feel her heart rate slow to its normal pace. But still, once she closed her eyes and tried to drift off to sleep, more images of her father came.

Her eyes shot open and immediately went to Nate. Last night was much easier to sleep; what had been different? Then it hit her; she had been sleeping on Nate last night. That was the difference. But it wasn't as if she could just do it again. More than likely it would wake Nate up if she tried to sleep on him. Last night, they had accidentally fallen asleep like that. Tonight, he fell asleep on his bed, and she had laid wide awake on the chaise.

Sophie didn't want to go to sleep; not really. She didn't want to have any nightmares. So she gently pushed herself back up on the bed and threw her feet off the side of the bed. Sophie quietly made her way to the bedroom door and opened it as quietly as she could. Before she left, she looked back at Nate to make for sure she didn't wake him up. Once Sophie was sure that he was still asleep, she crept out to the hallway and down the stairs.

It was pitch black in the living room except for the occasional flash of lightning. Sophie rubbed her bare arms as she tip toed into the kitchen. She opened up one of the cabinets to grab a glass, and then she went to the fridge to pour her a cup of milk. Drinking milk always seemed to help her drift off to sleep, though she wasn't exactly sure why that was. Once she finished her milk, she sat her cup in the sink and began to clean it up.

Halfway through cleaning her glass, Sophie made the mistake to look up and out the window as lightning flashed. And that's when she saw him; her father. Her heart dropped and so did the glass she held in her hand. Sophie quickly backed away from the sink and bolted up the stairs and into Nate's bedroom.

Sophie ran to Nate's bed and shook Nate frantically. "Nate! Wake up! Please wake up!" But it was to no avail, he wouldn't wake. Angry, Sophie began to slap his face, but he still wouldn't wake. "Nate! Please wake up! My father…" Before she could finish, Sophie looked at her hand; it was soaked with blood. As she looked back at Nate, she noticed that he was bleeding from his chest.

Sophie gasped and backed away until she hit the wall; no wait, that wasn't a wall. She felt behind her and realized it was a person. Slowly, Sophie turned around, only to face the one person she was scared to see; her father.

"Hello my dearest, Lara." Malachi said menacingly.

Sophie gasped and jumped back, clenching her chest. Her eyes fluttered and he was gone; her father was gone. She looked around the room frantically and realized that it was all just a dream. Her father wasn't really there; she had fallen asleep on the chaise at some point. Sophie rubbed her forehead and realized she was sweating. That dream had scared her half to death.

Thinking of death, she immediately thought of Nate and how he had bled to death in her dream. Sophie quickly jumped up from the chaise and ran over to Nate. She placed her hand on his chest and noticed that his heart was indeed still beating, and there wasn't any blood anywhere. But just to be sure, Sophie shook Nate lightly. Nate's eyes popped open and he stared at her.

"Sophie, what's wrong?" Nate asked groggily as he pushed himself up on his bed. He rubbed his tired eyes as he looked at his friend. She looked scared half to death. Before he could say or do anything else, he felt Sophie's arms wrap around him.

"Oh my God, Nate, you're really okay!" Sophie cried. She clenched onto his shirt, thankful that he was alive and okay. She felt the tears sting her eyes and they fell onto Nate's shirt.

Confused, Nate rubbed Sophie's back gently until she was ready to talk to him. Moments later, Sophie pulled back and sniffed.

"I'm sorry I just… I had a horrible dream." Sophie quietly confessed.

Nate let out a deep breath as he looked at her. Nate opened up his arms and Sophie quickly fell against his chest. He wrapped his arms gently around her as her head rested on his chest. "It'll be alright, Soph. You can sleep right here with me, okay?" Nate said as he placed a kiss in her hair.

"But, what if your mother comes in and sees us like this?" Sophie asked as she played with a button on Nate's blue shirt.

Nate shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't care less about that right now. I just wanna make sure you're okay." Nate replied as he ran his fingers up and down her back. And it was the truth. He could care less about what his mother had to say about Sophie sleeping with him. He wasn't going to leave her by herself so she would have nightmares. He wasn't that cruel. If sleeping with him would help Sophie, then that's how it would be. If his mother couldn't understand that, then too bad.

Sophie sniffed and wiped the tears that were in her eyes. "I just don't want her to be mad at you."

"Eh, it's nothing I can't handle. Besides, there's not much she can do anyhow. Not until you get your room anyhow." Nate replied sadly. That is the moment he dreads; the day when his father finally gets Sophie's bedroom added on. That would be the moment when his mother wouldn't allow either of them to be alone together. But as of right now, since there were only two bedrooms, she had no choice.

"I don't think I want my own room anymore." Sophie mumbled but Nate heard her clearly.

"I know. But I'm not sure how well that'd go over with my parents." Nate said as he rested his chin on Sophie's head. "They'd probably be pissed or just say no."

Sophie bit down on her bottom lip as she fought back the tears. She didn't want to think about not being able to share a room with Nate. He kept her sane. If she had her own room, she'd have too much time alone to think and that's one thing she didn't want to do. "Do we have to ask them? I mean, I can still get a room that way I can take my clothes and shoes and put them into my own closet that way you can have yours back."

Nate smiled and replied sarcastically, "Yes! Thank God! Lord knows that I'm sick of all your junk in there." Sophie laughed lightly and Nate grinned wider. That's what he wanted; he wanted her to laugh. He loved her laugh. "Now, what do you mean about asking them?" Nate asked, confused.

"Well, I mean… why can't I just sleep in here with you and spend time with you just because I have my own room?" Sophie asked.

"Ugh, because you'll have your own bed and I do not want your ass in here every night." Nate teased.

"Nate, I'm being serious. I really do not want to sleep by myself." Sophie confessed softly as she played with the hem of his shirt. She hoped Nate wouldn't be mad and wouldn't think of her as an overbearing person. She just really needed him.

Nate took in a deep breath as he caressed her shoulder. "Soph, I'm only teasing. I wouldn't mind it at all if you slept in here. That way I'll have my own personal heater." Nate joked, earning a poke from Sophie.

"I'm not that hot, Nate." Sophie said with a shake of her head.

"So wait, you think you're a little hot? A little conceited aren't we Miss Sophie?" Nate teased as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Sophie lightly slapped his arm. "I'm not conceited, you ass."

Nate fake gasped and put his hand up to his mouth. "You said ass, awwww. I'm telling on you Sophie." Nate teased.

Sophie shook her head and lifted her head to look up at him. "Do not even pretend you do not curse, Mr. Ford. You curse quite a lot more than I do." Sophie quipped as she poked him in his side.

"Yeah but I've never heard such words coming out of a young Princesses mouth." Nate countered then tickled Sophie's side, making her squeal.

"Ah! I told you not to tickle me! I cannot control my laughter!" Sophie laughed, slapping at Nate's hands.

"What like this?" Nate asked as he tickled her again, making her laugh. Nate continued to tickle her until he got her on her back. "So, now what? I win right? I mean, I got the princess of England to submit to me."

Sophie stuck her tongue out at him and struggled to get out of his grasp. "Nate, I'm gonna bite you if you do not get off of me." Sophie warned as she tried to pull her hand free.

"Please. Why would you do that? You'd only be infecting yourself with rabies." Nate replied, earning a glare from Sophie.

"What?"

"Yeah, I thought I told you. We used to have a dog; a stray. His name was Rufus. We had to get rid of him because he bit me and gave me rabies. I got the shot but it could come back." Nate said seriously before busting out laughing. "I'm only kidding. I'm terrible, sorry, that was a bad joke."

"Yes, it really was." Sophie said with a laugh despite herself. She couldn't help it though. Nate's laughter was so infectious. Her chocolate brown eyes met his blue eyes and she felt like her breath had been taken away. The moon's light against his face made his eyes look so beautiful.

Feeling Nate's grasp loosen around her wrist, she brought her hand up to caress his cheek. Swallowing thickly, she pulled his face to hers and kissed him lightly. She pulled away slightly to see if he would back away. When he didn't, she decided to kiss him again. Sophie felt Nate's hand curl in her hair as he deepened the kiss.

Nate broke away for a moment to catch his breath before pulling his hand from Sophie's hair to caress her face. "God, you're so beautiful." Was what Nate wanted to say but he decided against it.

Sophie rubbed her face against the warmth of Nate's hand as her eyes stayed connected with his. She wasn't at all sure what was going on between her and Nate but she knew she was powerless to stop it. Wanting to break the silence, Sophie said "You know, maybe we should change up this position here, and that way if your mom comes in, it won't be too bad."

Nate laughed and nodded his head, knowing Sophie was right. He rolled over on his side and Sophie did the same. He smiled warmly at her as he brought his hand back up to rub her face. He felt Sophie let out a content breath and saw her close her deep brown eyes. "You okay, Soph?" Nate asked.

Sophie nodded her head and opened her eyes to look at him. He really was handsome, especially in the pale moonlight. Sophie lifted herself up to rest her elbow on the bed so she could rest her head on her hand. "Are you upset with me?" Sophie asked out of the blue.

Nate blinked his eyes at her question. "Why would I be upset with you Soph?" Nate asked.

"Because I kissed you." Sophie replied, her eyes falling from his face and her head drooped.

Nate grabbed her chin and lifted it up so she was looking back at him. "I kissed you back didn't I? I'm still here." Nate pointed out.

Sophie let out a soft sigh as her eyes met his again. "I just… I don't know what came over me or made me do it… But I know I wanted to. Is that odd?"

Nate laughed lightly and shook his head. "No… not at all."

Sophie bit down on her bottom lip as she thought about her next question, "Is it bad I want to do it again?" Sophie asked quietly.

Nate swallowed thickly as he gazed into her brown orbs. He had wanted to kiss her again too, but he feared that she would freak out and run. But she just now admitted she wanted it again too. Nate took that as his cue and leaned closer to her and pressed his lips against hers. Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her.

This time it was Sophie to break the kiss. She gave Nate one final peck before resting her head against his chest. "Good night, Nathan." She said with a smile.

Nate laughed to himself and licked his wet lips. "Goodnight Soph." He replied as he wrapped her in his arms again. He let his hand rest on her arm as he started to rub her arm up and down. It seemed to have the right effect because not long after, Sophie was sound asleep. Nate sighed lightly as he looked down at the brunette. "You have no idea the affect you have on me Sophie. You drive me crazy but not in a bad way. You make me dizzy, lightheaded even. I don't know what I'm doing with you but I trust it. I won't hurt you Sophie, I promise you that. And I'll do everything in the world to protect you." Nate promised as he kissed the top of Sophie's head. He would go to the moon and back for her and he knew that. He just hoped that everything wouldn't move too fast and it would all fall into place at the right time.

A/N: Yeahh, so a little freak out in the beginning there huh? Lol I love doing that. At first I wasn't going to make it go that far, but what the hell. Might as well have some fun. Anyhow, I hope you all liked this chapter! Hopefully the kissing wasn't too much. I don't think so but I'm not the reviewer, just the author. But I do tend to reread my stuff before I post it and I reread it as a reviewer so… yeah. Thanks for still sticking with me guys! I appreciate it! As always, reviews are welcome! I love hearing what you guys think! =D