I was tired. Not like normal, just got up from a full nights sleep tired, but more along the lines of got ran over by a train tired.
Worse still, I was stiff. My arm was completely numb. I tried to move it around, to ease the pins and needles shooting up my fingers, but I couldn't. It was trapped under me.
I wanted to snuggle back into the bed and go back to sleep for a few more hours. I had been having the nicest dream. I tried to remember what it had been about, but struggled. My memory was too hazy. My head was killing me and my stomach rolled with each pounding ache. I sighed, accepting that going back to sleep wasn't going to happen.
"Fuck I'm hung over," I muttered.
"Hm," I heard Sebastian say next to my ear.
I opened my eyes, my heart jumping into my throat as I remembered what I'd done last night. I'd cuddled up next to Lacroix in his sleep. I'd force-cuddled with him. I winced, both because of the bright light in the room, and the realization.
Not only that, but we were still in the same position. I was still smashed between his arm and his side and he effectively had me trapped there. I lifted my head from where I'd laid it last night on his chest, and squinted into his face- which was, unfortunately only a few inches from mine.
"Juliet," he said slowly, his voice groggy, "Would you care to explain why we are in this particular situation?"
"Not ...really," I said with a halting smile.
He narrowed his blue eyes at me, frowning. He looked more disheveled than I'd ever seen him. Dark circles cast their shadows under his eyes and his hair was messy. I knew from his appearance that he had only just woken up too. There was no way he would have stayed like this in any other situation.
"I remember very little after our talk," he admitted, "and I would like to be sure that with my lack of inhibitions nothing inappropriate happened between us."
I shook my head, feeling my cheeks heat as they surely reddened, "We're both dressed, aren't we?"
He raised his eyebrows at me, "I do not need to undress you to..." He cleared his throat suddenly, looking away, probably deciding that he didn't want to go there.
God, please kill me, I thought, sinking lower into the couch.
"Nothing happened. I was just going to sleep." I explained quietly, "You had already passed out so I just kind of did too."
He nodded, looking kind of relieved, and thankfully, didn't look angry at me for causing the entire awkward situation.
I wasn't sure what to do with my head but I was getting tired of holding it up, craning my neck in an awkward position to look at him. His face was right next to mine, which made me feel even more nauseous than I already felt. I set my head back down on his chest, for lack of a better option.
I felt Sebastian's fingers run through my hair, and shivered. What the fuck? Sebastian had never touched me so casually before. He couldn't be doing it absent-minded. I tried not to hyperventilate.
After a few long, agonizing moments, he stopped. I thought he would probably ask me to move off of him so that he could get up, but he didn't. I ignored my arm's cries to be let out from under the weight of my body.
"If you insist upon staying, with the current state of matters as they are, there are certain conditions you must agree upon."
"Conditions? Like what?" I asked wearily. I craned my head up again to look at his face.
"Firstly and foremost, you cannot continue speaking to the Prince of Las Vegas the way you did in that meeting last night. That he spared your life after you cursed at him is nothing short of miraculous, I assure you."
Sebastian spoke softly, obviously not looking for an argument, but also because of the proximity to my face.
"Okay," I said, in the same subdued tone, "But you can't try to drug me again. I'm staying here, and I'm not Jenibelle, as much as you and her both would like to think I am."
He frowned a bit, but slowly nodded.
"Yes," he said, "I can see that."
He moved on, apparently not feeling it necessary to explain further. I took it as an agreement, and I had every intention of holding him to it.
"You will not be allowed alone for any length of time. Not at least until I find a suitable replacement for the sheriff. I am certain we should find you a permanent body guard as well... One that will not allow you to wander off."
His expression showed no signs of willingness to negotiate, and was kind of accusing. Okay, so I'd wandered off in the middle of a full out vampire war, with no protection, while most everyone wanted to kill us. Did that really make me untrustworthy? His face said yes, so I didn't even bother asking.
I sighed, thinking of how much it would suck to be constantly tailed by someone. Even suckier, everything I did would be relayed to Sebastian. I would have to be very careful. I thought about whining but I didn't want to push my luck too far and bitch my way back to San Diego.
I splayed my fingers across Sebastian's chest, thinly veiled by his undershirt. I played with the idea of unbuttoning one of the buttons there, but couldn't get up the courage.
"Can I at least choose who I want for the body guard?" I asked.
Sebastian narrowed his eyes, and regarded me with suspicion as though what I'd asked was some kind of trick question. Like if he said yes, I was going to start laughing in his face, grab the nearest inanimate object and say 'Ha! You said I could choose! I choose this cup.'
"Within reason," he said finally, ever reluctant to give me total control over something in my life.
He stared at my hand, still over his chest, cautiously. Like he didn't trust that either.
He pushed himself up on his elbows, clearly meaning for us both to get up. I sat up completely, rubbing my numb arm, the one that had been awkwardly pushed underneath me. He swung his legs over the side of the couch, and sat up, freeing me.
"How is your burn?" Sebastian asked me, not turning to look at my face. He rubbed his eyes with the flats of his palms.
I pressed my hand over the lump of bandages under my shirt, and was surprised when I felt no pain.
"Doesn't hurt," I said.
"I would like to see it again," he turned slightly on the couch, to look at me, to gauge my reaction, "... If that is acceptable to you."
He sounded like he had hastily tacked on that last part to the end, and it almost made me laugh. But he was trying, and he hadn't demanded me to show him, and that was something.
"Yeah, alright," I said, unable to keep the humor out of my voice.
We both jumped when the front door opened. Sebastian turned to glance at the hall, eyes and expression instantly unforgiving and hard. He didn't seem to be nervous about the intruder, stance still relaxed, so I tried not to jump to conclusions. Still, it could be any number of people coming to kill either one of us, or more likely both.
Eliza's head poked around the corner, her smile bright, drawing a relieved smile from me too.
"God help me," I heard Sebastian say under his breath. He put his head into his hands, as if this were the very last person he wanted to see.
Eliza quickly crossed the room to stand in front of the couch. She put a hand on her hip, looking very motherly. She was dressed in another informal but expensive looking outfit, jeans that were certainly made by some big-time designer and a low-cut, long sleeved shirt.
"Hey you two," she said slowly, glancing between us. I guess between our mussed hair and clothes and the way we were sitting, me nearly behind Sebastian, abnormally close on the couch, it wasn't hard to figure out that something had happened. Probably not what she had thought had happened, but all the same.
"Sorry to interupt but I was told to come here at this specific time and pick up a specific person." She raised her eyebrows, "Will this service be needed anymore?"
"No," Sebastian said, low and fast. He was scowling and staring at the floor, head still in his hands.
She nodded, "Well, in that case, since I came all the way out here for no reason, I might as well hang out and do something fun with you guys."
"We are very busy today, Eliza," Sebastian said, voice strained and annoyed, like he was talking to a small child.
"Yeah, well, I can see that," she said, a bit heatedly.
"We have a meeting in a few hours." he explained, just as angrily.
I looked between them, the sets of nearly identical blue eyes with near identical expressions, and swallowed.
Eliza shrugged, "I can work with that. Juliet, why don't we-"
"Unfortunately," he interrupted her, "Juliet has proven herself unfit to be left alone, even for mere hours. And especially not with you after yesterday's... fiasco," he shook his head like he still couldn't believe his amazing plan to kidnap me and send me away had been brought down. Yeah, because it was so ingenious in the first place.
I glared at him but he didn't seem to notice or care.
"Just let me take a shower and get dressed," I said to Eliza, "and we can talk here."
Eliza cocked her head to the side, a confused expression on her face, and Sebastian grimaced, as if he already knew what she was thinking.
"Juliet are you living here now?" She asked. She grinned at me.
I shrugged, "Pretty much," I said and I couldn't hide the small smile that was making its way across my face.
"Huh," she said, "That's really interesting. Don't you think that's interesting, Sebastian? That she's living here now?"
He glared at her so hard I thought he might injure her with just his gaze.
She mock-gasped, dramatically covering her mouth with her hand, "Oh... wait. Are you two together now?"
She was teasing him, and I couldn't help but silently laugh. He looked really, really, really irritated, and embarrassed. Eliza's teasing didn't phase me in the slightest. Of all people, she would be understanding. Sebastian obviously didn't see it that way.
Sebastian didn't deny it though, and that simple fact made my heart leap into my throat at the prospect that he could actually be considering that.
"Well, I'd say it was about time, but it'd be way overdue," Eliza said, apparently also interpreting his silence as a yes.
"That's enough," he said, voice sharp and serious, but she just smiled.
I silently thanked Eliza for being honest, and pushing Sebastian to be honest. I tried to tell her that, with my expression. I wondered if her teasing would get through to him. We did need to have a talk about this.
I got up from the couch, and was surprised when Sebastian instantly followed me into the hall.
"I would tell you to make yourself at home," he called to her over his shoulder, "but I see you are already headed towards the fridge so I will not waste the breath."
"What?" she called back, defensive, "You stock the best blood in the city!"
He shook his head and grumbled.
I hesitated outside my door, Sebastian at my heels. What was he doing?
"Your burn?" he said, correctly reading my confused expression.
"Oh," I said quietly, twisting the doorknob open, "right."
We entered my room, and Sebastian shut the door behind him. I swallowed. Why had I agreed to this again? Because he'd asked nicely. I eyed him, wondering if he'd done it on purpose to make me feel obligated.
I just took the shirt off this time, figuring I might as well. I was going to have to take it off to shower anyway.
I tossed it to the floor, feeling less embarrassed than I felt I probably should be about being shirtless in front of him for the second time in less than 48 hours.
I peeled off the gauze covering my burn mark with a careful, slow hand.
He nodded at it, looking relieved, "Dominic did well."
I glanced down at the burn wound. It did look a lot better. It was healing much faster now, just a scab. I remembered the burn cream Dominic had given me and dug it out of my pocket. The box was a bit smashed, but it would be fine. I would have to remember to put some on after my shower.
"Has anybody found Jenibelle yet?" I asked, and he grimaced. He looked like this was the very last thing he wanted to talk about.
"No," he said quietly.
I nodded, biting my lip, "I know about the blood hunt you called."
He met my gaze, reading it, trying to figure out if I was going to argue about it or what. I didn't intend to, though I did feel pretty weary about the whole thing. I couldn't figure out Jenibelle's motivation, expect to make him angry. That put me on edge.
"Do you have any other insane exes I should know about? Anyone else that might come and try to barbeque me?"
Sebastian frowned, thinking a moment, and I gave him a look of desperation. He had to think about it?
"No," he said, "None that I can recall."
Well, they hadn't raped him in his sleep, I thought. Not with all those bodyguards. He would surely remember if he'd had other relationships.
Then again, the guy was like 200 years old and pretty attractive. Maybe he'd had other conquests, way back in the day, before he had a chance to fully develop his charming personality that would scare off even the most persistent of them.
Except me. He hadn't scared me off. Though, to be fair, he did scare me.
A/N: Sorry this is so short. Nothing happens either, I know. At this rate, this story is going to have a million chapters. I need to start putting more in each chapter. Anyway, hope you folks were somewhat entertained. Thanks to everyone who has favorited and/or reviewed my crappy fanfiction!