So here is tonight's chapter. It's probably the last fluffy one for a while... so prepare yourself.

Chapter 14.

Joey didn't sleep that night. Lauren had fallen asleep pretty much as soon as she lay in Joey's arms when they went into the bedroom, despite the early hour but Joey had stayed awake, watching her sleep and thinking about what had happened that evening. Seeing her like that had thrown him slightly. It had been the first time he'd seen her really drunk since arriving on the square. He was also struggling with the how her parents had rejected her. He just couldn't get his head around it; it made no sense to him. Tomorrow it would be almost a week since Lauren had last seen them. He looked at the time on his phone, seeing it was quarter to four in the morning. Six days ago he'd made that call to Max and he hadn't heard anything from him since. He'd always assumed Max would call him to find out what he'd wanted that morning. But he hadn't. Weren't they worried about her at all?

Lauren began to struggle in his arms, crying out "No," repeatedly until it became a scream. Joey tried to soothe her but it didn't really have any impact. She woke up finally, her eyes wild as she scanned the room. Joey had released his hold on her when she first began to thrash about; his arms seemed to cause her to panic more but now she was awake he pulled her against him again, hoping he would calm her a little.

"It's okay, babe." He breathed into her hair, feeling her heart racing as she calmed. The tears came next and it was almost an hour before they were gone. He brushed his fingers through her hair and up and down her back and he could tell the instant she fell asleep. He wished there was more he could do for her but it wasn't that easy. Joey knew there was a long road ahead of them before these nightmares stopped. It was the first time he'd been witness to them though as apart from that first night when she'd been in the spare room she'd been sleeping peacefully. Joey could only imagine tonight was a result of the call from the police station and the minor alcohol influenced meltdown she'd had afterwards. He was still awake when Lauren stirred several hours later, watching over her and trying to reassure himself she was okay.

"Have you been awake all night?" she asked him in a whisper, seeing the dark shadows under his eyes and the slight crease on his forehead.

"Yeah, I couldn't stop thinking about things." He said, "I'll be okay."

"Let me look after you, Joey. Let me be the one taking care of you for a change, rather than the other way round." She pleaded with him.

"Sure, babe." He whispered, already feeling his eyes beginning to droop. Through half shut eyes he felt rather than saw her pull him into her arms. His head rested on her shoulder and in a complete role reversal she brushed her fingers through his hair. 'Wow that felt amazing,' was just about the last thing he thought before he finally succumbed to his tiredness.

*JL*JL*

Joey didn't even need to open his eyes to know where he was. He could hear her gentle heartbeat against his ear and it was so soothing. He became aware of other things too as the seconds ticked by. Like her lips pressed against his forehead. Or her hand that had slipped under his T-shirt and was gently caressing the skin of his back. Then there was her smell... it filled his nose and he tried to compare it to another scent but the closest he could come to was sunshine... which if he'd heard someone say those words out loud would've made him roll his eyes.

"I know you're awake, Joey." She said to him gently.

"I'm not..." he moaned, "Just pretending..." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a tender kiss to her neck, "Just a little longer..." he whispered.

"Can you just give me a few minutes?" she said softly. He pried open an eye and she smiled at him. "I need the loo..." she said simply.

"'kay." He breathed, only half awake as he rolled away from her.

She pressed a kiss to the back of his neck, "I'll be right back." She whispered but he was already asleep.

*JL*JL*

Lauren walked back into the room a little later to find Joey still asleep, although now he was hugging her pillow. She put the glasses of water she'd brought in for them both on one of the bedside tables and climbed over him to crawl under the covers and press her body against his back. She had never been a fan of early mornings, having invariably been almost dragged from her bed by her parents or sister on more occasions than she cared to remember. Having a lazy morning with Joey though was a whole new experience. She liked the closeness they were able to share, without her feeling pressurised to go further than she was ready for. Lauren had never known another boy like Joey. He was amazing.

She still couldn't believe how much he'd done for her in the last week. Even if he hadn't already shown her how much he cared during that time, the previous day had more than demonstrated it to her. He'd spent more than £200 on her clothes, despite the protests she'd made at various points during the day. He was shelling out money on taxis, even though she'd never mentioned about not being able to go on the tube. He'd known without her asking. The words he'd said to her the previous night, when he got home and found her drunk had meant so much to her. It was because of what he'd said that Lauren was determined to stop drinking. She wanted to do it for herself and for him. Lauren also believed she'd be able to do this with his help and that was something she'd never thought before.

Lauren also couldn't believe he'd stayed awake all night. She knew he was worrying about her and while it was nice to know someone cared that much for her, she didn't want him to make himself sick because of it. So now it was her turn to look after him. Not only did she know it was the least she could do, it was something she wanted and needed to do for him. She wanted him to know this relationship wasn't all about him looking after her.

Lauren wrapped her arm around his waist, his hand moving to cover hers even in his sleep and she edged closer to him. Her lips pressed against his shoulder and she breathed him in. There was something about the way he smelt. It turned her on. She wondered if it was wrong to feel that way less than a week after what they did to her. It seemed wrong. She shouldn't feel like this, right?

TBC

A/N: How sweet was Lauren looking after Joey? This was my attempt to show that Lauren is putting as much effort into this relationship as Joey is. Do you agree? Next chapter soon...