Inspired by a prompt: "Call me now, it's urgent!" Thank you my friend, Allison for your beta-reading help. Enjoy the story.

Calling You To Hold Me

Her hands shot up instinctively up to her ears as her body went into a spasm. She curled up into the fetal position. When a loud scream escaped her lips, Julia woke up from one of the darkest dreams she had ever had since the attack at Thornton Circus.

Her bedroom was too dark for her to realize immediately where she was. Only the quiet ticking of the clock on the wall reassured her she was still in the safe space of her flat, of her bedroom, protected by the four walls of the room. Julia sat up, pulled her knees to her chin and encircled them with her hands. She squeezed tightly as if the grip would bring her some sort of comfort. She felt more lonely and vulnerable than she had in a long time. She needed someone to hold her. And she needed him right now.

Her shaking hand reached out for her phone on the nightstand. The only person who could possibly make her feel better was listed first on her speed dial. The ringing tone filled her ears when she raised the phone up to her head, her hands still shaking. One ring and nothing. Two rings, and there was still no response. The phone had rung three times now, and she was becoming a little bit anxious. On the fourth ring, there was still no response. Julia put the phone down and ended the call.

She finally saw the digits on her lockscreen telling her it was just past 2 a.m. Knowing David had trouble sleeping, she had hoped he would have picked up her call. At this hour and in such a state, she knew she was being selfish, but she needed him by her side. She needed to feel his strong arms around her, holding her and protecting her. She needed to hear his heartbeat to reassure herself that she was still alive.

Picking her phone up again, she opened her text messages and picked his number from her contacts. Before she could stop herself, she wrote a desperate text.

"Call me now. It's urgent!"

She pressed send and locked the phone. The sudden darkness that engulfed her scared her. Not even the light from the phone made her feel better. Julia unlocked the phone again, and kept staring at the screen, waiting for David's name to appear. It didn't take long before his name filled the screen.

Julia didn't hesitate and accepted the call immediately.

"Julia? What's going on?" David's voice filled Julia's ear. Just hearing his voice was calming.

"Can you come over?" Her question was simple. She didn't want to waste time.

"I can't. My kids are with me for the weekend…. You know that," he said. No matter how much he wanted to be with her, his kids wanted to spend the weekend with their daddy. David had promised them a fun weekend and he could never break his promise. Not even for the Home Secretary on his day off.

"Bring them with you. Please." Julia's voice broke, and David heard soft sobs coming through the phone.

"What happened?" He asked. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not... I had a pretty nasty nightmare," she confessed. "I feel like I'm about to have a breakdown. It's not easy for me to say... but I need you."

Julia always played the strong woman who could stand up against everything. Apparently her nightmares were stronger than her will to appear as the Iron Lady.

"Ah, Julia…" David paused, he had to think. "Ok, I will be there in an hour… I need to prepare the kids and pack their things," he explained. "Stay in bed, keep the light on and if you feel in danger, call me, ok?" David said softly. He knew Julia was shaken to the core since the accident and even if she never showed it, she was vulnerable on the inside.

"Ok," Julia answered, taking a deep breath as if she wanted to say something more but then decided not to and hang up.

Her hands were still shaking when she reached for the lamp to turn it on. Now, she needed to wait for an hour. Sixty minutes. It seemed like eternity. Sitting on the bed, with her back resting against the wall and her knees under her chin, she clasped her hands around them and pulled them even closer to her chest.

Her body was shaking, not from the nightmare, but because she was cold. But she didn't dare to move an inch to pull the covers over her shaking body. Staring at the wall in front of her, Julia lost track of time, so when the front door opened and then closed again it startled her. It took a few seconds before she remembered David and his kids were on their way to her apartment.

She heard two pairs of footsteps then David's voice accompanied the kids to the guest room to put them to sleep. Charlie was already asleep in his arms. He laid him onto the bed and covered him, kissing him goodnight. He then went to help Ella change her clothes, and he led her to the bed next to her brother, covering her with a blanket and kissed her goodnight, too. He left the room and turned off the lights.

Before he entered Julia's bedroom David took off his jacket, t-shirt and jeans and pulled on a black t-shirt he usually slept in. With a soft knock, he opened the door to Julia's room. His eyes met Julia's frightened eyes from across the room. He sighed, closing the door behind him and went to the bed.

"Julia," he whispered, not wanting to scare her more. He wondered if she had fallen asleep again when Julia raised her head and followed David's movements while he was coming closer to her. Her hand almost involuntarily reached out to him. David reached out to connect their fingers, then their palms. Her hand was so cold it made him shiver.

"Julia, you are so cold. C'mere," David sat down next to her and pulled her closer, putting his hand around her shoulders. With his other hand, he pulled the blanket up to cover their bodies and create some warmth for Julia, who was still shivering.

Her body fell into David's strong and warm embrace and the whole world seemed a much better and safer place being in his arms. Her head leaned against David's neck, her left hand holding onto his chest, feeling it rise and fall, following the rhythm of his breathing. David kissed Julia's head, breathing in the smell of her hair. When he felt Julia's sudden movement, he looked down at her.

Their eyes met and with a small rise of her chin, Julia asked him to kiss her. David obeyed and their lips met in a soft, careful kiss. Their lips brushed against each other and brought another wave of trembling from Julia's body. This time it wasn't being cold or fearful.

It was pure desire for their bodies to merge, for her mind to leave the dark places and focus on the way he made her feel. She was selfish, she knew it, and she was ready to admit it to him. But the need to escape whatever was chasing her in the dreams was stronger than anything. Even her.

Now that David was there, kissing her lips with his hands softly placed on her bare skin, she knew these were the only feelings she needed now. Soon she found herself laying on her back looking up into David's wide eyes, filled with desire, and she knew she wasn't the only selfish person in the room.

She smiled and when David returned the smile Julia knew they both were just where they wanted to be.

Together.