Author's note: I do not own NCIS: LA or its characters
Fatima woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. She started crying and grabbed her phone. She was having a hard time breathing as she fumbled with her phone, trying to call Rountree. She finally was able to call, and she prayed he would answer.
"Fatima? You okay?" he mumbled into the phone.
"N-no, bad nightmare, n-need you," she managed to say through tears. Rountree was already up and putting on shoes.
"Shh, it's okay, listen to me. You're safe, you're okay. I'm on my way, don't hang up," he said soothingly. She whimpered and pulled the blanket over her head.
"I-I'm scared," she whimpered.
"It's okay, princess. I promise you're safe, okay?" he tried to stay calm but he was really worried about her. The nightmares had slowly been getting better, and now they were getting worse than he had ever seen them. When he got to her place, he used his key to let himself in. He quickly closed and lockex the door, then went to Fatima's room. He opened the door and slipped in.
"Hey, hey, come here. It's okay, I promise you," he murmured, running his hand through her hair. She sniffled and buried herself in his arms.
"They wouldn't stop," she sobbed.
"Shh, shh, princess, it's fine, come here," he whispered as she cried into his chest. He adjusted their position so he was against her wall and she was snuggled into him. He continued running one hand through her hair and using the other to rub her back. He kissed her head and waited for her to fall back asleep. When she finally did, he closed his eyes. Then he remembered how many times he had gotten to her house to pick her up and she had still been either in bed or asleep. He started to wonder how many nightmares she had without telling him, and he got a bad feeling in his stomach. He gave her a gentle squeeze, trying to reassure himself that she would be okay.
The next morning, Fatima's alarm went off right as Rountree was starting to wake up. He reached over and shut it off.
"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. Time to wake up," he murmured.
"Ten more minutes?" she asked drowsily.
"Okay, you can have ten minutes if you promise me you'll get up when it's time, okay?" he whispered gently, finally understanding her tiredness. She nodded into her pillow. He pressed a kiss to her head and crawled out if the bed.
"No, please stay," she whined. Rountree smiled.
"I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'm staying in here, but I need to get us some clothes and a shower going," he whispered.
"I don't wanna take a shower," she whined. Rountree smiled.
"Princess, you need to, okay? So do I," he said gently as he turned on the water. He stepped out of the bathroom and grabbed some clothes for him, then her favorite jeans and sweater. After her 10 minutes had passed, he went over to the bed and kissed her cheek.
"Time to get up, okay? You can shower first," he whispered.
"I took a shower last night. I don't wanna get up," she said quietly.
"Okay, you don't have to shower. Get up, get dressed, okay? You promised me you wouldn't whine if I let you sleep in," he whispered, gently rubbing her back.
"Please, I'm so tired," she begged, her eyes wide. Rountree couldn't resist her.
"Look at me. If I let you sleep until I get out of the shower, are you going to fight me?" he asked.
"Probably," Fatima admitted quietly.
"Listen. I know you aren't getting enough sleep, and I truly do feel bad. But you need to find a way to help with these nightmares," he said gently. Fatima sniffled.
"I'm trying! You don't know what it's like!" she screamed at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. Rountree softnened and wrapped his arms around her.
"Tell you what. Go back to sleep, I'll take a shower. Then you have to get up, okay? And I'll buy you a coffee on the way in," he said gently. She sniffled and nodded.
"Sorry I yelled," she whispered.
"It's okay, sweetheart. I get it," he murmured. He kissed her head and tucked her back in, then slipped into the shower. Once he was alone, he started crying softly to himself. He couldn't believe how horribly he had treated her, snapping at her for no reason. He knew he had to apologize and make it right. Once he got out, he did exactly that. Fatima knew that she had to get up and get ready, so she did.
"Hey, maybe we should move in together until your nightmares are better," Rountree said softly. Fatima looked up.
"Your place?" she asked softly.
"If you want, or I can grab some stuff and stay here," he said softly.
"Your place," she said again. He smiled and kissed her head.