Part Three
She woke with a cry caught in her throat, hair fanned out against the pillow, her body curled into as much of a ball as she could manage, spooned against her fiancé.
"Toby!" CJ growled, cursing beneath her breath, "Toby, wake up!" her voiced raised an octave, and she rolled onto her back and reached beside her to slap his arm.
"What?" he yelped, catapulting into a seated position, his head turning to her, eyes and voice frantic. "What's wrong? Bad dream, again?"
"Help," she croaked, waving her hand toward the sheets, "Leg cramp, it hurts," CJ whimpered. In mere moments, Toby scooted toward the foot of the bed and had taken her calf into his hand, massaging away the tension as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. Finally, she let her arms fall back to the bed and her eyelids fluttered as she watched him, exhaustion playing across her features. "I'm sorry, Toby," CJ whispered.
"It's okay," he whispered back, and leaned down to place a kiss against her ankle, "don't cry. Go back to sleep, it's early yet," his voice was soothing, "Go back to sleep, Claudia Jean."
Toby watched as her eyes fell shut, and her leg slipped from his hands, then he leaned back against the headboard, cradling her in his arms, and decided Christmas Eve would have to wait for a few more hours.
---
It invaded his sleep, the sound of squeaks and muffled creaking seemingly slipping from one room to another. "CJ?" Toby sighed, groggy, as he felt her hand close around his shoulder, molding her body against his back. Slowly, his mind cleared, fog dancing at the edge of consciousness, ebbing as the tides.
"Mmmm…" she moaned, nuzzling her face against the back of his neck, her legs tucked into his, the swell of her stomach pressed against him.
Toby shivered, even as she moved closer, and then sighed, feeling himself respond to her movements. Silently, he shook himself, and again whispered, "CJ?"
CJ breathed deeply, smiling as she inhaled his scent, then let her breath out slowly, warmth tickling the hair on the back of his neck. Her eyes slid open lazily, falling on the clock that proclaimed 4:12 in perhaps the brightest lettering she'd ever seen. Again, she closed her eyes against it, and finally replied, "Yes, Toby?"
"I've lived here for two years, correct?" he felt her nod, "Yeah. Well, I've never heard anything like that, well, racket." Toby's hand slid beside him as he rolled to his back, and began a slow track down her torso, memorizing flesh with his fingertips.
"Hmmm," she purred in response, then giggled, "It's the hamster, Toby. They're nocturnal animals. I'm guessing he's on the wheel," CJ paused, "Perhaps he's lonely?"
"Don't even think about it!" Toby growled, propping up on one elbow as he faced her, hand dipping down to trace along the elastic of her underwear.
"Oh, of course not," she smiled, taking his hand in hers and bringing it to her lips, "We have it good, don't we, Toby?"
He said nothing, only smiled, letting his hand trace circles over her middle, the abode of his still sleeping child, the sounds of hamster activity fading into the background as he returned CJ's gaze, slowly moving to hover over her, tongues and lips teasing each other.
"You're tired," Toby whispered as she sighed, and he placed a kiss upon her forehead before pulling her to cuddle closer still. "Go to sleep, angel. I'll wake you after the sun rises."
Her breathing evened out as she gave in to the beckoning darkness, and the hamster moved to bury himself beneath his cedar chips, fighting to ignore the coming dawn.
She woke with a cry caught in her throat, hair fanned out against the pillow, her body curled into as much of a ball as she could manage, spooned against her fiancé.
"Toby!" CJ growled, cursing beneath her breath, "Toby, wake up!" her voiced raised an octave, and she rolled onto her back and reached beside her to slap his arm.
"What?" he yelped, catapulting into a seated position, his head turning to her, eyes and voice frantic. "What's wrong? Bad dream, again?"
"Help," she croaked, waving her hand toward the sheets, "Leg cramp, it hurts," CJ whimpered. In mere moments, Toby scooted toward the foot of the bed and had taken her calf into his hand, massaging away the tension as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. Finally, she let her arms fall back to the bed and her eyelids fluttered as she watched him, exhaustion playing across her features. "I'm sorry, Toby," CJ whispered.
"It's okay," he whispered back, and leaned down to place a kiss against her ankle, "don't cry. Go back to sleep, it's early yet," his voice was soothing, "Go back to sleep, Claudia Jean."
Toby watched as her eyes fell shut, and her leg slipped from his hands, then he leaned back against the headboard, cradling her in his arms, and decided Christmas Eve would have to wait for a few more hours.
---
It invaded his sleep, the sound of squeaks and muffled creaking seemingly slipping from one room to another. "CJ?" Toby sighed, groggy, as he felt her hand close around his shoulder, molding her body against his back. Slowly, his mind cleared, fog dancing at the edge of consciousness, ebbing as the tides.
"Mmmm…" she moaned, nuzzling her face against the back of his neck, her legs tucked into his, the swell of her stomach pressed against him.
Toby shivered, even as she moved closer, and then sighed, feeling himself respond to her movements. Silently, he shook himself, and again whispered, "CJ?"
CJ breathed deeply, smiling as she inhaled his scent, then let her breath out slowly, warmth tickling the hair on the back of his neck. Her eyes slid open lazily, falling on the clock that proclaimed 4:12 in perhaps the brightest lettering she'd ever seen. Again, she closed her eyes against it, and finally replied, "Yes, Toby?"
"I've lived here for two years, correct?" he felt her nod, "Yeah. Well, I've never heard anything like that, well, racket." Toby's hand slid beside him as he rolled to his back, and began a slow track down her torso, memorizing flesh with his fingertips.
"Hmmm," she purred in response, then giggled, "It's the hamster, Toby. They're nocturnal animals. I'm guessing he's on the wheel," CJ paused, "Perhaps he's lonely?"
"Don't even think about it!" Toby growled, propping up on one elbow as he faced her, hand dipping down to trace along the elastic of her underwear.
"Oh, of course not," she smiled, taking his hand in hers and bringing it to her lips, "We have it good, don't we, Toby?"
He said nothing, only smiled, letting his hand trace circles over her middle, the abode of his still sleeping child, the sounds of hamster activity fading into the background as he returned CJ's gaze, slowly moving to hover over her, tongues and lips teasing each other.
"You're tired," Toby whispered as she sighed, and he placed a kiss upon her forehead before pulling her to cuddle closer still. "Go to sleep, angel. I'll wake you after the sun rises."
Her breathing evened out as she gave in to the beckoning darkness, and the hamster moved to bury himself beneath his cedar chips, fighting to ignore the coming dawn.