John Constantine was dreaming. Not having nightmares, not reliving the terrors he had experienced first hand, not laying in bed with insomnia in the wee hours of the morning, alone with just his thoughts. He was dreaming! He couldn't truly catch what he was seeing, but the scraps he caught he knew were good, peaceful things. Things he had thought he could never reach again.
But here he was, in dreamland.
In reality his conscious mind started to awaken as he continued to dream. More and more he became aware, awakening slowly. The last of the dreams shredded away, disappearing too fast to be remembered. John realized his body was relaxed, he felt content, and dare he say it? Happy. He felt happy.
Constantine slowly opened his eyes, noting he was wrapped about something soft and cushy. He'd probably crushed his pillow to death and it would be lumpy forever. He groaned softly, still coming out of the haze. He realized his head laid against something soft as well. Maybe he hadn't ruined both pillows.
As he became more aware, he realized his pillow had a heart beat.
His eyes shot open and he started a bit, a hard and fast jerk, to see what he was wrapped around. As his vision focused, he remembered. He remembered everything; it rushed back over him like a wave. John looked up into Elizabeth's face.
"I was dreaming." He whispered the words, almost in awe. "I was dreaming…" John realized she was awake too. Looking into her eyes, he smiled like a fucking idiot. It was almost like Christmas morning when you were a kid and you got everything and more then what you had asked Santa for. "Elizabeth, I was dreaming!"
She made no sound, no recognition of what he was saying. Constantine narrowed his eyes and looked at her. Elizabeth's eyes were blank, as though her mind was somewhere else. Looking down, his eyes trailed her arm, which was reached out to him. Her fingertips were on the fetish that Midnite had given him.
John reached out, trying to get into her mind and find her. Maybe he could see what she was seeing. He dug in but couldn't get anything. Panic seized his heart; maybe their link had been severed? As he thought this, he felt everything rush into his mind, her thoughts crowding over his.
"What did you see?" he asked quietly, as her eyes came back into focus. Her hand dropped away from the fetish.
Elizabeth shook her head. "Nothing."
"If it was about this, or could affect this, you have to tell me." John realized his tone was harsh, like something he'd use on someone to get information. He hadn't meant it. Not to her. It was just habit. His conscience screamed at him. "Please." He added after a long pause. He so rarely said that word it felt foreign on his lips.
She gently touched his cheek. "You dreamed?" John knew she wasn't going to tell, no matter what now. Inside he cursed himself out as he nodded.
"Yes."
"Were they good dreams?"
"They were the first good dreams I've had since… I can't remember when." The feelings washed over him again and he felt the freedom tug on him, try to carry him off once more.
"You deserved them." Her thumb was smoothing his cheek, his bottom lip. John watched her, not able to see enough of her, felt the desire rise again. It was then that he realized she'd given him the dreams. Somehow, she'd done it and had given him the first night's peaceful sleep in his lifetime.
Thank you. He mouthed the words as he spoke them in her mind. Elizabeth smiled back at him. Constantine slowly moved up and put his mouth to hers, showing his gratitude as deeply as he kissed her. The desire rose more as he began showing her the great art of French kissing. His pulse quickened and he felt more then just his desires rise again.
Elizabeth pulled away, catching her breath. John was breathing just as hard. He looked at her, confused.
"Is something wrong?"
"No. I want to. Really, I do. I just don't think…" she trailed off, and he felt her embarrassment mentally, but she did not blush.
"Oh." He hadn't really thought about that. Psychically he scanned her and found she was sore in a lot of places, mentally trying to digest everything that had happened. "No. You're right. We don't have to move that fast." He caught a fragmented thought slip through his psychic feelers.
Carefully he rolled off her, stretching out beside her on the mattress. Constantine slid his arms around her, gently pulling her to him, carefully wrapping himself around her like a living blanket. Elizabeth went directly to him, her face buried in his chest, her arms curled up against him. Mentally he soothed her, reassuring her, as he rubbed her back in slow even strokes. She wasn't upset with what had been done, it was more the recovery and adjustment to it all.
And there was something she desperately wanted to know.
John thought about it, making sure there was enough of a barrier to their mental link so she couldn't read him. He didn't want her to, only because he wasn't sure yet. If he said it, he couldn't ever take it back. Just like taking her virginity. Once he said the words, he was pretty much making a vow.
Then he remembered her under him, how she felt. How she'd given everything up to him without saying it in words, but showing it physically. No one had given them self over to him, so completely, without asking everything in return.
Constantine realized he could never deny this woman anything for the rest of his life. Whatever little he had, all material possessions, his very life, were hers. The last hardened bits around his heart fell away.
"I love you, Elizabeth." He spoke the words softly, his mouth directly to her ear. In his arms, she relaxed; he felt her body uncurl a bit against him. Her hands slid up his chest, her arms went around his neck and she held on to him tighter then before. John continued to rub her back, pulling the comforter up around them. He continued talking to her through their link, more keeping his presence in her mind as assurance. After a long while, he felt her fall asleep in his arms, finding the same peace he had found in his dreams.
