Chapter Two: Somewhere between waking and sleeping

--Adora-

Adora can't remember the last time she's been this tired.

Ever since she woke up to Catra's scream in the middle of the night, Adora has been beside herself with worry. She's spent the morning pacing the hallway outside her room. Catra is inside, finally sleeping after being attended to by the castle's healer, but every so often Adora can hear a whimper or cry, and it takes everything she has to not rush into the bedroom to be there for her.

She thinks back to how the night had progressed once she discovered Catra outside her room. Glimmer and Bow had both been woken by Catra's screams as well, and once they figured that no one in the castle was in danger, they had sprung into action to help their friends.

Glimmer had sent a pair of guards to fetch the healer as Adora continued to try to calm down her trembling girlfriend. Meanwhile, Bow had drawn an arrow and his namesake, a new model that expanded from a small handle into a full-sized weapon, string and all, and he had taken off down the hallway at a trot, looking for anything that could have produced that kind of nameless terror in someone like Catra.

Adora wished she had a moment while trying to console Catra to tell Bow not to bother. She hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary, certainly nothing to elicit that kind of reaction, and she was sure Bow wouldn't find anything in his sweep. After a few minutes the guards Glimmer had dispatched returned with a matronly figure and some thick blankets. Seeing the healer eyeing Catra with caution, Adora had simply picked the girl up and brought her into her own room, laying Catra down gently on the bed they had shared on many occasions. As Adora pulled away to let the healer begin to inspect her patient, Catra cried out and reached for her.

Adora was fighting back tears of her own by that point, knowing that she had to move to let the healer do her work but wanting nothing more to stay and hold Catra until she was ok. She knelt down beside the bed once more, taking Catra's hands in hers and kissing her palms, whispering that she would only be outside, that she needed to let the healer take a look at her.

"Catra, please. For me." Adora is trying not to beg.

Catra took a moment, tears still running down her face, and she nodded. Adora stepped back and then the healer was there, cutting her off from the girl she loved so dearly. Adora had exited the room, though it killed her to do so.

Once outside, Adora had stumbled back against the wall beside the door, dropping to the floor. She hadn't realized she was shaking now too, the adrenaline finally working its way out of her system. Glimmer slid down beside her, and before too long Bow returned from his patrol. Adora and Glimmer had both looked up at him, and he must have seen the questions on their faces, because he had just shook his head. He sat down on the other side of Adora.

They had sat like that for what felt like forever before the door opened and the healer emerged. Adora had shot up like a rocket, but the healer just held out her hands.

"As far as I can tell, the poor dear is fine." The healer spoke with a kind, measured tone. "She's clearly had some kind of scare, but physically, I can't say I found anything worth worrying about. I've woven a little spell that will let her get some sleep. That should help."

The tension in Adora's limbs released at the word "fine" but she could still feel the anxiety and fear that had burrowed itself into her core over the past little while. She slumped back down against the wall, and Glimmer rose to consult with the healer.

"I think you should all let the girl rest for tonight," the healer continued. "I'll come back again tomorrow morning to check up on her."

The Queen of Bright Moon and the healer began to walk down the hallway away from Adora and Bow, back towards the healer's room.

Adora sat against the wall, shivering from the relief that nothing was seriously wrong with Catra, but terrified at not knowing what had really happened. After a few moments, Bow had laid a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. Then he had risen, leaving Adora sitting alone outside the door to her room.

For a little while after the two left, Adora alternated between sitting and standing at the door, scared but determined to make sure nothing else disturbed Catra that night. It hadn't been much longer before the air in front of Adora shimmered and Melog had reappeared, its mane neither the soft blue of calm nor the spikey red of heightened emotion. Instead Adora noted that the being's mane pulsed in purple waves, and she had determined that the Melog was picking up on Catra's residual fear in her sleep. She hoped Catra wasn't having a nightmare.

She hoped Catra wasn't dreaming at all.

Melog had settled itself next to Adora, and for the rest of the night and into the morning, wherever Adora went, so did Melog. Neither of them went far.

Now, with the sun lighting the halls of Bright Moon, Adora waits for the healer to return, tapping her feet in a quick staccato rhythm. She decides the time is right to pace some more, so she makes an about-face and almost immediately runs right into Glimmer and Bow. Adora shrieks, and then catches herself.

"Sorry! Sorry, just… I wasn't expecting anyone to be there." Adora smiles sheepishly.

Bow and Glimmer share a worried glance. Glimmer steps forward and puts her hands on Adora's shoulders.

"Adora…" she hesitates, searching the blonde's face. "Adora, what happened last night?"

Adora feels the tears burn at the corner of her eyes again. She shakes her head.

"I don't know," Adora admits. "One minute I was asleep and the next I heard Catra screaming. By the time I got out here she was…" She chokes up at the memory of Catra pleading with her to not let… something... touch her.

"I don't know." she repeats lamely before Glimmer pulls her into a fierce hug. She feels Bow latch himself onto the hug.

Adora's voice is muffled by the fabric of Glimmer's shirt.

"Also, I think I kind of maybe broke the door. Sorry."

The three of them turn to look and notice for the first time the splintered wood surrounding the latch of the door where Adora's foot passed nearly completely through. There's enough left for the doors to stay closed, but no one will be locking anyone in or out until significant repairs are made.

"It's... ok," Glimmer assures her friend. "That's why we have carpenters."

Adora smiles at this kindness and squeezes Glimmer in a hug once again.

As they separate, Bow looks around the hallway they are standing in. It's almost as if he's trying to find whatever might have scared Catra during the night.

"I've never seen Catra act like that before," Bow is picking his words carefully, not wanting to upset the already upset blonde. "I didn't think she could actually feel fear."

Adora leans a shoulder against the wall, wishing the healer would get back already.

"I mean, she's one of the bravest people I know." Adora says. "The only thing she's ever really been afraid of is water. And Shadow Weaver, I guess. But everyone was afraid of Shadow Weaver. And for Catra that was always more of a fear of consequences than anything else."

Adora does not mention the time Catra spent on Horde Prime's ship after rescuing Glimmer. Catra has only ever talked about her fears associated with that time when they have been well and truly alone. Adora won't betray her trust like that, but she also feels like this new situation doesn't have anything to do with Horde Prime at all. Better to leave his name unsaid.

Glimmer is still watching her friend.

"Adora, are you ok?" The concern in the queen's eyes is evident.

Adora gives her a smile, hoping it doesn't look as sad as she feels.

"I don't know," she sighs. "I want to be there for Catra, but how can I help her when I don't even know what's wrong?" She shakes her head. "If I knew what scared her so badly, I could just beat it up as She-Ra. I don't know how to beat up… whatever this is."

Glimmer and Bow share another concerned look before drawing Adora in for a second Best Friend Squad group hug. Adora feels their warmth and smiles, but their warmth can't make up for the fact that she wishes Catra was there too. Instead, Catra is still asleep in Adora's bed. At least she's stopped making those distressed noises from earlier, or she's calmed down enough that Adora just can't hear her anymore.

"I want to say it's nothing, but Bow's right, I don't think I've ever seen Catra acting like that." Glimmer peers at Adora. "Has she mentioned anything that's been bothering her lately?"

Adora casts her mind back to their more recent conversations.

"Not really? I mean, she complains all the time about how comfortable the beds are. And she's still not used to the food here in Bright Moon. But I don't think either of those things would make her freak out like that."

Adora hopes they don't remember the first time she had tried to sleep in one of the Bright Moon beds. That definitely counted as a freak out.

The three of them sit in a contemplative silence before Adora remembers.

"Actually, she did say she's been having some bad dreams lately."

Bow looks puzzled.

"Bad dreams? You think she could have been having some kind of nightmare?"

"Maybe she was sleepwalking at the same time?" Glimmer offers.

Adora pauses. She's not sure what the bad dreams have been about. Catra has told her a bit of what they're like, but she suspects there's more to it than she's been letting on. Adora has noticed the dark circles under Catra's eyes over the last week. It seems like she hasn't been sleeping well at all, and that must be from more than just a run of the mill bad dream. She shakes her head and lets out a frustrated groan. That can't be all it is, but she doesn't have any more information to go on.

"Argh, I don't know!" Adora's hands ball up into fists. "None of this makes any sense."

Glimmer gives one of Adora's hands a gentle squeeze.

"Adora, don't worry. We'll figure it out. Besides, it's probably nothing."

Adora is about to respond as the healer rounds the bend of the hallway, and Glimmer and Bow both stand and walk over to meet her. Adora sits on the floor for a moment longer, Glimmer's words echoing through her mind.

It's probably nothing.

There's nothing Adora wants more than for that to be true, but somehow she knows it isn't.

She just wishes she knew what it is that's causing the dread she feels in the pit of her stomach.

Still, she pushes the feeling aside for now. It's not helping anyone, least of all Catra. She pops up from the floor and walks over to where Glimmer, Bow and the healer are standing. As she approaches, the healer turns to her and smiles.

"Her Highness tells me you've been a dutiful guard this morning."

Adora snaps to attention, for some reason. She feels like it's been a while since she served a purpose like she did in the Horde, or fighting the war as She-Ra, or trying to take down Horde Prime with the rebellion. There's a part of her that finds comfort in being commended for a job well done.

"Yes, ma'am!" She barely stops herself from snapping a salute.

The healer gives her a quizzical look, then dismisses it.

"It's good to know my patient has such a good partner."

Adora blushes at that. It's not like she and Catra have been keeping their relationship secret, but it still makes her feel all fluttery inside when someone outside of her friends and the other princesses bring it up. She once heard Perfuma refer to it as the "honeymoon period." The healer tips her a wink.

"You both remind me of my wife and I when we were young and first in love."

Adora smiles in response, knowing the healer is just trying to make her comfortable and take her mind off of worrying about Catra.

"Can… can you go in and check on her? I… I just..." Adora can't find the words to finish her sentence, but the healer obviously gets the point. She takes Adora's hands in hers.

"Of course, dear," the healer says. "That's the whole reason I'm here. You come too, she'll be happy to see you." She begins to walk towards the door to Adora's room, gently pulling the blonde girl behind her. Adora lets herself go along for the ride and hears Glimmer and Bow start to follow.

The group push their way through the shattered door, and Adora fights the urge to push past the healer and rush to Catra's side. Still, her pace quickens and she finds herself slowly pulling ahead of the other woman, but at least she doesn't seem to take any offense.

Adora reaches the bed first and kneels next to it. Catra is laying on her side facing away from Adora, but her breathing is even and she seems to be sleeping peacefully. She reaches out a hand to touch her girlfriend's blanketed shoulder, then hesitates and looks at the healer. The older woman smiles at her and nods.

"Catra? Are you awake?" Adora is trying hard not to let the concern she feels creep into her voice.

There's a rustling and Catra turns in the bed to face in Adora's direction. Adora can see the dark circles under her eyes, and as those mismatched eyes she loves so much slowly open, she is shocked by how red and irritated they are, as if she's been crying all night in her sleep. But as Catra's eyes start to focus on her, a smile spreads across her face and Adora feels her heart leap in her chest.

"Hey, Adora." Catra says quietly. Adora feels herself smiling in return. Catra looks… well, she looks awful, but after the night they've both had Adora is just glad Catra seems to still be in one piece mentally. She fights her own mind from flashing back to the trembling, sobbing girl from the night before.

"How are you feeling?" Adora reaches a hand out and rubs her thumb across Catra' cheek.

"I'm… alright." Catra hesitates, then yawns wide.

Adora hesitates, then broaches the subject she's been worrying about for hours.

"Do you… do you remember anything from last night?"

A shadow of something flickers across Catra's face, there and gone in an instant, but then she's shaking her head.

"Not really?" Catra's voice is still thick with sleep. "I remember wanting to come snuggle with you and then…" Her voice trails off as she notices the other people in the room.

Catra's face reddens.

"Why is everyone in my room?" Catra's ears flatten against her head.

Adora arches an eyebrow.

"Uhh, since when is this your room?"

"We just wanted to make sure you're ok!" Glimmer offers, an uneasy smile on her face. Bow is nodding furiously.

"We don't care why you were coming here in the middle of the night!" He's all but screaming

Glimmer elbows him in the side, not lightly.

"I mean, you're consenting adults and can do what you want!" he continues.

Adora rubs at her temples.

"Bow…" she groans.

"I mean I'm glad you're ok but would you look at the time you two clearly need some time alone and wouldn't you know it Glimmer and I and Swift Wind have that thing we have to go do today!"

It's Glimmer's turn to look confused. She turns to look at her boyfriend.

"What thi-" But before she can finish, Bow grabs Glimmer around the waist and begins pushing her back out of the room. Glimmer twists in his grasp, heels sliding across the polished floor and waves at Catra and Adora.

"I hope you're feeling better Catra, we'll see you laterrrrrrrrr!"

And then they're gone.

Catra is shaking her head, but Adora sees the hint of a smile on her face.

"Your friends are so dumb," the cat girl deadpans.

"Hey, be nice," Adora admonishes her, a jovial tone to her voice. "Now they're your friends, too."

Catra smiles and brings her hand up to rest on Adora's, still on her face.

The healer walks over beside Adora and lifts an arm over Catra's upper torso. A soft light begins to glow from the outstretched hand, shining down and gently illuminating Catra's form under the blankets. She moves her hand over Catra's head, then back down her body.

After a few moments the glow fades and the healer steps back.

"Well, young ladies, I have to say that as far as I can tell, Miss Catra here seems none the worse for the wear." She bends over to look Catra in each of her eyes, then grabs an ear and peers inside for good measure. Catra lets out a squawking noise, not expecting the strange woman to start pulling at her sensitive ears.

"Hey! Stop grabbing things!" She tries to swat at the woman, who weaves around Catra's hand with practiced ease, before stepping back, nodding to herself in satisfaction.

"I can't say there's anything I can see that would have led to your condition last night," the woman says. "I suggest you focus on resting for the day. Nothing strenuous." The healer then turns to address Adora. "And make sure she eats something this morning, preferably something with vegetables in it."

Catra starts to sputter in protest, but Adora deftly flips the blanket over her head, dodging flailing claws.

"Yes, of course ma'am, thank you!" The blonde forces an uneven smile as she fights with the bulging and twisting blanket.

The healer smiles at her and walks to the door, closing it gently behind her.

Under the blanket Catra is letting out muffled yells. Adora lets go of the blanket.

-Catra-

A ruffled Catra emerges from underneath the blanket, her hair wild and frizzled around her head.

"What the hell, Adora!?"

Any further protests are cut short as Adora wraps her in a crushing hug. Catra is taken aback by its ferocity and holds her girlfriend, who has started to tremble, almost imperceptibly.

After a few minutes, Adora pulls back from the embrace and Catra can see the tears in her eyes. Alarmed, she reaches out and takes Adora's face in her hands.

"Hey. Hey, Adora, it's ok. I'm ok." She wants nothing more than to get rid of the tears she sees swimming in Adora's big blue eyes.

"Catra, what happened to you? What was that last night?" Adora is staring into her eyes, and Catra can see that she's scared. She's probably been stressing out about her all night and almost definitely didn't sleep a wink. Catra falters and drops her hands down into her lap. Adora's hands seek them out as she sits down on the bed next to her. "I heard screaming and when I came out of my room, you were just in a pile on the floor. What happened? Did someone attack you? Was it someone in the castle?"

Catra shakes her head, trying to replay the memories from the night before. She can remember the dream she had, as well as deciding to leave her room to go to Adora's. The last thing she remembers clearly is reaching to open the door to Adora's bedroom. Then things start to get hazy. She seems to remember hearing some kind of noise, and there are flashes of Adora, Bow and Glimmer. She feels like she's starting to remember something else, but when she tries to hold onto those memories they just fade away into darkness.

She remembers what she felt though. She remembers being afraid.

A few years ago she wouldn't have said anything else about how she was feeling to Adora. Instead she would have just said something snarky and mean, something to deflect the attention she was so desperate to get but so uncomfortable to receive. Adora would have gotten fed up and they would have started arguing about something, with Catra slowly turning the subject to something completely unrelated. She had been good at that subtle redirection.

She isn't that person anymore. Or at least, she tries not to be.

"I don't know." Catra finally says. She can feel Adora about to protest so she rushes on. "I'm serious, Adora, I don't remember what happened. I remember heading to your room, and I get bits and pieces of you and Sparkles and Arrow Boy, but…"

She pauses again and looks to the door, then back to Adora.

"I don't remember anything else. I don't know what happened to me."

She can hear her nerves shaking her voice, but she doesn't care, not with Adora. She is trying to be a better person in general, but she is trying harder to be a better person for Adora. She wants to feel like she deserves her, and she won't lie to her about this.

"Catra…"

She smiles and reaches a hand to Adora's face.

"I'm ok. I mean it." Catra can see she doesn't believe her, but there's nothing she can do about that right now. If she remembered more about whatever had happened to her last night, she would share it. Right now, she just feels tired, more tired than she can remember feeling for a long time. Adora seems to sense this shift in her being and starts to gather herself to get up, but Catra slides her arm around her girlfriend's side, pulling her, not ungently, to the bed beside her.

Adora, taken by surprise, lets out a bright laugh.

"Catra!"

"Shut up, I don't feel good." She grins and lets out the fakest of fake coughs. Adora laughs again. Catra would climb mountains for that laugh. She would cross oceans. She would end worlds.

She almost did.

"What time is it?" Catra yawns and stretches sleepily. Adora settles in next to her, wrapping the blankets back around them both. Catra can see the gears in her head working double time.

"Early enough. Probably the perfect time for a Catra-nap? Eh? Eh?" Adora is grinning widely. Catra groans, fighting back a laugh.

"Ew, Adora, that was terrible. You're such an idiot."

Adora waggles her eyebrows.

"Ha ha, you love an idiot." She teases Catra in a sing-song voice.

They both dissolve into laughter at that. Catra can hear how tired she sounds, but she's beyond caring about that at the moment. She knows she's safe to show any and all emotions around Adora, but she's especially safe to show the "weak" emotions like joy, sadness, fear. Love. She can let her guard down around Adora, like she has now. It hasn't been easy. Sometimes she still struggles with it, but she hasn't stopped trying since Adora told her she loved her at the Heart of Etheria those months ago.

Eventually the laughter fades and the two are safe and content in each other's arms. Catra sees the concern in Adora's eyes as she reaches out to brush a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind one furry ear.

"Catra, you're sure you're ok?"

Catra pauses, searching her thoughts and emotions.

"I don't know." She finally says, completely honest. "I think I'm gonna spend the next few nights with you though, just to make sure you're ok."

Catra wiggles herself closer to Adora, tucking her head under her chin and resting against her chest. She hears and feels Adora laugh.

"Uh, ok, whoa. I'm so not the one who needs to be looked after." But Catra can hear the warmth in Adora's voice, and can hear she's already starting to drift off as well. They're both more tired than they thought.

"Keep telling yourself that." She says softly. But Adora almost immediately lets out a gentle snore. Catra laughs to herself, snuggling deeper into Adora's embrace.

"Dummy."

-Adora-

By the time she wakes up, it's early into the afternoon. Adora feels the heat coming off of Catra as she sleeps against her chest and slides herself back, careful not to disturb her feline girlfriend. In this moment she looks so peaceful, any lingering fear from the previous night well and truly dispersed in the gentle afternoon sun. Her nose twitches slightly while Adora watches her, and Adora's heart swells in response.

She doesn't like thinking about the years during the war when they were separated by their ideological divide. It's not that she wants to ignore everything that happened in that time. Catra had hurt people, that's true, but the more important thing now was that she was dedicating herself to making up for her actions during those years.

It's not always easy to leave that past behind them, but at times like this, when they are in each other's arms, it makes everything worth it. All of the fighting, pain, heartbreak that went on between them just paved the road to where they were now, at this very moment, and Adora couldn't regret any of it, because it would mean changing the moment they were in at that very second.

She wishes she could save this moment forever, Catra purring softly in bed against her, the sunlight streaming in and highlighting the brown of her hair, the soft furs on her ears. Adora can hear birds chirping outside, and beyond that the hustle and bustle of the castle come to life for the day.

Well, the castle had come to life hours before that point, they just weren't around to take part in it.

The healer's words about making sure Catra ate that day return to Adora then, and she gently shakes Catra's shoulders. Catra shifts, pulling Adora back into her embrace and grumbles into her chest. There's the softest mrrrow and then a pair of blue and yellow eyes are looking up at her.

"Five more minutes," Catra mumbles.

Adora smiles and shifts downward to place a soft kiss on Catra' lips.

"C'mon Catra, we're already so late for breakfast."

Catra yawns, shifts again and settles with her back to Adora's chest, wrapping the blonde's arms around her body.

"Breakfast is overrated. Sleeping in is way better." Adora can just barely see the grin on the cat girl's face, but she can definitely hear it in her voice.

Adora laughs.

"Catra, if we sleep all day we won't be able to sleep tonight."

Catra casts a mischievous smirk over her shoulder.

"What's so bad about that?"

Adora blushes and laughs again.

"You're ridiculous," she says.

It's Catra's turn to laugh, and she presses herself back against Adora.

"Sure, that's what you say now. You were singing a different tune not that long ago."

Catra hops out of the bed and throws a hand to her forehead, turning and twisting like a bad actor from Bright Moon's famously melodramatic theatre group.

"Oh, Catra, I'm going to sacrifice myself to save the universe because I'm the only one who can, but oh no, I can't turn into She-Ra anymore. I guess I'm just gonna die unless your love can give me back my super awesome power! " Catra sinks to the ground, laughter shaking her entire body.

"Ok, first of all, that's definitely not what I sound like." Adora gumbles. "Second of all, I'm pretty sure I remember you being pretty sappy yourself at the Heart."

Catra pops up and props herself on the bed on her elbows, chin in her hands.

"Keep telling yourself that, superhero." Catra winks.

Adora fluffs her hair up in an attempt to mimic Catra's ears.

"Adora, you're so strong and brave and cool, please don't give up on saving the world, I love you and She-Ra soooo much."

Catra blushes, but she laughs and pushes herself up from the side of the bed.

"Ok, ok, I give up. We're both dorks." Catra reaches a hand down to Adora and pulls her up as well.

Adora gives her another soft kiss.

"As long as you admit it first."

They stay close together for a few more moments, savouring their proximity and the time spent purely with and for each other. Then, far too soon for either of their liking, they step apart. Adora sets to work getting dressed, tossing Catra a set of clothes she had left in the room previously. After a few minutes they're both dressed and ready to face the world, Adora in her pants and red jacket, Catra in something a little more practical than her old Horde outfit. She's taken to wearing a burgundy half-sleeve button up shirt she found in her room when she first arrived in Bright Moon. She doesn't know why, but she thinks it suits her.

Catra freezes as they reach the bedroom's exit.

"Holy crap Adora, what the hell did you do to your door?"

A/N: This chapter update is coming a little bit sooner/faster than I'm planning to update in the future, but I wanted to give anyone reading an idea of the tones I'm aiming for in this story, and I think the first two chapters do that quite nicely.

It won't always be a trade-off of creepy then fluffy, but it's also not going to be completely creepy/overbearing and heavy all the time. I like these characters, and I like the way they interact with each other, and as much as I have plot to happen, I also want to give them downtime to be around each other.

Future chapters will bring more horror (I hope) and more fluff (guaranteed), and eventually even some action (but how do you fight a nightmare?) and I'm aiming at updating on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. But for now, I just hope you enjoy the time you've spent with this story. I know I have.

Until next time...