Thank you so much for all the kind reviews! I have a number of these little shorts either finished or mostly finished, so there will be no lack of chapters here, regardless of what happens in real time on the show! I'll likely post one every couple of days or so, although now I'm starting to think I should write more hand holding into these! ;)
This is a super short and simple one, but I hope you all enjoy!
It was a rumble that woke Lucas from his slumber.
Even before he opened his eyes, he could recognize the flash of the continuous lightning outside. The pitter patter of the rain on the roof was accompanied by the roll of thunder, and he could hear the wind as it slammed up against the side of the row house.
When he did finally open his eyes, the room was dark apart from the flashes, but it took no time for him to realize that something - or someone - was missing. Reaching out across the bed, he found no sign of Elizabeth other than the slightly crumpled sheets where she had been earlier.
Figuring she'd simply made her way to Jack's room, he pulled back the quilt and went in search of her, quietly making his way out of their room and across the hall. Turning the handle to Jack's room, however, he found it dark, the young boy still sound asleep despite the storm outside. With a smile brought on by the peacefulness he'd found, Lucas slowly closed the door once more.
From the top of the stairs, he noticed the faint glow of a lamp at the bottom, and followed it. When he reached the foot of the staircase, he found the source of the light - the lamp sitting on Elizabeth's writing desk, his wife nearby, shall wrapped around her as she stared out the window.
"Elizabeth?" he whispered.
She didn't move.
"Sweetheart?" he asked again as he moved toward her, his brow furrowed.
Still, no movement, although he could see her tense slightly as another flash lit up the sky. Hoping that he wouldn't startle her, he lightly touched her arm, and her only reaction was to look back over her shoulder at him, allowing him to see the tears that had collected in her eyes.
Lucas immediately pulled her into his arms, holding her as tightly as possible as she clung to him. "Are you alright?" he gently asked again, certain that this time she'd heard him. Another flash of lightning brightened the room and he felt her tense again.
"I had this nightmare that…" she started, unable to finish the sentence.
He held her tighter in response, running a hand along her back in an attempt to calm her.
As she relaxed into his embrace, she took a deep breath before continuing. "I had this nightmare that you died the same way Jack did. I thought I lost you and was alone all over again and…" she trailed off, nuzzling her face into his chest.
"Shh," Lucas soothed, rocking them back and forth slightly, "It was just a bad dream. Just a dream, okay? None of it was real."
He felt her nod slightly, never letting up on her grasp on him.
"I'm not going to leave you," he continued. "You're never going to have to suffer by yourself again." Lucas paused, this time to urge her to look up at him with a finger under her chin, and a moment later she met his gaze. "I promise" he finished.
A weak smile played at Elizabeth's lips, covered a moment later by Lucas' as he leaned down to kiss her, sealing his vow.
Elizabeth moved to rest her head against his chest once more after they'd pulled apart. "I love you," she whispered simply a moment later, eyes closing as she relished in the feeling of safety she found in his arms.
"And I love you" he responded without missing a beat.