I leant my head against the headboard with a sigh. Closing my book, I placed it on the bedside table and switched off the lamp.
"Going to sleep?" my partner asked.
"Yea," I replied, "Don't stay up too late fiddling."
Mac chuckled and dimmed his light as I lay down.
"Night, sweetheart."
He ran his fingers through my hair a few times before moving his hand down to link his fingers with mine.
I rolled away from the light, pulling his hand to my chest. Before long, I had drifted off into a comfortable sleep.

I half woke later, feeling the bed shift and a warm weight settle behind me. A leg was thrown over mine in the bed and I shifted to settle better into his arms. Shortly after that, I fell back asleep.

Much later, I woke again. The light was switched on at the other side of the bed, casting a dim light into the room. My fingers were still linked with Mac's but he was no longer lying beside me.
I scrunched my eyes up, opening them before letting his hand go and reaching for my phone.
The light from the screen, despite being turned down as low as possible, was brighter than the bedside lamp that Mac had turned on. It also read 3am.
With a groan, I pulled myself up to sitting, resting against the headboard.
"Have you got any sleep?" I asked.
"No," Mac replied, running a hand through his blonde hair. "I tried at about midnight, but I couldn't sleep so I sat back up."
I rested my hand on his leg comfortingly. "Nightmares or insomnia?"
"Insomnia" he said with a frustrated sigh.
"I would have thought that the army had cured you of that," I smiled softly. "I've seen Jack fall asleep in some of the most inexplicable places."
"It has, for the most part," Mac replied. "I can fall asleep on the plane no problem. But sometimes at home it's harder."
"The difference between work and home in your head, I suppose," I said, thinking.
Mac thought about it for a bit and nodded, starting to fidget.
I slid down the bed, pulling Mac with me until we were both lying down.
"I don't think just lying down will help," he told me.
I raised a finger and put it on his lips. "Ssssh, just relax."
I rested my head on his chest and Mac automatically ran his fingers through my hair.
We lay like that for a while, and I felt Mac's breath starting to at least slow a little. He was tired, but even as I felt myself starting to fall asleep I knew that he wasn't.
I felt him shift, trying to move without disrupting me. "It's alright, love. You go to sleep,"
I sat up and threw the covers off. "Come on, let's see if we can do something about your lack of sleep."
"But don't you need to be up for work?"
I shook my head at the tired genius. "It's Sunday, I have a whole day before I have to work."
At that, Mac quietly followed me out of the room and to the kitchen.

I switched the kettle on as I walked past it, knowing that I had filled it before I went to bed. Mac sat at the kitchen counter, his fingers beating a quiet pattern on the surface.
"Tea or hot chocolate?" I asked him. There was no way I was feeding him coffee when we were trying to sleep.
Mac paused for a beat then replied. "Warm milk. With honey and cinnamon, please?"
I chuckled but moved towards the fridge to retrieve the milk carton.
"Why milk?"
It wasn't common for Mac to drink warm milk, even when he had woken from nightmares.
"Tryptophan," Mac replied.
I pulled cups out for our drinks (I had decided on a tea blend with lavender and chamomile to aid my own sleep), and waited for the blonde genius to elaborate.
"Tryptophan is an amino acid, commonly found in protein rich foods. Tryptophan is converted into melatonin by the body."
"Melatonin is responsible for the body's sleep wake cycle," I commented with a grin.
"Exactly," Mac smiled tiredly at me. "There have been studies that show an increase in tryptophan consumption can improve sleep. And dairy products, like milk, have high tryptophan levels."
I nodded. "What about the cinnamon and honey?"
Mac looked at me sheepishly. "I like the taste." He admitted.
I giggled quietly.
Briefly I contemplated warming the milk with honey and a stick of cinnamon on the stove top. But that would take too long when all we both wanted was to get back into bed and sleep. Instead I poured milk into the cup and added a spoon of honey and a spoon of the cinnamon paste Bozer kept in the cupboard for baking.
With the milk in the microwave and my cup of tea steeping, I returned the milk to the fridge. It was then I saw a few slices of carrot cake sitting on a shelf.
"If high protein foods contain more tryptophan, does that mean Bozer's carrot and walnut cake would also help?" I asked. I was going to have slice regardless of the answer, I was feeling hungry.
"I can't see why not," Mac replied, coming around to look over my shoulder in the fridge. "I didn't know there was any left."
It was then that the microwave beeped, and I stepped back from the fridge to get the cup. As I turned, I handed the plate of cake to Mac and quickly kissed him before moving to the microwave.

It wasn't much later that we were both sitting at the counter, empty cups and plates in front of us. I was feeling sleepy and I could see that Mac's blue eyes were starting to close.
"Time for bed?" I asked quietly.
"Yea, leave the dishes for later," he told, as he stood.
Noiselessly we went back to bed, taking extra care not to make noise as we made our way past Bozer's room.
I slipped into bed, making myself comfortable again.
Mac pulled me close as he got into bed. I kissed him gently before turning to get some sleep. Before I could fully turn away Mac got hold of my arm and pulled me close to him. He kissed me again, more soundly.
"Thank you," He whispered against my lips.
"Every time," I replied.
With that we both lay down, wrapped up in each other's arms. As I drifted into sleep, I felt Mac's breath even out and slow as he finally fell asleep.