Brandon's POV

Brandon truly thought he would finally get a good nights sleep. Skyla was back; she was safe. He'd kissed her and apologised for leaving her and having his parting words be so cruel. He thought he could sleep. It turned out he still hadn't eased his mind. He tossed and turned, mostly. What little rest he got was short-lived when every fifteen minutes he was startled awake by some unknown force. His thoughts were what really kept him awake though. Everything Sky had told him -every detail- weighed heavily on his mind.

'She loves Jack, Jack loves her. He's having some issues, and she wants to help him overcome them. Problem is; his issue is supernatural. What can she do? Not much, and the Guardians know that. Her job has been to distract Jack and keep him happy. She's doing her best. Hopefully the witch thing will be solved tonight. Even if that means Jack will come back to take her away from me again. Skyla is... The most important person in my life. If Jack is the one who can make her happy right now then... He sure as hell better get back here safely.'

It was still dark out. Sighing, Brandon rolled over again trying to find a more comfortable position, 'Maybe I should have stayed up with Sky a while longer. We could have talked for hours... I wonder if she's still awake? If she's still upset...' Rolling onto his back, he threw the covers away and debated getting up or not. 'If I go out there and she's awake... She'll know something is wrong and worry... If I don't I'll be stuck here all night.' Making the decision, he sat up and put his feet on the floor. Running a hand through his hair and looking longingly at the deceptively comfortable looking pillows, he stood up. Choosing not to bother putting a shirt on, Brandon slowly made his way to the door. He was glad he'd had the forethought to at least change into sweatpants earlier.

His hand found the doorknob and turned. it fell open smoothly and he stepped out into the short hallway. Something seemed off, but he couldn't put his finger on it. In the living room, the TV was still on with the volume low, he assumed to keep from disturbing his 'sleep'. Smiling at Skyla's sleeping figure on the couch he quickly went up to her and brushed some stray hair out of her face. Thinking for a moment, he carefully untied the red ribbon and placed it on the coffee table in front of her. Reaching for the remote, he also turned off the television.

Ignoring a sudden feeling of emptiness, Brandon went back to his room. Grabbing one of the blankets there, he concentrated on biting back the lonely emotions clawing at him, 'what the hell is going on? I'm not alone, not even close. I have Sky. She still cares about me! She'll come back to me, too. When she can. When she needs to. I love her, she knows that! I have her...' The feeling didn't go away but he pushed it back as far as he could and concentrated on dragging the thin blanket out to the brunette in his living room.

It took longer than it should have but he eventually made it back to the couch and draped the blanket over her, tucking her in carefully, trying his best not to wake her. Skyla stirred slightly and Brandon's heart skipped a beat. When she settled back down, he let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Some more hair had gotten into her face and he brushed it away, his hand lingering on her cheek. 'She's pretty cute when she's sleeping. Has that spirit really been able to see her like this? I hate to say I'm jealous but...'

"Ngh, Jack..." Skyla whispered.

'She's still asleep, right?' Brandon wondered. His hand moved to lightly grip her shoulder, 'it pisses me off that she said his name but... Everything I've decided so far hasn't changed. I love her, and I'll wait for her. As long as it takes.'

'But how long will that be?' a voice whispered inside his head. 'WIll you be alone until you're old and grey? Until you're dead? Maybe meet someone in the afterlife? She doesn't want you, Brandon. Give up. Embrace the loneliness or find someone else- You have plenty of admirers that show up at your place of work..'

"...That's not true" he argued out loud, "She's in a weird place in her life right now, and I need her to know I support her and that I'll always be here for her-"

'At what expense?'

"She's worth it. Skyla is worth it. I love her." his anger flared and he willed that voice to just shut up already. Focusing on the brunette sleeping in front of him, he closed his eyes and made himself calm down. It barely worked.

'She's not worth it!' the voice sneered, 'Not for you. Let the spirit have her. you deserve... more'

"I don't deserve anything. I'm lucky to have her-"

'You don't have her! She is not yours! And she is a liar! You know this and yet you-'

"Shut up" Brandon growled. His resolve was breaking but he was determined to fight against the incredibly weighty emotions warring inside of him. "I love her. I love her and-"

'You don't. If you did, you wouldn't have pushed her away. Not for a moment. You wouldn't have let her run into his arms!'

"...I did that for her. I did that because she was having such a hard time. She's happy with him, somehow, and I'm glad I could give that to her." The voice didn't respond. Smiling again, he leaned towards Skyla and kissed her forehead, "I made the right choice. If I'm alone forever, I won't regret that. Be happy, Sky. Please" He hoped he didn't imagine the smile that graced her face for the shortest moment. He hoped she had heard him.

The empty, lonely feeling he'd had that night seemed to leave him but hover over the two. It was a depressing smoke that wafted through the air but didn't touch them again. In their little bubble, Brandon finally relaxed. His thumb caressed her arm and he watched her sleep for a few moments. The rise and fall of her chest, the small breaths. He wished he could see her eyes then, but if he focused he could easily recall the grey orbs he missed but often dreamed of. Her lips moved like she was trying to say something and he wondered if she would be speaking to him... or to Jack Frost.

He pictured, not for the first time, how he wished his life would go. What it would be like to spend his days with her. They would get married and live in his apartment for a while longer. When they could, and when Skyla was ready, they would move to a larger home and have children. Of course, Brandon will have found a better job by then or maybe even started his own business. If Skyla decided to pursue a singing career, he would support her like he always had. They would go on cruises for their anniversaries, just like people do.

"We would have an apple-pie life. White picket fence and everything, even if I have to make the fences myself. I'll give you the life you've always wanted. You deserve that Skyla, and I want you to have it." The sleeping form smiled again and he knew he didn't imagine it. "I love you, Sky." he leaned in, lightly kissing her lips, "Please don't forget your Demon"

He forcefully pulled himself away from her. Making sure the blanket was tucked around her properly, he stood up and walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. After chugging it down, he leaned forward against the counter and let his face curve into a relaxed smile. 'She's going to be okay. I know that. And now, maybe, I can let her go. For the time being' he reminded himself, his smile taking on a more devious glint, 'I'll still have her back before I'm through on this Earth.'

Brandon jumped at a knock at the front door. Grumpily, he made his way towards the door, "Who would be visiting at this hour? If it's Michael, I swear I'm going to put a lock on my fridge. It's nearly empty already!" His annoyance lasted until he was mere feet from it. The feeling that something was wrong hadn't left him, but it grew even stronger as he neared the door. Stopping just in front of it, he peered through the peep-hole. There was no one there. "Kids should be in bed." he mumbled. He started to turn away from the door, cursing whoever nearly woke his love.

There was another knock. Ignoring the peep-hole, he threw the door open. Ready to yell, he was surprised to find the hallway completely empty. "I'm not so tired that I'm hallucinating. I think? The voices would have me believe differently." Shutting the door, Brandon finally turned around. His eyes barely focused on anything, "Yeah... definitely tired." he accepted, walking back towards his room. He thought of Skyla and smiled, swivelling himself around to face the living room. His head spun and he had to hold onto the wall just to stay standing.

The blurry shapes barely came together. Brandon panicked. Skyla was still asleep on the couch but something stood over her. 'The witch' he thought. Taking control of himself, his expression flattened and he steadied his own heart rate. As his vision cleared, he saw less and less of the figure. It didn't look over at him, and he suddenly knew that it had been there for a while. Watching them. Watching her. That pissed him off. Still, he controlled himself. Barely. If it hadn't taken any special notice of him yet, he was hopeful that it wouldn't. Then the realization struck him that the voice he'd heard in his head must have been that of the witch.

'If that''s the best it can do- I'm not afraid of it.' The image stuck in his mind of the thing, and everything about it pissed him off. That it wasn't even entirely grotesque was about fourth on the list of what was most awful about it. 'Maybe it won't bother us if we... If we just ease away from it. If I wake Skyla- No. She'll be able to see it. She'll panic. If I can keep her eyes away from where I saw it; then maybe. I have to get her out of the apartment- But it would follow us. If I can get her to the bedroom- We'll be trapped. No one will- The bracelet. But if the witch knows about it- Of course it does, it knows so much else.'

Fighting with himself, he walked with a concentrated calm back towards the front door. Checking Skyla's coats pockets, he hoped the witch wasn't watching. Nothing happened so he assumed it wasn't. Stuffing it into his sweat pants pocket, he brought it to the bedroom and hid it under the pillows. Taking a deep breath, Brandon walked back out. As he neared the couch, he felt hovering smoke of the same negative feelings that had been there before. It was a good sign that Brandon was still not on its radar.

"Sky" he called calmly as he knelt beside her. His hand brushed her cheek then moved to shake her shoulder, "Skyla, wake up. You need to wake up, alright?" he tried to keep the urgency out of his voice and cursed himself for it being so hard. Usually his composure was easy to keep. But this was no usual circumstance. Skyla was in danger.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. When she saw Brandon she smiled, "I'm glad I don't dream. You might have interrupted something."

"Nevermind that. Come on, you can sleep in my bed. You'll be more comfortable there" His eyes held hers as he lifted the blanket off of her. He helped her stand up and as the negative energy surrounding them flared he pulled her against his chest in a tight hug. He felt her tense under him. Not from the embrace, he knew. Kissing her head he told her steadily, "Let's just get you to the bedroom, alright?" She nodded against him and he fought back his frown as they held onto each other and turned towards the short hallway.

Skyla didn't relax but Brandon knew that if he wasn't there she would be a lot more panicked. When nothing else happened before they reached the door, Brandon figured the creature must not see anything wrong. As soon as Skyla passed through the doorway, he shoved her further in and shut the door behind them quickly. They stood there for several moments, staring at the door and waiting for something to happen.

"Sky..." Brandon started, backing away from the door. He pushed her along with him and they sat on the bed, "Sky, under the pillows. Call for Jack Frost."

She didn't move, "What was it? What was out there? B-Brandon, I'm so afraid-"

"Shh, shh." He hugged her and brushed her hair back, "I know you are. You can use that. We have to call for help, Sky. Now. Before that thing figures out that something is going on. Please, Angel" he begged, holding her closer, "I'm afraid, too."

She reached one hand under the pillow and quickly brought it back. "I'm sorry" she sniffed, "It's my fault." Brandon pulled away slightly and brushed a tear away from her face. Looking down, he watched as she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. He wasn't sure what he'd expected but the bracelet did nothing and he panicked. Skyla looked up at him and lifted her hands to grip his face. Squeezing slightly she smiled at him, "It's going to be alright. I promise. I won't let anything happen to you"

Grabbing her hands, he held them up and kissed her knuckles, "I'm more worried about you. Is that thing going to work? Is he going to come?"

"About that..." she started softly, still crying, "I don't know if he'll be able to find us. I'm- I'm sending out signals like crazy but I don't know if the sonar works. He know's I'm afraid. He'll turn the entire city upside down if he has to- Him and the other Guardians. We'll be okay."

"I believe you... I do. I'll protect you until they get here-"

"Brandon..." she lifted a hand to his face and brushed away some tears he didn't know had fallen. "I am so sorry I put you in danger... Did anything... happen? How did you know it was there? Did it... Did it hurt you?"

"No, no... I'm fine. It tried something. It tried to make me feel alone. It talked to me and told me I'll always be alone-"

"You won't." Skyla stressed, "I'll always be around- I'll visit you- I-I love you-"

"I know" he smiled at her. Letting out a shaky breath, he turned and lay down with his arms folded behind his head, "I know I'll always have my Angel. Hey, we might as well get comfortable, right? I don't think we're going to get disturbed any time soon." Skyla nodded and he closed his eyes. When she rested her head against his chest, he put an arm around her protectively.

"You had time to grab the bracelet," she commented, "But not to put on a shirt?"

"Angel, get your priorities straight." he laughed weakly, "What could be better to cheer you up than your Demon, shirtless and in bed with you? Don't actually answer that. Even sarcastically. It would only hurt my feelings."

"You have feelings?" she wondered, "Hmm. Never knew that. I missed you, Demon. I'm sorry for-"

"Everything? Yeah. Me too. Not like we're saying goodbye here but you should probably kiss me passionately one last time. You know, since we're so afraid for our lives and all. You won't be able to once this is all over so..." he trailed off hopefully. Hope that his words would lighten the mood further.

"I'm not that afraid, Demon. We'll make it through this. Together. Then-"

"Then you'll run back into Jack Frost's arms. Yeah, I know how this ends. Don't worry, I'm over it. You two have your relationship. I... I support you. Only as long as he makes you happy, remember."

"Really?" she questioned. Brandon made a noise of confirmation and opened his eyes. Skyla was looking at him happily but small tears still fell from her eyes. "Thank you. You're... Probably the only one to support us-"

"I support you" he corrected, "I support your happiness. One day I'll be the reason for it. Until then, I have no choice but to let him have his chance. I'll tell him myself that there's no need for him to worry about me stealing you away. I can't see or hear him so I might need a bit of angelic guidance." Skyla was about to respond when there was a knock at the window. "Maybe that's him?" Brandon asked. Skyla nodded and smiled, leaping up from the bed. Before she could reach the window, Brandon grabbed her and pushed her back towards the bed, "It's my window, Angel."

"It's my boyfriend, Demon." she grinned. Brandon couldn't help but grin back at how happy she was. He was relieved, too. If it really was Jack then everything would be fine. Skyla spoke up before he reached for the curtains, "Hey. You can't even see him, right? It doesn't make sense for you to open it."

"Fine. I'm right here. Tell me immediately who it is" another few urgent knocks sounded and he gestured for her to approach the window. She slowly did so. He grabbed her arm, "Is it stupid of me to have a bad feeling about this?"

Skyla smiled at him, "Yes"


NOTES:
I've been told how much people hate cliffhangers
So here's another!
(It was unintended but now I sort of love it.
I'm a bad person)
Thank you so much for reading!
It was a great change to
(finally)
write in Brandon's POV!
If you can spare a few words,

please review!
Love Y'all *hearts*