Much later that night, Skyla had food in the fridge, sheets on the bed, and the necessities all placed around the apartment. She also had a boyfriend hiding away in the bedroom with her laptop. She'd sent an e-mail to Brandon to tell him it wasn't a joke. She thought about sending one to Lauren but decided Jack could either handle it or she could easily do damage control. Brandon wasn't online, and she decided not to wait around for his reply.
After she'd helped him make an account, explaining why he couldn't set his birthdate to over 300 years ago, Jack had simply locked himself in the bedroom to send his messages, popping his head into the living room occasionally to question and complain about why it was taking so long for them to reply. She answered the same things each time and continued watching the different channels on the small television Gavin had left behind.
The dark fabric couch became increasingly comfortable as the night wore on. She told herself that the next time Jack left the bedroom she would charge inside and take over the bed, no matter how much he protested. She was not happy about him taking over the bedroom, but she wasn't going to argue about it. She'd had enough of arguing for the day. It was mostly with herself, but that only made it worse. The spirit didn't leave the room again for a long time and eventually she fell asleep, the remote slipping from her hand as she drifted into darkness.
Only it wasn't darkness. Not completely. There was a large castle. Stone walls, spires, towers, twisted stairs and walkways. Behind her, the bridge was up. She could just barely see past one of the corners near the bottom and see black sludge, shining deep within as if reflecting lava. With weightless and unfocused feelings warring in her, she knew it was a dream. She'd had only one dream before, and it hadn't been hers. She'd been in Jack's dream, and even that wasn't a proper dream; Sandy manipulated it as best he could. She still didn't know how he managed what he did. The little man was far more powerful than he let on. But that had been the Sandman and his dreams. This was corrupted, unyielding to happy thoughts. This was a nightmare. Pitch Black could be the only one responsible for it.
Then she looked up. There was a sky; but there were no stars. Skyla started to panic. Remembering that nightmares were more frightening when you let them know your fears and weaknesses, she told herself not to let them in. Not to let them see how she was shaking or know how nervous she was. Skyla, she told herself, was not afraid of the Boogeyman.
Jack was getting impatient. Lauren would be asleep, but Brandon should have still been awake. If he was working, that was no good excuse. The spirit wanted an answer, and he was sick of waiting. Huffing, he stood from the mattress that Skyla had covered in purple sheets and a blue snowflake-covered comforter but still no bed-frame. It was a joke, and she'd told him that he should have gone shopping with her. He could be honest and say he thought it was funny, too, or that he even liked it. He could be honest. But why not give her what she wanted. A stubborn, irritated boyfriend.
"Boyfriend" he whispered, tasting the word. It was unfamiliar yet so good to have as his title from her. fiancée, then husband, would be better, but he could work with boyfriend. He grinned and left the laptop open on the bed. He wouldn't be gone long. Unlocking the bedroom door, he turned a sharp left and walked a couple of steps to peer into the living room. Television and hall light still on, Skyla had fallen asleep on the couch. "Boyfriend to her" he sighed, moving to turn the TV off. He bent to her level and wondered if he should bring her to the bedroom or just grab the comforter for her.
Then he remembered how upset she was. For his sake, she'd smiled and laughed, but he was starting to be able to read her emotions even without that stupid bracelet he'd given her. He didn't blame her. He wouldn't kiss her, could hardly stop from being tense, and every intimate touch made him feel so incredibly guilty about what he'd done- The first time Lauren had kissed him, he'd awkwardly done next-to-nothing then completely ignored that anything had happened in favor of staring after Sky as she'd run out of the Nephilim. It had hurt her, and made him guilty, but they weren't as attached then. They'd been through a lot more since.
Guilt, he decided, would be the death of him. For hurting her, for letting her be hurt. For doing such awful things to her like lying. Even if the subject of Lauren never came up again, it would always be on his mind when Skyla leaned in close, or when she looked so breathtakingly beautiful that he found that it was himself leaning in. He could hold her, but only barely. "I'm awful. Sky, I'm so sorry. So, so sorry." he reached over to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, "It will hurt more if I tell you, won't it? I can't. You'll never find out. Not from me and, I know, not from Lauren. I'll try harder to forget it. I'll try harder to push away the thought of her. I love you, Skyla. Not her. Why would I-"
He broke off, cursing at himself. The sleeping figure in front of him stirred uneasily and he forced himself calm, sure she was reacting to him. He knows she doesn't dream, what else could it be? Taking a deep breath, the spirit lifted her carefully from the couch. Slowly, he made his way back to the bedroom. He looked around them and thought about how he would be doing this again and again for years to come. She would fall asleep on the couch, and he would carry her to the bed, like he did. Then, as he did, he would whisper a soft goodnight and kiss her forehead, making sure she was comfortable.
He stared at the laptop for a moment before taking it and logging himself out to shut it off. There was no bedside table so he moved the laptop to the dresser Skyla had stuffed in the corner on the wall opposite the bed. They'd moved the fancy, out-of-place wardrobe into the other room. His side of the bed was nearest the window and Skyla's was nearest the closet. They'd both agreed it was the best arrangement. Taking one last look at his love's sleeping form, Jack turned the room's light off and walked out into the hallway, leaving the door open. He didn't want to leave her for long. He'd done that the previous night and it had only caused problems for him.
Jack turned off the hallway light then walked through the living room and out onto the small porch. Another thing about the apartment, a thing that made him very curious about fates and destiny and the way of the world, the porch had a perfect view of the Moon. Skyla swore she hadn't noticed it earlier, and the spirit didn't doubt her. It was just one of those weird circumstances. She also hadn't noticed the position when she chose their bedroom, the window being on the same side as the porch. They decided to keep the heavy white curtains.
"You know, don't you?" He asked, "You know what I did. With Lauren." Jack ran a hand through his hair, "Do you know- why I did that? I can't remember, if I even had a reason at the time! I betrayed Skyla, why would I do that?" The Guardian of Fun became more desperate for an answer as he asked a few more why's and what-do-I-do's. MiM, as usual, had no reply. If anyone could even think of something to say to Jack's words; it wasn't likely.
Something inside him sparked and he looked around, confused at what had happened. It had happened too quick for him to recognise. He was about to let it go and continue speaking to the skies and the man who lived there when he heard a voice. Not any voice; Skyla's.
"Jack!" Skyla listened as the patio door closed and the spirit ran to the room, stopping just inside to stare at her. She knew she was crying, but she couldn't remember why. Something, she thought, about a deal. "Jack, I think I- I think..." She became more confused than sad and slowly her soft tears stopped falling.
That was when Jack chose to approach her. He walked slowly to his side of the bed and knelt onto it, wrapping his arms around her shaking body, "Shh, shh. It's okay." he comforted, "Nothing happened, Skyla. Nothing. You're safe-"
"I know!" she interrupted, the words sounding like a sob as she gripped his t-shirt and rested her head against his chest. "I don't know what's wrong with me, I'm sorry!"
"Don't be." He thought that he should be the one that's sorry. He blamed himself for her current state. "Go back to sleep, I'll stay right beside you."
She nodded slowly and let him guide her back against the mattress, her head only moving from his chest so he could climb under the covers. "I love you" she told him as they settled.
"Love you" he replied.
They both had a million questions running through their minds. In all honestly, having so many questions was exhausting. Even Jack felt the need to rest for a long while. At the same time he wanted to busy himself with anything else, but he'd already promised to remain there with her. He didn't want to be anywhere else, but he wanted to be everywhere else. Such conflicting emotions, and he made the easiest decision; keeping his arms around her and focusing on her breathing and the upcoming proposal. There was no room for anything else. None.
He loved her. He wouldn't let her be hurt again. He would let her sleep. He loved her. "Goodnight, my love"
"Mm, night" she replied, still uneasy from the startled way she had woken up. Now, with the spirit beside her, she hoped they could both relax and get some rest. She hoped she could sleep through the rest of the night. In this new apartment, in this new town, with a new fear of waking up and Jack not being there. He would always come back, Skyla repeatedly told herself. It may take him a while, but he would always come back.
She wasn't alone. She was happy, in love, hopeful. Taking one step at a time, Skyla reminded Jack softly, "You never solved the riddle"
He was silent a few moments. His arms tightened around her and he told her, "That was the worst riddle ever. So cheesy. I'll tell you in the morning. Get some sleep, alright?"
She whined, "But I don't want to sleep!"
"There's nothing else for us to do right now. What? Why are you laughing?"
"N-no reason! But if you know the answer then why not tell me now?"
Jack sighed, "The answer is love. It wasn't that difficult, Sky. But forget about the prize, let's just-"
"No way. I'm giving it to you now" She tried to get up but he pulled her back down. After a bit of a struggle, she crawled off the bed and stood up to walk over to the dresser. There was little light in the room, but she could somewhat see where she was going. In the second drawer, under a bunch of other clothes, she smiled at Jack's blue hoody. She turned and threw it at the spirit, trying to see through the shadows enough to determine his reaction.
"My hoody? You had it all along?" he accused, though happily. He slipped it over his head and rested against the mattress again, hugging himself. "I missed this thing!"
Skyla rolled her eyes and leaned back against the dresser, "You're welcome. I mean, I thought maybe I would get a hug but alright. Enjoy that."
Jack jumped up and quickly crossed the room to wrap his arms around her, "Thank you! You could have just given it to me, you know!"
"I wanted you to earn it" she sighed happily, "And I know how much you love games."
"I love you, Sky. Thank you." He pulled back slightly just to lightly press his lips against hers. Skyla let out a surprised noise and he asked, "What? It was just a kiss?"
"I know but... All day you were-" His lips caught hers again and she let herself forget her questioned as she kissed him back. That familiar electricity coursed through her as his hands played with her hair.
"I love you" Jack told her after they eventually broke apart, taking her hands. "For every bad thing I've ever done to you, a single apology is not enough-"
"Hey" she smiled, "You can stop at the I love you cause, as you know, I love you, too. Can we not worry about apologies? I know something's been going on with you today but unless you can explain it; I just don't want to talk about it."
"...Are you sure?"
Skyla leaned in, her lips barely touching his, "You'll tell me when you can." She wasn't sure that it would be any time soon, but as he nodded, she relaxed about the subject. When the two finally settled back onto the mattress, Jack holding Sky as he usually did, they kissed one more time, a silent promise to be honest and open with each other tomorrow. Or at least to try.
