Not even a perfect night helped her sleep. She woke, swallowing her panic, and tried to keep herself from having too much of an outward reaction. After her heartbeat calmed, she noticed Jack's arms weren't around her like it had been when she'd fallen asleep. She looked around the room and saw he wasn't there at all. The hall light was on, and she thought about calling to him. But she wasn't sure what to focus on; the undeniable truth that she was having nightmares, or the simple fact that she woke up without him beside her. She decided on the latter, upset that she'd had to wake up alone after giving him everything-
A bubble of anger and, she would admit, an over dramatic feeling of betrayal, burst inside her and she stood up slowly, taking the sheet with her for cover. It's a bit of an awkward journey, but she makes it out of the bedroom. There's suddenly alarm bells in her head as she hears Jack talking to someone. She hides behind the wall trying to listen to what he's saying. From the cold breeze, she guesses he's on the patio which can really only mean he's talking to MiM. The rain starting to fall makes it even harder to hear him.
"Just tell me what to do" Jack says. "Please. I know she's hiding something from me and I'm scared that it's- I thought it was my fault at first. Because I was stressing over Lauren and everything- But now I think- I think she's having nightmares and I don't know what to do! If she won't tell me about it herself then what can I do?"
After a minute of silence, Skyla walked out into the living room to see a shirtless spirit leaning on the porch railing, "Jack, come inside" he jumped at her voice and spun around to face her. "I'm serious, it's freezing in here."
He grinned as he stepped inside and closed the door behind himself, "Maybe if you would put on more than a sheet?"
"Do you really want that?" she joked. He stepped in front of her and tenderly kissed her lips. "I didn't think so" she smiled. "Are you coming back to bed?" Jack hesitated. Taking her hand, he led her to sit with him on the couch. She knew what he wanted, but she acted confused anyway.
"Skyla, I need to ask you something. Something- Something that I strongly need an answer for. Are you having nightmares?"
She looked past him, out at the rain. When his hand caught her chin and made her meet his determined eyes she sighed, "I think so. But I can't remember them... Or, at least not much. Please don't worry about it. It's nothing-"
"Sky..." he sighed, letting go of her chin. He scooted away and put his hands in his lap, "You can't keep stuff like that from me. You went from not dreaming, ever, to having nightmares and you didn't even consider telling me? How am I supposed to protect you if-"
"I was going to tell you-"
"Soon, right? But you never do and I have to find out some other way. I have to overhear you talking to Bunnymund, or I have to corner you. This is dangerous, Sky. What if Pitch-"
"He won't hurt me." she said confidently, making Jack stare at her in disbelief. "They're just nightmares, Jack. Bad dreams. I'm still okay, can you see that? I'm okay." Skyla reached over with the hand not holding the sheet up and placed it over his.
He started sounding desperate, "Dammit, Sky. Weren't we just talking about things being too good to be true? I knew it. And- you've been lying to me! Why would you do that, I thought we were-" He gets his determined look back, "If he's targeting you then I'm going to target him" Jack took his hands from hers and cupped her face gently, "He's crossed a line."
Skyla didn't know how to reply. She didn't want Jack to go after Pitch, but she didn't want to say something to upset him. He was determined to fix things and she had to let him if they were ever going to get past it. So she changed the direction of their fight, "Maybe it's not the Boogeyman. Maybe it's you."
Jack's hands slipped from her face and he leaned back, shocked, "What are you talking about?"
She mentally readied herself and softly pointed out, "I'm not the only one who has been keeping secrets."
Instead of asking her what she meant, he stood up. Skyla held in her surprise and watched him start pacing the room, "That's not what we're talking about right now. We're talking about you and- and Pitch Black!"
"No, this is about you. Whatever you've been hiding from me, whatever you're constantly freaking out about, it's what's keeping me up at night. Jack, I don't need the bracelet anymore to know when you're having an emotion."
He paused in front of her. "I didn't mean to-" he shook his head, "This is not my fault."
She groaned in frustration and stood up to walk past him towards the bedroom, "If you won't admit it-"
"This isn't my fault!" He was angry, and desperate, and, if she focused she could tell, guilty. "It's Pitch!"
"Stop blaming him!" She yelled back, turning to him from the middle of the bedroom, "You know you're hiding something, and you know you shouldn't be keeping it from me. I'm not having nightmares, Jack. I don't dream, and Pitch is not targeting me! Tell me, tell me now. What. The hell. Happened."
He steps back and stares at her with wide eyes. He's probably never seen her so pissed off. She knew she was probably over reacting but so much frustration built up over time and she needed to get an answer out of him. She needed to know if something had happened. She also silently promised to make it up to him. It was awful to be having the argument that night, but they would get through it. They always did, no matter what.
Jack's eyes fall to the floor and he steps forwards, putting his hands on her arms. He's warring with himself. His brows furrowed, his lips thin, the air around him colder than usual. Skyla tried not to panic. But her fist gripped the sheet tighter, her heart pounding, and she just wanted to tell him to forget it so she didn't have to watch the battle going on behind his blue eyes.
"I-" he starts, than takes a deep breath, looking straight at her again, "I did a bad thing, Skyla. And I am so, so sorry about it."
She waits, frozen in a mild panic. After another minute of waiting, she lets her impatience drive her. Her free hand swats his hands away and she steps back, her feet hitting the mattress. "You can't just stop there." The relief of having a steady voice calms her a bit, but not enough; when his hand reaches up again, she pushes it away.
He wasn't shocked. Both his hands held loosely at his sides. He seemed to make up his mind as he stared past her, "I kissed Lauren."
Skyla waited for him to say it was a joke. He didn't. "I know. That night at the Nephilim, right?"
"No, Sky." His head shook side to side slowly, "On Wednesday. She kissed me first but I- I didn't stop her and I kissed her back."
Instead of asking a question, instead of shouting, instead of slapping him like she wanted to do, Skyla blinked. Outside the rain had turned to a storm. She could hear the pattering of water against the window and the thunder as it boomed at intervals. She was focusing on other things entirely.
"Say something" Jack pleaded, closing his eyes.
"Get out"
His eyes snapped open again, "Not that" He looked stricken. She hadn't actually hit him, and she didn't really want to, but she knew she would try if he didn't get out of her sight.
She didn't reply. Looking around the room, she spotted his hoody near the window. She walked over, bent down carefully, and threw it at him. Standing up straight, she dared him to question her. She dared him to stay planted where he was or fall on his knees. And she dared herself to admit to him that that was what she wanted. But she stayed irrational and stood her own ground. Hypocritical or not, she was pissed off and, yes, betrayed.
Jack didn't argue though. He put on his hoody, took one last look at Skyla, and lefts the bedroom. She listens as he grabs his staff from the living room, and then his footsteps as he nears the patio. Skyla jumps at the thunder, and waits a few moments, her ears straining. She hears the patio door open and thinks he's crazy for actually going out in the storm. Skyla hurries out of the bedroom, the sheet threatening to trip her. As she turns into the living room planning to somehow make him stay, the patio door shuts. He's not looking at her, and his eyes are empty. Her feet don't move any more as he turns away from the apartment and takes off into the stormy night.
Skyla almost has to crawl back into the bedroom and when she makes it, she collapses onto the bed, curling up; her knees against her chest as she sobs heavily. Everything had gone wrong. Everything was going to keep going wrong. She was going to keep hurting him, saying the wrong things and pushing him away. They were never going to work out and she knew what she should do. But she loved him. More than anything. She couldn't be without him. And yet she'd told him to leave. She told herself she just needed time. That she would call him back as soon as she'd calmed down. But there was no promise of it because she hoped he would return on his own.
She fell into a deep sleep eventually, the pillow under her soaked by her tears, her throat sore, heart breaking, and knuckles white from clawing at whatever she could reach trying to bring herself back to reality. It had taken longer than it should, and it hurt her that much worse, but it finally sank in that she was still in reality. Even if it was crumbling down around her, it was still reality. And reality, she was entirely convinced; sucked.
