Hey guys! :D So, this is another one-shot of Jem and Laura, and it is a prequel to the other one (yeah, how cliché! lol). I want to thank everyone who reviewed the first one-shot, for the comments and the corrections . Some people asked me if this was going to be a story. Well, I'll leave it up for you to decide. If you think Laura is worth it to be with Jem and would like to read their story, please tell me something! =D
Laura was rolling around on her bed; she really couldn't seem to sleep tonight. Maybe it was the thick layer of hot air that surrounded her, maybe it was just her mind being restless. Well, she couldn't say she didn't expect it, did she? Ever since Jem had told her about his "condition" – which was a true euphemism for it – she hadn't been able to get any sleep. Every night, she would research hours on end to try and find a cure, but so far, she had came up with nothing at all.
She shifted uncomfortably and sat upright. Damn. There had to be something she could do to help him. He was dying! Dying, dying, dying. And no one really seemed to care about it. Ok, she knew they did, but… it was not the kind of concern she wanted to see. Even (especially!) him would dismiss it; he always tried to deviate the subject when she tried to bring it. And so, here she was – desperately wanting to talk to someone about it, but finding no one to do so. Maybe Tessa? But Tessa was really not feeling well, with all the stress going on in her life, and she really didn't want to upset her even more. She knew Tessa cared for Jem, and for her, that was enough.
Suddenly, she heard voices down the hall. Did that mean that maybe the boys were back from their mission? Charlotte hadn't let her come with them, arguing that it was beyond her limits, and nothing she said convinced her of otherwise, so she was stuck here. But now, they were arriving and her heart felt a lot lighter. Climbing from the bed, she put on her shoes and left the bedroom, following the sound, only to find Charlotte and Jessamine having an argument.
"He could have been seriously hurt! Where were you then? Huh? Jessamine, you do realize that your acts have consequences? Jem could have died!" Charlotte was yelling at her, her voice growing louder with each word. "Always that stupid thing of no-fighting! We must protect each other's back! He saved your life, and you almost got him killed in return!"
Jessamine seemed really ashamed and didn't answer, bowing her head down as Charlotte spoke. Laura felt a sudden contraction in her chest and the pain that took her breath away was a very bitter one. "Is he gonna be ok?" She asked, looking at Charlotte directly in the eyes.
"Oh! Laura, I didn't realize you were there. I…. uh… Yeah, I think he is. He's been taken care of…" Charlotte's voice was calm, but her hands were shaking lightly.
"Where is he?" Laura had to see him, make sure he was still there. Sure, he was dying and she knew it, but not today… please, please, not today. "In his room. Maybe we should let him rest…" Laura didn't really care to answer; she runned to Jem's room, praying that she's find him well and alive in there. She reached his door, panting slightly, and knocked.
"Yes?"
"Can I come in, please?"
"Oh! Sure. I thought you were resting. You've been working too hard." Jem gave her a weak smile, motioning for her to come and sit in his bed. Laura was staring at him, looking for any signs that could tell her how he felt; and pretty sure, he had a pained expression as he laid back again.
"Jem! I just found out what happened. How're you feeling? Was it that bad?"
"I'm feeling much better now", he answered in his soft voice, smiling again a bit. "No need to worry. I'm almost fine."
"Funny, how your definition of almost is so different from mine…" Laura replied, sitting close to Jem. She reached out and touched his forearm, feeling the usual coldness that characterized him. He looked at her through his long lashes, an exhausted expression visible in his eyes; the glimpse that she had became so used to was now not noticeable.
"Really, I'm fine, Lau. Don't worry about me. How are things with you?"
"Let's see, my best friend almost got killed and he's trying to convince me that everything's ok… he seems so tired and drained that his eyes are not even shining as usual… oh, I'm perfectly fine. Why wouldn't I be? You… you could have died!" She screamed the last sentence, shaking her head. "How do you think things are with me?" She said, exasperated. Jem seemed a bit taken aback by her outburst, so she immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry!" She said hurriedly, "I didn't mean to lose my temper. You must be exhausted, and in need to sleep. Sorry. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Jem laughed a little, bowing his head back. "I really don't know how these mood swings work with you. But you're right, I'm feeling quite tired. But I can't seem to sleep…" He answered, frowning a little. "I'd sing you to sleep, but my voice is terrible" Laura replied, smiling a bit at him, and Jem laughed again, the shining jolt returning to his eyes. Laura couldn't help but notice how he became so sweet, so fragile and innocent, when he was laughing, so very smoothly. Her heart jolted with another wave of pain, for the known fact that it could be a matter of months, weeks or even days until that laughter was silenced…
"But not today!"
"Huh? Sorry Lau, I didn't understand what you said." Jem said, looking at her.
"I didn't say anything, Jem…" the girl answered with a confused expression. "You said: 'But not today'…" Jem explained, tilting his head to the side. "Oh! I didn't mean to say it out loud." Laura explained, her cheeks flushing. He couldn't figure what she had been thinking just from that single sentence, could he?
"Oh. Ok, I will not intrude then. You must also be very tired, you should get some sleep…" Jem said, and Laura noticed his eyes were back to the un-shining tone. "My voice might be terrible, but maybe I can still do something to help you sleep…". They were standing very close to each other, and Laura reached for his silver hair and tangled her fingers there, letting her fingertips lazily trace some contours in his scalp. Jem closed his eyes and moaned a little – just the smallest bit, but Laura could feel her whole body shivering.
This was definitely not the appropriate behavior for a young lady like her, to think of such a way about a young boy. But she couldn't help herself. It was just a thought, really. Not that anything was ever going to happen…
"Hmmm." Jem mumbled, sighing, and opened his eyes. He stared tiredly at her, not letting her un-glue her eyes from his. He scooted a bit to the side and patted the bed next to him; Laura sat close to him, sliding underneath the sheets, and reached for his silvery hair once again.
He was laying on his pillow, and she was sitting next to him, her right hand working lazily again, trying to ease the pressure he must had been feeling all day. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Laura felt him grab her left hand and forearm, starting to trace some patterns in there himself. His touch was smooth, silky, and Laura pressed herself a bit further to him, sliding down slowly until she was laying on the pillows as well. She had never been this close to him, and she could feel her heartbeat increasing. That… that felt heavenly. There was nothing better that she could think of, than laying there with him. Well, of course there could be… wait, no, forget it. Improper thoughts alert!
Turning himself slowly so he could look at her, Jem slid his hands through her arm, and up to her shoulders, never stopping to trace patterns that looked like runes. Laura let her free hand do the same, massaging his back a little; she accidentally slid her hand beneath his shirt, and felt him shiver. 'No improper thoughts, no improper thoughts' she chanted in her head, trying to distract herself.
"I feel much better now", Jem whispered, and she felt his hot breath tickle the skin on her neck, giving her the chills, "Thank you for staying."
"I wish I could really make you feel better… without anything to worry about", she whispered back, biting her lip. "What do you mean?" Jem asked, confused. "I feel much better, and right now, there's nothing that worries me…" "I mean… I wish I could help you with your… 'condition'. I wish I could help you find a cure." Jem stiffened a little, and Laura cringed and cursed herself for bringing up the subject. She could feel the pain stabbing her again in the heart, and looked up at Jem, shamefully.
"Lau… don't worry about it", Jem said, although his voice was pained, "That can't be helped, and I'm not in favour of losing time to lost causes. We have to just enjoy what we've got. And right now, I can't bring myself to care about it". Laura looked away from his eyes, and buried her face in his neck, aspiring his scent. He gasped a little in surprise, but after a few moments of hesitation, embraced her. "I know, it's just… I can't imagine a world, or a life without you. It's just SO unfair. You're such a good person, Jem. You don't deserve any of this…"
"Shh", he whispered again, this time in her ear, "shhh, sweetheart. It's going to be ok. I' ve accepted it. I just want you to be happy, so we can still enjoy whatever time we have left. You might not believe it, but you've made my life a lot happier. I want yours to be happier too…"
"I'm happy now! I just wanted to have some kind of reassurance that my happiness wasn't gonna end anytime soon. I'm always afraid, and…" Jem stiffened again, and Laura wanted to cut her tongue for the second time tonight. "I'm sorry that you have to live with that doubt, Lau. I really am." His voice was soft, but there was a trace of pain in it. And, she could tell, he was making an effort in order not to speak rudely to her. "Perhaps it would be better if we…"
"No!" Laura yell-whispered, terrified of what he might say. "I'm so sorry, Jem. I might have said this in a way that doesn't correspond exactly to my feelings. I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't even mean to upset you. I'm just concerned, and I can't stop thinking about how unfair this is. I just… I'm scared, Jem. I'm scared… I'm so scared for you! I'm sorry… I shouldn't even have brought up the subject. Can we just pretend this didn't happen?" She asked, trembling a bit.
"No, I'm afraid we can't", Jem answered, but his tone was soft without effort again. "I mean… ok. We can worry about that tomorrow, if you promise me not to talk about it tonight." "I promise", Laura whispered, relieved, burying her face in the crook of his neck again. "I really, really like you, Jem", she said in a low tone, fidgeting with the collar of his shirt. She couldn't help but to breathe in his scent, a little bit more than she should…
"And I am very glad that you do so. You make my life a lot more colourful. Thank you for that", he replied, lifting her head. "Remember when you told me about your life in Idris?", he asked, suddenly. "Hum, yeah…" "Remember that story, one of the tales your nanny told you… that there were 2 best friends, that were very tired and desperate, just trying to forget about the world?" he questioned, raising one eyebrow.
"Of course, it's one of my favourites…" "You never told me the end… could you, please?". It was Laura's turn to stiffen a bit; if only he knew… and especially now, that they were hugging each other…
"Oh. Well… They were, indeed, desperate. They just wanted to leave the world behind them, and think of something happy for a change, but everyone was trying to make them see the reality of the world they lived in. You see, there was a huge war and the boy was condemned to go and fight… the thing was, no one who was sent had ever came back... ever. He needed a distraction… and so, one night, the night before he went, he went to her house to see her for the last time. And instead of crying, she just pulled him in and kissed him. They spent the whole night in each other's arms, and that way they forgot, if only for about a few hours, that the destiny was already traced for them…"
"Weren't they best friends?" Jem asked, confused. "Yeah…" "But they liked each other?" "I'm not sure. I think, either they did, or it was just their… 'fraternal' love, expressed in a different way… if you see what I mean?" Laura answered, hoping he wouldn't see her blush. Jem seemed to be pondering the situation.
"I guess I can understand your point of view… But still, it is a strange story." "Not that much…" "You don't think so?" he questioned, pulling her a bit closer to him. Laura couldn't quite believe they were having this conversation, when their lips where only separated by the distance of a hand. "No, not at all…" Jem did a strange, strangled noise, and put his index fingertip on her lips, tracing them slowly. Laura couldn't move, couldn't breathe: all she could think of was Jem, his silvery aura surrounding him, his lips so, so close to hers…
"I wonder… I'd like to ask you the same thing, to make me forget... But that wouldn't be proper, adequate, or fair to you." He said in a quiet, barely audible voice. Laura's eyes widened again; what could she answer?
"I'm sorry, I was really not thinking clearly. We should probably get some sleep", Jem continued, his cheeks tainted with a smooth shade of red, as he gave an apologetic look and started to untangle himself from her. Laura couldn't quite find the voice to tell him she wouldn't mind; she's do anything for him. But, at the loss of contact, she cringed and winced a bit, as if in pain.
"Are you ok? Did I hurt you?" Jem asked, alarmed, his eyes travelling up and down as he inspected her for any signs of injuries. "No, no, I'm fine. It's just… I can't sleep alone tonight. Can I please sleep here with you?"
"I wasn't sending you away… just giving you some space, for you to decide whether or not to stay", he replied, still looking a bit ashamed. Laura let out a sigh and tangled herself in his body again, not really caring about what he might think at the point. He seemed surprised once more, but hugged her tightly, holding her against him. As they were shifting a bit to try and find the best position to sleep, their lips brushed the slightest bit. Laura felt an electric jolt pumping through her veins, as Jem gasped in surprise. None of them moved; they were just staring at each other, completely silent.
That was, until Jem decided to move towards her, transforming the touch into a kiss. Laura kissed him back without a blink, not really thinking about it. The kiss was short (or so it seemed), innocent, even pure. Blissful. Jem pulled away, his expression ashamed again, pulled back a strand of her hair that had fallen, and gave her a light kiss in the forehead. "I'm sorry, Lau. But thank you, for making me forget for a minute."
Laura was still too shocked to reply, so she just shrugged and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Sleep well, Lau. Thank you for being here… for me." "Your welcome, Jem. I'll always be here, for you…" she answered back, sighing again and resting her head in his chest. Jem was holding her so tightly she could hardly breathe, and she knew that this didn't mean anything ('fraternal love', she'd callen it), but still…
None of them knew, but they'd wake up with their legs entangled in each other's, Laura sleeping practically half on top of him, one of his hands on her back, the other on her tigh, while hers were on his back and hair. They'd sleep peacefully, better than they'd have in months. They would hate to untangle themselves in the morning, aching for the touch to come back, but they wouldn't tell each other any of that. So, they'd just cover it up by the constant hugs, the 'sleepovers', the poking each other. None of them knew what the other felt and, so, they'd just touch each other every time they could, both pretending they had no idea of that.
So, please, tell me what you think, and about any mistake I might have made. A huge thank you! :D
