I wrote this particular scenario because I think the show doesn't often enough give us deep insight into Rafe's thoughts and feelings and I decided to write a little introspection for him. Feedback please!
Day Four
PROMPT: "Blame" [three days]
Part 2 of 3
A startled shout leaping from his lips, Rafe shot bolt upright in bed, his breath ragged, his tee-shirt clinging to his sweat-dampened chest. His heart was racing a mile a minute.
"Rafe, Rafe, what's the matter?" Jada immediately flipped on the bedside lamp and reached out to him. Her hand found his muscled arm and he sagged back down on the mattress, bunching his pillow up beneath his head.
"It's... It's nothing," he said.
"It's 'nothing'? This is the third night this week you've woken up shouting like that," Jada pointed out. "Did you have a bad dream?"
Rafe shook his head. He didn't want to talk about it. "I know none of this is exactly conducive to you getting a good night's sleep. Maybe you had better stay at your place for a while…"
"If that's what you want..."
It was impossible to miss the look of hurt that flashed in her eyes. When she pushed back the covers, he sighed and reached for her hand. "I didn't mean you should leave right now. It's late. I don't want you driving around at this time of night. It's not safe."
"Trust me. You don't have to worry about me," Jada said.
"Except I do worry about you," Rafe said. "That's the problem."
"What are you talking about?"
"You asked me if I'm having bad dreams. I am," he admitted. He rolled over to face her. "Well, awful nightmares is more like it. In the nightmares, I keep seeing you … You and Ava… And she has that gun to your head and this time, things don't end well… She shoots you, and -" He breaks off for a moment, splaying his large hands before him in frustration.
"It could have so easily gone sideways, Jada. Ava wasn't playing around. You could have been seriously hurt … or worse."
"But she didn't hurt me. I'm fine. See? I'm right here. In the flesh." She gestured down at herself. She was wearing his Chicago Cubs tee-shirt, the fabric of which fell well below her bare knees.
He sighed. "She wanted you dead. She wanted me to suffer, and I have to wonder if I'm the one who drove her to that point. What I did with Nicole … how I hurt Ava … Did I push her to that point of insanity?"
Jada immediately shook her head. She reached for his hand and gently intertwined their fingers. "Rafe, no. From what I understand, Ava was always two crayons short of a full box. You didn't make her that way. You didn't put that gun in her hand or make her kill those other people."
"But she went after you-"
"Because she was cornered and desperate, Rafe. She would have gone after anyone who stood between her and freedom."
"I am not sure I believe that," he said. "If she hurt you… If she took you away…"
Jada stared at him, her eyes soft and searching. "What are you saying?"
He arched up onto his elbows. "I am saying, I don't know what I would have done if she really hurt you. Because ever since you came along, things have just made sense. My world would stop making sense if you weren't in it. I need you. I need you."
She smiled. "Well, I'm not going anywhere." She nudged him in the side. "Unless you try to push me away again, that is."
"I won't. I want you here, with me, right here." He pulled her close.
"Right where?" She asked, pressing herself to his body. Her lips hovered over his. "Right here?"
"Right here," he said, and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her down on top of him. They started to kiss, his fingers knotting in her thick, sleep-tousled curls.
He rested his forehead against hers. "Thank god, you're okay."
"I'm okay," she said. "You just have to be okay now."
He kissed her again, smoothed her hair back. "I'm definitely getting there," he said.
