Augustus sat up in his warm, plush bed reading his textbook by the light of the table lamp beside him. The main ceiling light was shut off long ago. Still, he was finding himself sleepless, as much of his life he would be kept up by his parents screaming and hollering, or by police sirens as they rushed past his rundown house. Here things were much different. No screaming, or yelling, or smashing things. The neighborhood was quiet. The family, warm and inviting. He could think for once, and actually focus on his schoolwork. In this particular case, he was getting ahead on his reading.

There came a small disruption to his concentration in the form of a soft knock on his door. Augustus moved his gaze past the top of the textbook over to his door. He was unsure of what to make of it at first. The digital clock on the nightstand read 11:23 pm, well beyond everyone's bedtime. For sure, if he hadn't imagined it, it was probably the house settling. The theory was sound, until the sound of knocking came once more. "Come in." Said the siamese as he eyed the door.

It was pushed open slowly, and in the dark doorway stood Lucy, hugging herself, and looking down. Augustus sighed, he knew this song and dance. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Isn't it past yours?" The girl shot back. He had to concede, she did have a point. Sure, it wasn't a school night, but lights out at 10 was an unspoken rule in the house. "Or do edgy boys get to break the rules?"

"As long as the edgy girls do." Augustus said, going back to his book. "What's wrong? It's not about Mi-"

"No!" The khao manee interrupted, almost a little too fast. Her issue that night had nothing to do with the korat, but she didn't want to think about him, either. "I started thinking…"

"Dangerous." Was his sarcastic reply.

"Augustus…" Lucy said in a serious tone. The boy got the message, shut his textbook and put it aside.

"Alright. Come on." He patted the bed. "What's going on?"

Lucy walked in, easing the door close behind her, and then sat in front of him. Augustus noticed how closed her body language was, and the scar on her side looked as though it had been messed with. "I was thinking about that night I…" Lucy closed her eyes. She couldn't finish the painful thought.

"You jumped?" Finished Augustus. Lucy nodded.

"I was thinking what might have happened… if you hadn't shown up…" The khao manee trembled a little. Augustus kept his eyes locked on her face. "I would be dead…"

This was a new one. Usually she came to bellyache about Mike, which was a poor excuse for her to talk about him. "But I did." He said flatly. "And you aren't."

Lucy nodded, putting a shaky hand on her side which bore her scar. "I… I think about it sometimes… I don't like the thoughts…"

Augustus sat up. The conversation was getting heavy really quickly. He wasn't a therapist, and he didn't know if he could keep her from having a breakdown. "You're just gonna have to push past them." Was all he could say.

"I'm scared… What if they never go away? What if they just keep coming back?" She looked at him with her large, baby blue eyes. In them, he could see all her fears and worries. "I… I don't think I can…"

"Yes you can!" He said sternly. "You've come this far, right? It won't always be easy, but you can deal with it." Lucy nodded and looked down at her lap. They sat in silence for a minute, the siamese waiting for her to continue. She didn't, so he did. "Is that all?"

More silence from her, and then, "I can't sleep…"

"I figured that." Augustus looked at the time. 11:30. "Just go back to bed, try to relax your mind. Eventually it will come to you."

Lucy wasn't budging. "Can… Can I stay here with you?"

Augustus blinked. He almost didn't believe it. "What?"

"Can I stay with you tonight… I just… need someone…" Her ears fell back, and she looked like she wanted to shrink into herself.

Yup. She really went there. "Lucy, you know your brother would rip my head off… and I promised your family."

"I'll leave before they wake up. Even before you do… I just really need some sleep. I haven't been able to…" Lucy's voice cracked. "I'm so tired… please… I don't have Yashy or Amber with me anymore…"

Augustus hung his head. He knew how she was feeling. So many sleepless nights, but he learned to manage. Surely Lucy could, and needed to, as well. He didn't want to begin to think about the awkward conversation he'd have to have if they got caught, even if the intentions from both parties were pure. The siamese watched Lucy run a hand over her scar. A bout of sympathy welled up inside him. Just because he had to suffer, did that mean she did, too? Hadn't she been through enough, what would one night hurt? He really did care about her. He grimaced, and hoped he wouldn't regret his decision. "Fine." Lucy looked up, an ember of hope in her eyes. "But just this one night. I don't want to make this a habit."

Lucy nodded, and Augustus got off the bed to put up his textbook. "I need to get to sleep anyway."

Soon the two were snug under his blanket, sleeping back to back. Augustus reached up and turned off his bedside lamp, leaving them in darkness. "Goodnight, Lucy."

"Goodnight Augustus." She replied.

Augustus laid awake, staring ahead in the darkness, heart pounding. Every so often, he could feel her tail brush up against his, and he would move his away, only for Lucy's tail to find it again. After a while of silence and darkness, the bed and blankets shifted as Lucy turned to face his back. Then, he felt her wrap her arms around him and hug him from behind. He frowned, and was about to tell her that she was pushing it, when she said, "Thank you."

Augustus let his reservations go. She needed him right now. He put his larger hands over hers and responded. "You're welcome. Now try and get some sleep." He could feel Lucy's head nod against his back. Now with something to hold, Lucy was able to drift to sleep, and soon after he heard her soft snores, Augustus did too.