Nightmares
Title: Nightmares
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Series: Just a Human with Two Hearts
Characters: Owen Harper, Lacey Johnson
Summary: Lacey wakes from a nightmare, and Owen shows a real bedside manner.
Notes: Written for hc_bingo Prompt: Nightmares and kissbingo Prompt: Other: To put them to sleep.
Owen wasn’t quite sure what woke him at first. It just seemed that one minute he’d been asleep, and the next he was awake in the flat. That’s when he heard the muttering from next to him. Lacey was tossing about in the bed next to him. He blinked a few times, trying to make out what she was muttering, his sleep-addled brain not quite comprehending the situation.
Lacey stayed with him now, it seemed. Every since the attack, she would follow him home from work instead of sleeping at Tosh’s. He wasn’t quite sure the real reason behind the shift from her living with Tosh to practically moving in with him, but he kept a drawer for her now. This was the fourth night her mutterings had pulled him from sleep in the past week and a half. He watched as she fussed under the sheets, fully expecting her to settle and go back to sleep as she had the other three times. He frowned when he noticed that instead of settling like she usually did, she started fussing more, she tossed in her sleep, and her muttering was getting louder. “No,” she said, “no please, don’t.” She threw her arms in front of her as if to fight off some unseen foe. “Please, I have money, just take it, please!”
“Lacey,” Owen said, concerned. She was dreaming about the attack. “Lacey, it’s Owen,” he reached over and gently shook her. “Wake up, you’re dreaming, you’re safe.”
Her eyes flew open and she sat up with a gasp. Lacey looked around the room as if unsure where she was. She looked over and saw Owen, jumping slightly, not expecting to see him. “Did I crash at your place again?”
He nodded, moving closer to Lacey, slowly. She still looked very skittish and she was still recovering from the attack. She’d only been back at work a few days. “You were having a dream,” he said. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Lacey looked away, but she moved a bit closer to Owen, leaning against him. “Ianto and Jack were working on the car that broke down that day.” She said finally. “I hadn’t seen it since…there was still…” Owen wrapped an arm around her as she started shivering. “I got blood on your car.” She said quietly.
Owen shook his head, shushing her slightly. “It’ll come out.” He assured her. “Triggered your memories did it?” She nodded against him. “You’ve been having nightmares all week, this one is the worst though.”
She turned in his hold so she could wrap her arms around him. “Yeah, usually, I just try to work through it and go back to sleep. And to try to keep from waking you up as well. No need for both of us to suffer from lack of sleep.”
“You know you can talk to me about this, Lacey,” Owen said, “I’m not going to judge you.” He paused for a few moments, rubbing her back in a soothing manner. “Come on, into the kitchen, I’ve got an idea.” He tossed the sheets aside, sliding off the bed, and holding out a hand to Lacey. “Come on,” he said with a little smile.
She wasn’t quite sure what he was thinking but took the hand he offered and followed him from the bedroom to the kitchen. She sat at the table, watching with interest as Owen fiddled around in the kitchen. She hummed a little tuneless song as he worked. “You aren’t trying to make me a midnight snack are you? I really don’t want to have to call rescue services because you set the flat on fire.”
“Oh har har,” Owen said, walking over to the table she was sitting at with two mugs, “I can make food without burning the place down, thank you very much.” He set one of the mugs down in front of her, then slid into the chair across from her with his own mug.
She looked down at the mug, then back up at Owen with an arched eyebrow. “Hot Chocolate?” She asked skeptically.
“What? It’s soothing.”
She shrugged, and started to take a sip before pausing again. “You didn’t load this with sedatives did you?”
“The only thing in there that might be considered a sedative is a shot of whiskey.” He gave her a serious look. “You need to get some rest, Lace. You haven’t slept well since the attack. This always helped me out when I couldn’t sleep. Little trick I learned in Med school.”
She nodded, taking a sip. “It’s actually pretty good, I’m impressed.” She gave him a little smirk as she took another sip.
“Again, laugh it up and see if I make you anything again.” It was an empty threat and they both knew it. If she asked him to he’d do pretty much anything for her, just not without complaining. “Has Jack gotten you a replacement for your phone?”
“He got me an Iphone. Ianto brought it by a day or so after the…after I broke the last one,” she said, then paused. “I thought I gave you the number already.” When he shook his head, she shrugged. “I’ll give it to you in the morning.”
“Oh, and here I thought you’d just ramble it off and we’d both forget in the morning.” Owen smirked. “Can’t believe you’ve had that thing for a little over a week and you’re just now thinking of giving me your number.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “It’s not like I don’t have your number. I was gonna wait til you were drunk then call you so you’d be completely confused at who the hell could be calling you.”
“You are a Class A bitch, you know that?” He said, finishing off his mug just as she did.
“Hmm, and you wouldn’t have me any other way,” she said, stifling a yawn as she pushed her mug away. “You sure you didn’t sneak a sedative in there?”
“I swear all that was in there was hot chocolate and whiskey.” He confirmed. “It works, I’m telling you. Ready to try to get some more sleep?” She nodded again, pushing herself up with her good arm. He got up, taking the mugs to the sink while she headed back to their--theirs? Where did that come from?--the bedroom. He followed her in, slipping back under the sheets next to her. He chuckled as she curled up next to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders pulling her just a bit closer. “Comfy?”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “Yeah.” She yawned again. “Thanks.”
“Any time.” He said, and he did something he rarely did. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. It was a gentle kiss, one to relax and soothe. He found himself doing it more now, it seemed to help calm Lacey down, and make it easier for her to fall asleep. He held her close, telling her with the gentle kiss that she wasn’t alone and he would be there when she woke up, and perhaps something more that they were both afraid of. He watched her as she drifted back to sleep, relaxing significantly as he kissed her. He smiled gently at her, closing his own eyes as he leaned his own head against hers, drifting back to sleep with her.
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Series: Just a Human with Two Hearts
Characters: Owen Harper, Lacey Johnson
Summary: Lacey wakes from a nightmare, and Owen shows a real bedside manner.
Notes: Written for hc_bingo Prompt: Nightmares and kissbingo Prompt: Other: To put them to sleep.
Owen wasn’t quite sure what woke him at first. It just seemed that one minute he’d been asleep, and the next he was awake in the flat. That’s when he heard the muttering from next to him. Lacey was tossing about in the bed next to him. He blinked a few times, trying to make out what she was muttering, his sleep-addled brain not quite comprehending the situation.
Lacey stayed with him now, it seemed. Every since the attack, she would follow him home from work instead of sleeping at Tosh’s. He wasn’t quite sure the real reason behind the shift from her living with Tosh to practically moving in with him, but he kept a drawer for her now. This was the fourth night her mutterings had pulled him from sleep in the past week and a half. He watched as she fussed under the sheets, fully expecting her to settle and go back to sleep as she had the other three times. He frowned when he noticed that instead of settling like she usually did, she started fussing more, she tossed in her sleep, and her muttering was getting louder. “No,” she said, “no please, don’t.” She threw her arms in front of her as if to fight off some unseen foe. “Please, I have money, just take it, please!”
“Lacey,” Owen said, concerned. She was dreaming about the attack. “Lacey, it’s Owen,” he reached over and gently shook her. “Wake up, you’re dreaming, you’re safe.”
Her eyes flew open and she sat up with a gasp. Lacey looked around the room as if unsure where she was. She looked over and saw Owen, jumping slightly, not expecting to see him. “Did I crash at your place again?”
He nodded, moving closer to Lacey, slowly. She still looked very skittish and she was still recovering from the attack. She’d only been back at work a few days. “You were having a dream,” he said. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Lacey looked away, but she moved a bit closer to Owen, leaning against him. “Ianto and Jack were working on the car that broke down that day.” She said finally. “I hadn’t seen it since…there was still…” Owen wrapped an arm around her as she started shivering. “I got blood on your car.” She said quietly.
Owen shook his head, shushing her slightly. “It’ll come out.” He assured her. “Triggered your memories did it?” She nodded against him. “You’ve been having nightmares all week, this one is the worst though.”
She turned in his hold so she could wrap her arms around him. “Yeah, usually, I just try to work through it and go back to sleep. And to try to keep from waking you up as well. No need for both of us to suffer from lack of sleep.”
“You know you can talk to me about this, Lacey,” Owen said, “I’m not going to judge you.” He paused for a few moments, rubbing her back in a soothing manner. “Come on, into the kitchen, I’ve got an idea.” He tossed the sheets aside, sliding off the bed, and holding out a hand to Lacey. “Come on,” he said with a little smile.
She wasn’t quite sure what he was thinking but took the hand he offered and followed him from the bedroom to the kitchen. She sat at the table, watching with interest as Owen fiddled around in the kitchen. She hummed a little tuneless song as he worked. “You aren’t trying to make me a midnight snack are you? I really don’t want to have to call rescue services because you set the flat on fire.”
“Oh har har,” Owen said, walking over to the table she was sitting at with two mugs, “I can make food without burning the place down, thank you very much.” He set one of the mugs down in front of her, then slid into the chair across from her with his own mug.
She looked down at the mug, then back up at Owen with an arched eyebrow. “Hot Chocolate?” She asked skeptically.
“What? It’s soothing.”
She shrugged, and started to take a sip before pausing again. “You didn’t load this with sedatives did you?”
“The only thing in there that might be considered a sedative is a shot of whiskey.” He gave her a serious look. “You need to get some rest, Lace. You haven’t slept well since the attack. This always helped me out when I couldn’t sleep. Little trick I learned in Med school.”
She nodded, taking a sip. “It’s actually pretty good, I’m impressed.” She gave him a little smirk as she took another sip.
“Again, laugh it up and see if I make you anything again.” It was an empty threat and they both knew it. If she asked him to he’d do pretty much anything for her, just not without complaining. “Has Jack gotten you a replacement for your phone?”
“He got me an Iphone. Ianto brought it by a day or so after the…after I broke the last one,” she said, then paused. “I thought I gave you the number already.” When he shook his head, she shrugged. “I’ll give it to you in the morning.”
“Oh, and here I thought you’d just ramble it off and we’d both forget in the morning.” Owen smirked. “Can’t believe you’ve had that thing for a little over a week and you’re just now thinking of giving me your number.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “It’s not like I don’t have your number. I was gonna wait til you were drunk then call you so you’d be completely confused at who the hell could be calling you.”
“You are a Class A bitch, you know that?” He said, finishing off his mug just as she did.
“Hmm, and you wouldn’t have me any other way,” she said, stifling a yawn as she pushed her mug away. “You sure you didn’t sneak a sedative in there?”
“I swear all that was in there was hot chocolate and whiskey.” He confirmed. “It works, I’m telling you. Ready to try to get some more sleep?” She nodded again, pushing herself up with her good arm. He got up, taking the mugs to the sink while she headed back to their--theirs? Where did that come from?--the bedroom. He followed her in, slipping back under the sheets next to her. He chuckled as she curled up next to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders pulling her just a bit closer. “Comfy?”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “Yeah.” She yawned again. “Thanks.”
“Any time.” He said, and he did something he rarely did. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. It was a gentle kiss, one to relax and soothe. He found himself doing it more now, it seemed to help calm Lacey down, and make it easier for her to fall asleep. He held her close, telling her with the gentle kiss that she wasn’t alone and he would be there when she woke up, and perhaps something more that they were both afraid of. He watched her as she drifted back to sleep, relaxing significantly as he kissed her. He smiled gently at her, closing his own eyes as he leaned his own head against hers, drifting back to sleep with her.