75 Godiva Street, Early Tuesday morning

[vdistinctive]

It was inevitable after what had happened over the last week, even with Parker and Hardison and Val all right there in the bed with him. Last night had been blissfully dreamless, but it was never destined to last.

Comments

[whoisalicewhite]

Parker was awake as soon as Eliot stiffened, the change in warmth and breathing and balance enough to have her slitting her eyes open to watch him.

Nightmare? ... nightmare.

She held her breath, hoping he'd stay. Or come closer. When he straightened to get out of bed, she whispered, "Going somewhere?"

[vdistinctive]

Shit.

He couldn't look back at her yet. Not with the image of her at the end of the dream still burned into his mind. He leaned forward and focused on breathing, his hands fisting in his hair.

"Just --" His voice was choked. He'd have to work on that. Dead giveaway, Sophie would not approve of his technique. "-- Need some air."

[whoisalicewhite]

"So breathe. Don't leave." Parker didn't reach out to touch him, exactly, but she moved closer, one hand still on Hardison's chest. "It wasn't real. None of it."

Not the dream, not the simulations.

[vdistinctive]

"I know that," Eliot ground out, louder than he'd intended. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly through his nose, and lowered his voice. "Doesn't always help."