Tuesday Night, 44 Blueberry Hil

[sleepswthdemons]

It had been a very exciting and busy busy day, so not surprisingly, after dinner, Phoebe had gone upstairs to take a shower and then crawled into bed. She was so tired that she was surprised that she had managed to make it in and out of the shower without needing to call for assistance -- though she had no doubt that the boys would come running to help her. Her head had barely touched the pillow before she was already asleep.

It should have been a restful sleep. Gods knew she deserved a chance to sleep and get through the night without being woken up by something in her dreams or nightmares.





She felt fingers moving along her body and she smiled, thinking it was Cole or Anders.

The thought that it might be one of them was sent out of he mind as she opened her eyes and found herself in a place she had never seen before. It resembled the Underworld slightly, but it wasn't the Underworld. There were no demons and it hurt to breathe or even to move. When she tried to sit up, she felt herself slammed against the wall as a hand gripped her around the throat.

"No one to hear you scream. No one to come to your rescue, Phoebe. You're all alone and here with me."

"No," she whimpered. "No."

She felt a hand move up her thigh and she shuddered, trying to jerk away from the hand. It was just like what had happened in the attic. Only this time she could make out a shadowy form from the corner of her eye.

"A ghost. You're a ghost."

"No, love, I'm real. I'm real just like you are." The hands became more insistent. "We're going to finish what we started before we were interrupted."

"Go away."

That would be when the entire area around her lit up in flames and she felt a surge of fear as the hands became more searching along her body, sliding beneath her nightshirt. "You don't really mean that."

"Kill you. Cole will kill you for this. Anders, too." She was convinced that it was a demon that had somehow kidnapped her, that was trying to seduce her. "Make you suffer."

"They'll never find you, love. You'll stay here forever."

The thought of never seeing Cole or Anders again sent strength through her and she shoved against what was holding her down. "NO!"



Phoebe jerked her head and found herself awake in her bedroom. She buried her face in the pillow as she fought back tears. "Not real," she murmured. "It wasn't real." It was just her imagination and the stress of the attacks and the worry over how today's grand opening of her store would go.

Comments

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

The bond was useful, but as Phoebe's agitation resonated in his own mind, Sam was beginning to wish it wasn't getting so much of this kind of use.

He had just enough presence of mind to shut off the faucet in the kitchen sink before charging upstairs and into the bedroom. "Phoebe! Are you okay?"

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

Cole shimmered upstairs from the library, having felt the same surge of fear and stress. A fireball automatically appeared in his hand as he scanned the room for an intruder.

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

Phoebe didn't move from the pillow that she was trying to bury her tears in.

"Nightmare," she mumbled. "I'm sorry."

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

Sam pulled his hand away from the sheathed dagger he'd taken to wearing, and met Cole's gaze, his doubt that it had been just a nightmare clear in his eyes. He sat down on the edge of the bed and rested a hand lightly on Phoebe's arm. "What happened?"

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

Cole clasped his hands to extinguish the fireball and sat down on the opposite side of the bed. "It's okay, sweetheart," he said. "You're safe."

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

Phoebe turned her head and it was obvious that she was upset by whatever the nightmare had shown her.

"He told me I'd never see you guys again."

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

A low growl started in Sam's throat, and his free hand tensed against his knee. "He told you? Who?"

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

"Did you see him?" Cole said. Outwardly he sounded calm, inwardly he was DEMON SMASH.

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

"No," Phoebe said, trying not to cry. "But... it was the person who attacked me." She shook her head. "Just a stupidnightmare. I'm sorry I upset you guys for nothing."

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

"Son of a --" breathed Sam. What in frak did they have to do to keep this thing out of their house?

"It's not nothing, love," he said, running his hand up and down her arm reassuringly. "Did he touch you?"

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

Cole wasn't convinced it was just a dream. "What did he do, sweetheart?"

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

Phoebe shook her head. She didn't say anything because she didn't want to lie to them, but she figured if she just shook her head, they'd buy that nothing happened.

She could be silly sometimes.

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

"Phoebe," Sam said sternly. "Did he hurt you?"

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

"Phoebe," Cole said, squeezing her hand.

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

Phoebe looked up. She couldn't lie to them.

"He didn't hurt me..." She said very softly. "When it started... I thought... I thought it was you guys at first..."

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

Sam felt his stomach twist sharply as the implication set in, and he looked at Cole, his eyes sparking.

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

Cole tensed, a rumble rising from his throat. When they found out who was behind this, he was going to kill him. A lot.

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

"It was just a nightmare," she said. "He wasn't really here. No fire, no... no ... touching me..."

She wasn't sure she should say anything more.

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

"Touching you?" It was amazing Sam got the words out, as tightly as his teeth were clenched.

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

Cole stood up and looked around the room. "Whoever you are," he snarled, "when I get my hands on you, you're going to pray for death."

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

Phoebe looked at them both and then bit her lip, picking at the blanket. "It was just a nightmare. Not real."

She was trying really hard to convince herself of that.

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

Sam's fingers twitched toward the dagger again. He hated seeing Phoebe upset, but the last thing he wanted was for her to let her guard down right now. "This 'just a nightmare' pushed you down the stairs and tried to rip your clothes off, Phoebe. I'm not letting go of that so easily."

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

"How does he get by Aziraphale's wards?" Cole said, starting to pace. "There's got to be some way to stop him. Catch him. Kill him."

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

"He got past the wards tonight because it wasn't real," she tried. "It was my fears playing with my subconscious. I was freaked out and stressed and because I haven't been sleeping well I dreamt that my attacker had kidnapped me and taken me to a place that looked like the Underworld and was..." She swallowed. "Not real. Just me being dumb and irrational."

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

"Not taking any chances with you," Sam said. "Cole and I are gonna be here all night to keep an eye on -- oh, hell, frak me, it's motherfrakking Tuesday."

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

"What? Oh, news," Cole said. "How did you get roped into that again?" He was actually a little glad of the distraction from thinking about what the demon or whoever it was attacking Phoebe had done to her.

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

Yes, let's pay attention to Anders and not ask her any more questions about her stupid nightmare.

"How did you end up doing that?"

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

"I was broke, they were kind of desperate, and it was money," Sam said, "and I'm not gonna be gone a second longer than I have to tonight, I swear."

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

"I'll be with her," Cole said. It never attacked when he was there.

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

"A nightmare can't hurt me, guys."

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

Sam moved closer and kissed her forehead. "We're not losing you, love, and that's final." He glanced at Cole. "I know you'll take care of her. You always have."

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

"Just make it fast," Cole said gruffly. He knew Phoebe would feel better with both of them there.

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

"I don't need protection from a nightmare," she tried to convince them of this, though she was gripping Cole's hand fairly tightly.

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

Sam glanced at her grip on Cole's hand pointedly.

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

"Don't argue, Phoebe," Cole said softly.

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

Phoebe opened her mouth to say something when Cole said that to her, but then she just sighed.

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

"Thank you," Sam said gently, and kissed the top of her head again.

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

Cole wrapped his arm around Phoebe and nodded at Sam. "Go ahead. She's not leaving my sight."

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

She couldn't argue with him when she could feel how concerned they were about her nightmares.

"I won't wander away from him," she promised.

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

"Good. Thank you." Sam leaned over and kissed Cole quickly, then kissed Phoebe as well before he got up and went to the closet for the leather jacket Cole had given him for Christmas. "I love you. I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

"Be careful," Cole said. "If you see anything weird. . . ." Well, it went without saying.

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

"Be careful," she echoed. No, she wasn't thinking about what the nightmare had said. Not at all.

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

Sam touched the hilt of the dagger at his belt, and gave them a reassuring smile as he clipped his phone opposite the dagger and hooked the headset over his ear. "I promise I will."

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

After Sam left, Cole stayed with Phoebe as he promised, holding her close until she could fall into a restful sleep.