5. Lean On Me

*Thanku for being patient lol I've finished one exam and I have another one in three days. Hope this is okay for you guys and thanku so much for all the comments on chapter 4!*

She woke up in such a state of shock that it took her a minute or so to remember where she even was. Her whole body was drenched with sweat once again as the nightmare slipped away with each waking minute. They'd been living with the Harlan family for almost three weeks now and she'd experienced the same horrific nightmare every time she slept. Breathing heavily she brought her hand up to her forehead and swept the blonde straggles of hair away from her glistening skin. Drake was nowhere to be seen. His side of the bed was crinkled but he was no longer laying there, which she found strange because he never left whilst she was sleeping. Not in recent times anyway. She glanced around the room slowly, the silence burrowing into her as she blinked. Her head was telling her not to be so needy and just go back to sleep but she desperately wanted him by her side. It comforted her more than anything else could at the moment. Huffing at herself and how silly she was being she threw the sheets back roughly and made her way up out of the basement.

It must have been growing close to midnight but the TV was still buzzing in the lounge room. It was the only source of light to guide her. Before she even reached the doorway she could hear Drake and Harlan talking. Her feet ceased movement for a second. They were in deep conversation and it'd be rude to interrupt. Wouldn't it? She was a grown woman, she didn't need someone to lay and hold her hand as she slept. Shaking her head dismissively she turned to walk away but his voice halted her.

"Nic?" Their conversation had paused momentarily and she didn't answer in hope that he hadn't heard her thoughts or movement. But he had and his next sentence confirmed that.

"Nicki, I know you're out there." It was something about the way he spoke when he was smiling. It was always obvious. "C'mere." He threw his hand out to the side and she could see it resting over the arm of the chair. That was the only invitation she needed. Holding her own hands shyly she crept into the room. Surprisingly Kristin was in there too, they were all up watching a movie by the looks of it.

"I didn't know where you were." She pushed her hair behind her ear and smiled shyly, displaying her dimples as he pulled her gently into his lap.

"Sorry." He kissed her temple. "You seemed okay when I left, I thought you'd be alright."

"I am and I was." She tried to convince him as she nodded. "I just woke up and you weren't there that's all."

"Is that why you feel all clammy?" His brow raised as he spoke.

He knew she'd had another nightmare. Not because he'd heard her thoughts but by the way she carried herself. Almost like a lost little girl. He hated that this was having such an impact on her.

"I was just hot and I wanna shower again before I go to sleep." She rubbed the stubble on his chin gently and moved to lay on him. Kristin and Harlan were oblivious to their whispered conversation as they spoke to one another on the opposite couch.

"Well, you're wearing like three layers of clothing. Maybe that's why?" He smiled and made her return the gesture weakly.

"Shut up. That bed is really lumpy, I need the extra cushioning."

"It's better than a floor though, right?"

"Hell yeah, you can say that again." She raised her brows thinking about all the long sleepless nights she spent trying to get comfortable on their hard floors. A lumpy bed beat that any day of the week.

"How's my little man doin'?" He placed his hand over the endless amount of layers covering her bump.

"He's fine." Looking up at him sweetly she smiled before placing her hand over his. "He was keeping me awake earlier."

"Oh? So you're keeping Mommy up now, is that what it is?"

She laughed quietly and yawned before talking. "Yeah, he was moving around like crazy."

"Really? That can happen this early?" His face showed the visible intrigue.

"Well I'm over halfway through the pregnancy, Aubrey." She folded her lips gently. "And Kristin said because of my size I'd be able to feel the movement more."

He nodded in understanding. "It doesn't bother you though, does it?"

"No, I like it." She blinked slowly, feeling the fatigue creeping up on her tired body. "It's kinda reassuring. It let's me know he's okay." His face saddened a little before he fixed it without her noticing.

"Wow. Three more months and he'll be here with us, can you believe that?"

"I know." She went silent as she thought about it. "And we might find out he's actually a girl."

"Never. I know he's a boy." He kissed the top of her head again.

"Aubrey, you're not gonna be disappointed if she's a girl are you?" Her little face looked so worried as she turned her head to peer up at him.

"If we're blessed with a boy or a girl, either way I'mma love him or her more than anything. Stop worrying so much."

"I was just making sure. I'ont want you to have your heart set on a boy and have him turn out to be a girl."

"I could never be disappointed." Squeezing her body to him gently he felt her relax against him even more.

Soon enough the room fell back into a comfortable silence as the television continued to flicker and light up the room. Nicki was beginning to feel more and more comfortable in the house, at first she felt like a burden but she'd been trying her best to help Kristin out as much as possible considering her weak state. Drake had been giving Harlan a hand now again too. It was their way of trying to repay them.

"We're gonna head up to bed now, could you just make sure everythin's locked up before you go back downstairs?"

"Yeah, sure." He smiled and nodded. "See you in the morning."

The couple stood up and left the room after everyone said goodnight, giving Nicki and Drake more freedom to speak about other things. Rotating her head slightly she looked up and studied he side of his face. There was something bothering him, she could tell. He'd been acting strange for the last couple of weeks now but she'd paid it no mind and decided to keep it to herself. She was fearful of crossing a boundary with him.

In his position, he could feel her staring up at him as she lay still. The light from the TV being reflected in her ice blue eyes. There was not even a slight indication as to what she was thinking. He had no idea. Over the past few weeks her mind had been completely unreadable and her thoughts inaudible to him. Almost as if there was a hazy cloud blocking him from her inner most private notions. It was starting to worry him.

"Aubrey?"

He glanced down at the sound of his name. "What's up?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He smiled as convincingly as he could. "C'mon, we should go shower now before everyone's asleep." Nudging her gently he helped her to stand before aiding her up the stairs. She still hadn't gained an adequate amount of weight in Kristin's eyes but she was a less lethargic than she had been and that was progress in Drake's opinion.

"You washing your hair?" He asked as he pulled some towels off of the rack.

"No." Shaking her head she began undressing slowly and took a seat on the lid of the toilet before Drake moved over to assist her. It was times like these when she felt like a complete invalid. A hinderance. He removed her clothes and helped her to stand again prior to starting the shower.

As soon as they were behind the glass doors of the shower, she let the warm water ease the muscles on her back and shoulders. This pregnancy was taxing on her body in more ways than one. Standing still under the beating water she shut her eyes and enjoyed the feeling. Drake grabbed the body wash from the hanging basket and put some in his hand before giving it to her over his shoulder. She did the same and started slowly massaging the suds into the skin on her bump. There was something about this shower time moment that was different though. He was stood with his back to her as she tried to figure out what was going on in his head. He was an expert at hiding what needed to be hidden.

His mind remained troubled whilst he lathered up arms and chest with the body wash. His head was completely out of the moment but he was soon brought back to reality when he felt her small hands on his back as she began rubbing the soapy substance over his skin. Soon following were her soft lips as she kissed him multiple times in various places. He wasn't quite sure where this was leading but before he could even come up with any scenarios she rested the side of her head on his back, wrapping her arms gently around his torso and inching closer to until her bump was pressed firmly against the base of his spine. She wished he'd open up to her sometimes. She hated having to search his mind for herself, it felt invasive and there was an extreme lack of trust whenever that happened. Although they were always an affectionate couple, he figured she was only initiating contact right now because she wanted to know what he was feeling. Physical contact strengthened the ability to access another's thoughts.

"Nicki."

"Please, talk to me Aubrey."

"I already told you, babe. I'm fine." He turned around, still in her hold. "Let me wash your back so we can go to bed and you can get some more sleep."

She didn't protest in fear of making him bottle up even more. Instead she did as he asked and reluctantly turned her back to him. She hated for him to see the state she'd been permanently left in. It wasn't just a reminder for her but for him too. She managed to relax a little when he began washing her, letting his fingers trace over the marks of another Vampire. The anger he felt whenever he saw the scars was beyond any anger he'd ever felt before. How anyone could inflict so much pain on another person was a mystery to him. Especially someone who claimed to love the individual they'd harmed.

They stayed quiet, rinsing one another under the water before they headed back downstairs in their towels. Thankfully the house was heated almost twenty-four seven. Just how Nicki liked it, even more so since her body was unable to keep her naturally warm. Another Vampire trait emphasised in fiction. Not all of them were cold. Just some.

"Throw me that shirt would you?" She wrinkled her brow and watched him pick his t-shirt up before taking it over to her.

"This one?"

"Yeah, thanks." She dropped the towel, standing stark naked as she pulled his old shirt over her head. "And can you pass me-"

Before she could ask she felt a pair of panties being thrown at her as he grinned from the end of the bed.

"Thank you." Smirking sweetly she stepped into them and pulled them up before climbing into the bed. She was going to get to the bottom of his weird behaviour. It'd be her mission from this moment onward.

"You comfy?" Seeing her nod and pull the covers up around herself, he stood and knocked the lights off before climbing in with her. The instant he was secured under the sheets she shuffled close to him and moved up towards the headboard some more. They lay in silence for a while, her hands smoothing over the soft curls on his head whilst they listened to the sounds of traffic that could be heard clearly.

"Why won't you let me in?"

"What?" He stared up at her with a fake look of confusion. He knew exactly what she meant and she was going tease it out of him. She wanted to be there for him like he was there for her. Reversing the roles so that she was now the crutch and he was leaning on her.

"You're blocking me out. You don't want me to know something." She kept running her nails cautiously through the curls on his head, pulling him closer to her. "Tell me."

At that moment he was ready to let it spill, the security of her embrace as his head remained cushioned by her chest was a feeling he'd been longing for. "I'm just worried is all."

"About us? The baby?" She continued to trace her fingers of his scalp and the side of his face. "What, Aubrey?"

"Just all of this. How it's gonna pan out, y'know?" He covered his dishonesty well. Pushing the real issue to the back of his mind. "But that's nothin' you should be worryin' about, okay?" He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed gently. "I'll figure somethin' out, I promise."

"You don't have to deal with this on your own, Aubrey."

"I'm not layin' anymore stress on you, Nic. You heard what Kristin said. We gotta focus on gettin' you back to full health, ready for when this little one gets here." He rubbed her stomach soothingly. "You come first in all of this." He kissed the skin between her breasts, it was only accessible because of how large his shirt was on her diminishing frame.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you." Moving her face down a little, she kissed his head affectionately. The curls tickling her chin as she pulled away. "I love you." He uttered the words back immediately, they were muffled by the skin of her chest but she heard them loud and clear.

They remained in the same position for a while until the chilly air began to bite at the skin on her arms whilst she slept. Unconsciously seeking the warmth of his body and the bed sheets she moved away and settled her back to his torso and pulled the covers up around herself. His arm automatically took its place over her side. Finally he could think properly without having to shield his worries from her. He wasn't even completely sure if it was something that he even needed to worry about but the things he'd heard about this particular worry of his were making him uneasy.  The endless thoughts circulating his head led back to one guilty feeling. He'd let her down. He was supposed to be taking care of her and protecting her but so far he'd managed to do neither. He'd failed her and their unborn child.

"You have never let me down." Her dry voice startled him as she moved her hand up to hold his. "You have to stop thinking like that, 'Brey." She turned to face him once again. The exhaustion present in her face. "None of this is your fault, nobody could have predicted this was gonna happen. Stop blaming yourself."

At the sight of her filling up he dismissed his own troubles and pulled her to him. "It's fucked up." After pressing his lips to her head he sighed loudly. "Go to sleep, we'll talk in the morning."

He didn't have to tell her twice. She was still physically, mentally and emotionally worn out. Thus she was asleep again within minutes. Her state of health, combined with this newfound inability for her thoughts to be heard, only pointed to one possible answer for him. The clouded mind was something he knew to occur only in those who were fading away.

Those who were dying.

...

*Oh my God. Guys. I'm sorry, I don't even know what's wrong with me right now lol I struggled so much again with this chapter and it seems reeeeaaaally boring :( I apologise. BUT my next post should be an improvement because uni will be finished and I won't have any upcoming exams :D Anywho, I hope this was at least bearable!! And once again, if there are any like, diehard Vampire fans reading this I am the writer so I get to make all this stuff up :3 Lol so sorry if their traits don't depict what you imagine to be a true vampire*