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Nothing like hot coffee and freshly-baked donuts to start a Sunday off right... Neal set the coffee cups into the cup holders of his car, laying the box of donuts on the passenger's seat, and stretched, twisting his back, to try and wake himself more. The streets were still wet from the storms that had blown through town the night before, the palm fronds and blades of grass heavy and sparkling with raindrops left behind...
He'd woken up in the middle of the night as a particularly bad storm had rolled through. Sitting in his darkened kitchen with a beer, he'd watched the lightning skate across the sky through his patio door until the storm had weakened and the beer had made him sleepy.
Now, he was up with the dawn to surprise Brooke with breakfast on the day before she left on the next leg of her mini-tour. He settled into the driver's seat, chewing absently at his lower lip, trying to ignore the ghosts of loneliness creeping into his mind. He turned the radio up loud, drowning out those thoughts, until he was parked in her driveway and letting himself in with his key.
Brooke's house was still silent and dark as he entered it, Einstein secure in his crate and still fast asleep. "Huh," Neal murmured to himself. "Guess she's not awake yet..."
He put the donuts and coffee on the kitchen table, and a quick peek into her bedroom confirmed his suspicions. He wandered back to the kitchen, staring thoughtfully at the coffee and donuts, debating whether to wake Brooke or let her sleep.
A massive yawn built up in his chest, and he rubbed the back of his neck with a slow smile. Hell, why not just join her?
It had been an incredibly long night. They had had a really bad thunderstorm - the first since she had brought Einstein home. The little puppy had howled and whimpered after every crack of thunder and had managed to squeeze himself under the couch. She had spent the majority of the night trying to coax him out, and had ended up tipping it back and scooping him up before he could wedge himself somewhere else.
It wasn't until after the storms had passed that she had been able to put Einstein in his crate and collapse in her bed, burying herself under the blankets. She had fallen asleep the second her head had hit her pillow.
Neal nodded to himself, putting the coffee in the fridge for the time being, and crept past Einstein's crate, careful not to wake him. He slipped into Brooke's bedroom, removing his boots by the door, and undid his jeans, letting them drop to the floor.
Moving to what had become "his side of the bed" - he grinned to himself at the description - he gently lifted the blankets and eased into bed beside her. Stretching out on his side, he propped his head up on his hand, studying her face in the quiet.
Brooke knew that she was dreaming, but she couldn't wake up. She was in field, with nothing but grass for as far as the eye could see. She was spinning around and around, trying to see something else to find her way back...
She rolled over in her sleep, moving unconsciously into Neal's arms.
Neal blinked in startled surprise, peering at her closely to see if she had awoken. Nope, still fast asleep... Reaching up, he gently finger-combed the hair off of Brooke's face, letting his fingertips trail feather-light along the arch of her cheekbone. She looked so beautiful, so peaceful, just lying here like this...
He pillowed his head on his arm, then, his face level with hers, memorizing the curving bow and lushness of her lips...the length of her eyelashes, and how they dusted her lower lids with gold when they were closed...the arcs of her eyebrows, framing eyes that were blue as the sky when open - or dark and stormy when in the throes of passion...
He swallowed hard, the loneliness beginning to creep back in on him. He'd grown accustomed to being around her, to spending time with her...even to sleeping beside her, when their schedules allowed... The thought of not being able to see her, even for a short time, well... He was slowly realizing that it was almost unbearable.
Brooke could see someone in the distance, standing in front of the setting sun. The lone silhouette started walking toward her. She thought that she should be scared of, this person coming toward her, when she couldn't see who it was... But she was calm and smiled. It was going to be okay, she told herself.Slowly, she started to walk toward the person, her gait going from tentative steps to almost full out running.
Neal laid his hand gently across Brooke's cheek, watching her eyes moving behind her eyelids in the midst of a dream. Her lips parted slightly as the corners of her mouth drifted up into a faint smile, and Neal couldn't help but smile back. She was so pretty when she smiled...
He palmed his way softly down her neck to her shoulder, and trailed his hand over her ribs to her waist, settling his arm gradually and comfortably around her, content just to have that contact with her. It felt so natural, so right...
Brooke smiled softly when she got closer to the mystery person, starting to recognize the familiar frame...
She snuggled down into Neal's arms as she slept on, still not realizing that he was there.
Neal couldn't immediately explain the sudden lump in his throat as she pressed closer to him in her sleep. He tightened his arm around her reflexively, overwhelmed by a rush of protectiveness, and the flood of tenderness that surged suddenly through him. Tears welled in his eyes as he realized that he didn't want her to leave, didn't want her to go...
...He would miss her so much...
His breath caught in his throat at the sudden realization that entered his mind. It was too soon; everything he knew, all he'd ever been taught, told him it was too soon...
But hearts don't listen to minds, and for good reason. It was too easy to rationalize things away, when what you were needing, what you were looking for, was right there all along...
Neal bowed his head and kissed Brooke's brow softly, his heart squeezing in his chest as he breathed out the words he couldn't quite voice aloud...
"...I love you, Brooke."
Brooke finally made it to the person. She looked up into his face and smiled. "I knew that you would find me, Neal..."She reached up and pulled Neal down, kissing him softly as the dream faded away.
She woke up snuggled into a solid wall of warmth. She took in a deep breath, instantly recognizing Neal. She smiled brightly and opened her eyes, looking up at him. "I was dreaming about you," she whispered, as she pressed a soft kiss to his chest, right over his heart.
"Yeah?" Neal murmured softly, tightening his arm around Brooke as he nuzzled her hair. "Is that good, or bad?" he teased in a whisper, pressing his lips to the crown of her head.
Brooke smiled. "Real good. I was lost, in a big field... And then, you were there, and I knew that you had come for me... And then, when I woke up, here you were."
Neal made a soft sound, deep in his throat. "...Just like it should be..." he murmured, closing his eyes as another wave of emotion threatened to swamp him. "...And will be, if I have anything t'say about it..." he continued, his voice barely above a whisper.
Brooke nuzzled into his chest, feeling the emotion thick in the air. "I'll have to remember that if I ever get lost in a huge open field." She glanced over Neal's shoulder at the digital clock. "Wow, you're here early!" she whispered. "Not that I'm complaining...I like waking up in your arms."
Neal tucked Brooke in closer to his body, breathing her scent in deeply. "Yeah," he replied softly. "Thought I'd surprise you with breakfast, since you're leavin' early t'morrow...but you were still asleep...just...seemed like a better idea, here..."
Brooke curled into him and let out a contented sigh. "Your ideas are always perfect..."
Neal tightened his arms, molding their bodies together. "...Go back t'sleep, darlin'," he murmured, sighing softly into her hair. "Breakfast can wait, and we ain't got no place else t' be but together."
Brooke nodded and yawned. "Einstein is afraid of thunder so I was up all night with him...take your shirt off...want to feel you..." she mumbled, already close to falling back to sleep.
"Okay," Neal whispered softly, sitting up a moment to skin off his t-shirt before stretching out beside Brooke again, gathering her into his arms. "...Better?"
"Mm-hmm...much better," she whispered, her face already staining red.
"...Good," Neal sighed softly, his breaths beginning to synch up with her own. "Sleep, darlin'..." he mumbled, his own lids drooping heavily shut. "...I'll be here when y'wake up..."
Brooke smiled sleepily, and let her eyes shut, falling back to sleep with Neal's arms around her, holding her tight.
The next time that Brooke woke up, the noon sun was streaming through the window. She stretched carefully, so that she didn't wake Neal. She propped her elbow up and let her head rest on her hand as she watched him sleep.
He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping...none of the worry lines that creased around the corners of his eyes were there... And he wasn't biting his lip as he thought about whatever was on his mind.
She reached out, softly ghosting her fingertips down his cheek, loving that he was in her bed, sound asleep. Her heart clenched at the thought of leaving tomorrow. She knew that it was only going to be for a little bit...but still, she wanted this: to wake up in his arms every day. She had been holding back those three little words for so long now...but it was the truth - she did.
She nuzzled into Neal's neck, pressing a soft kiss to the sleeping man's warm skin.
"I love you," she whispered as she pulled back, and slowly slipped out of bed, heading for the bathroom.
Neal stirred only slightly in his sleep, burrowing deeper under the covers and burying his face against her pillow, mumbling a faint "love y'too..."
Brooke brushed her hair and pulled it into a low pony tail as she walked back through the house and into the kitchen. She saw the box from the bakery and smiled, then peeked into it and grinned at the big assortment of all kinds of donuts.
She looked in the fridge and saw the to-go cups of coffee, and put them in the microwave to warm them up. Finally, she was juggling the two drinks and the box of donuts into the bedroom, setting them on the nightstand and leaning down to kiss Neal softly.
Neal stirred again, uncurling himself from around her pillow. His eyelids fluttered and opened slowly as he settled onto his back, blinking up at her with a sleepy smile. "...Hey..." he mumbled softly.
Brooke smiled softly and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "I see the bounty that you brought... I figured we could just relax here in bed, and see if we can finish this box of donuts," she said as she slipped back under the covers, curling up into Neal's arms, and leaning in to kiss his chest softly.
Neal made a soft sound and curled his body around Brooke's, tucking her in close against him. "Sounds like the perfect way t'spend a lazy Sunday..." he murmured against her hair. "Breakfast in bed, an' sleepin' with an angel."