Xander's POV:

I wasn't expecting myself to fall asleep after that.

After things had gone quiet. After Layla had finally gone away in what I can only assume was a panicked rage I was still on high alert.

Since waking up how I did and then snapping into that protective instinct only a few minutes later, it was to be expected.

It took vampires a while to come down from that, and even more so when the situation didn't get solved how we want to be.

Which I didn't care too much about as long as the girl whose peace of mind mattered most to me at that moment was settled.

Once she grabbed me to stop me from just settling it with Layla then and there, I knew I was stuck.

That look she was giving me...

I would have given her anything at that moment.

If it left my mind on edge for the rest of the night then so be it.

Especially since she had trusted me enough after that to fall asleep in my arms.

Which she did quicker than I think we both expected.

After that, she was the only thing running through my mind.

Keep her there, keep her safe, keep her asleep.

Anything else could wait.

I finally had that trust back to an extent and all I wanted to do was guard it.

Or that was the plan at least.

A little bit after she had fallen asleep, since I had been holding her close for so long, the warmth of her body was reigning back my nerves, almost coaxing me to join her.

Once it had worked its magic in calming that deep part of me, I was practically a goner.

Having that odd feeling that always came from her touch stay next to me for so long left me useless to try to fight it.

As if that was ever my intention.

When I woke up again, from the amount of light breaking through the curtains, the sun was just beginning to rise.

I was in the same position, Doe still sound asleep.

Although at some point during the night, one of her legs sat over one of mine.

Which showed that, unlike her typical 'fetal position' sleeping habit, she was mostly aligned against my body.

Even in that state, she had somewhat of a hold on my shirt.

The rest of her held the relaxation that I wanted.

I'd take anything over the fear clearly written all over her.

I took a moment to scan the room with the senses that wouldn't cause me to move too much, nothing causing me any sort of alarm.

I took that as a good thing, knowing that Layla would eventually return.

Both for Doe and for me now that I'd cut her off entirely.

Which was probably the absolute last thing she expected of me.

I was well aware that this was something I was going to have to deal with eventually, but I didn't try to dwell and guess how it was going to go.

I already knew that she wasn't going to be cordial about it at all.

There was very little planning that I could do when I knew how strongly my instincts felt about her now that that part of me released from her.

It just... took a minute for the rest of me to catch up.

That part of me showing when that time comes is practically inevitable, and there's nothing I could do to stop it.

Nor was I going to even attempt to. I've learned my lesson.

All I knew was that Doe wasn't going to become any physical part of it, and that was enough planning for me.

Anything else I could deal with, and the consequences of it couldn't possibly be anything that I couldn't handle or didn't deserve.

I carefully pulled back just enough to see her face through the few strands of hair that covered it.

Doe was absolutely the lucky type of person who slept pretty.

I could subtly feel her rhythmic breaths against the skin of my arm that she was half laying on, her hair tickling it as well.

The other hand that still sat pressed against her lower back itched to pull her closer, but I didn't want to risk waking her up.

No... I wanted this to last as long as it possibly could.

I had no idea when this had any chance of possibly happening again and I wanted to savor it.

Nor did I know how long she planned on staying here once she woke up.

This probably only happened because of how openly terrified she was... It was a moment she rarely let me see. I shouldn't try to get used to it.

So instead, I used that hand to take hold of the blanket, and pull it up a few inches until it was covering her shoulders.

I didn't want her getting too cold next to me.

After getting that all settled, I set my arm back around her. Over the blanket this time.

Her eyes opened before I could even hear a change in her body signifying that she was awake, eyes hooded in a tired furrow.

I froze in a... Variety of emotions, just watching her as she blinked a few times to gain her bearings.

Not even ten seconds later, she moved her arm, lifting it above the blankets to find my tricep.

From there she dragged her hand down till she got to my forearm, and promptly took it, dragging it back under the blanket to where it was before.

I just hope she didn't hear the skip in my heart, a strange almost giddy excitement now building in me at her next action.

Returning her own arm to where it was, she took the liberty herself to close the space I had created, hiding her face from me as she nuzzled it against my sternum.

Holy shit...

To say I was surprised was an understatement, but I would be an absolute idiot to deny her what she wanted.

She was awake... And she does that.

"I'm willingly giving you free access to my body heat," her tired voice began, still radiating that hard yet sarcastic nagging tone, "You'd think you'd take more advantage of it while you can."

I let out a sigh that came out more like a breath chuckle at her words, and I'd be kidding myself if I said relief had nothing to do with it.

It seemed she wanted me there.

"I didn't want to suck up all of it," I replied in a quiet tone, "It would have been rude for me not to leave you with any."

With a half-second of hesitation, I went through with my prior thought and pulled her in the remaining fraction of space between our top halves.

She didn't give me a single ounce of a bad reaction, just shifted the same arm as before to lazily hang around above my waist, the tips of her fingers skimming my back.

It took everything in me not to physically stiffen as if every move she made didn't show me a new level of shock.

She hummed, "Still a leach, but a considerate one at least."

I bit my bottom lip to keep from smiling at the reappearance of that 'nickname'.

As if she could see it anyway.

"I think bed bug is a bit more appropriate here, no?" I remarked, tracing small patterns against her back.

I could have sworn that I felt her shiver, but I wasn't going to give myself too much credit.

She let out a little 'hmph'.

"Just for today," She begrudgingly surrendered.

I internally celebrated, bending the arm she was laying on at the elbow, and carefully set my hand on her head, holding her there.

I drew in her scent as she relaxed back against me, eyes fluttering closed yet again.

It didn't take long until sleep took the both of us again.

~~~

"Do you know when Layla will be back?"

I lifted my head to the girl beside me on the couch.

She sat facing me with her knees bent, now just staring at her parfait.

It was technically breakfast despite it being almost noon.

It took us a while to actually commit to getting out of bed, me because since I felt like I could, I wanted to bask in it and her... well I don't know.

Inevitably though, it was me who got out of bed first, lest I was literally going to piss my pants.

But anyway, her words did prove to be our similar thought processes.

Both of us knew how she worked.

Only one of us is gonna have to deal with her again, and I needed her to know that

"Don't worry yourself too much about it, Doe," I spoke, "I can only imagine it'll be somewhat soon, but don't force yourself to wait around for it to happen. That's my job" I spoke with a smile, hoping it would help aid in convincing her despite the fact that it was the truth.

"She's mine and mine alone to deal with, and I'll deal with her in a way that doesn't include you if I can help it. And even if I can't, just know that at the end of the day, I've got you, and I will keep you far from her no matter what."

I wanted to live up to that. I wanted to prove every single promise that I made to her.

I wanted to live up to my name.

Her eyes rose to me, turning over to the bed for a long moment before lowering back down to her food.

She scooped up a bite again, giving me a slight nod.

"Thank you for last night," Her words were almost timid, "By the way."

I smiled at the forced nonchalance in her last words.

She's never been good with thanking me.

Probably because I've rarely deserved it.

Even this wasnt one of those times.

"You don't need to thank me for something I should have been doing a very long time ago."

The look she gave me could only be described as one that said a very annoyed 'Are you serious?!'

Her tone mirrored it.

"I'm not just going to not thank you," She began, "Not after all of that. Who the hell do you take me for?"

I just shrugged, "Someone who shouldn't be thanking me for the bare minimum?"

Her look then turned into a glare. And a very determined one at that.

"Accept my thanks, dumbass!" She insisted, extending her leg to repeatedly kick my arm in a playful matter.

I couldn't stop the laugh from escaping me.

"Okay okay! You're welcome!" I surrendered, "Fiesty little dove this morning, aren't you,"

There was a pause filled by a sharp gasp from her.

Then the kicking continued.

"I'm taking back what said this morning! Were sticking with leach for you," she grumbled.

Something in me took that as a challenge and acted accordingly.

I took hold of her ankle and pinned it onto the cushion beside me, leaning on that hand to sit closer to the face she was now hiding from me behind her parfait.

"Oh come on now, don't be like that. Ask me something else and I'll make it up to you." I said with a grin.

She lowered the cup enough so that I could see her eyes and the hard look that returned in them.

That spark as she came up with something.

"Alright then, how about this? When do you plan on talking to Nico?"

My mouth was already open, expecting something witty and getting completely thrown off by what she'd actually said.

The playful atmosphere diminished.

I know that wasn't her intention, or maybe it was.

A solid reminder seemed like her type of tough encouragement.

"I haven't thought that far ahead," I admitted solemnly.

I did need to talk to Nico... now that Doe was somewhat taken care of and filled in on the matter, he was absolutely next on my list.

But the conversation with him made me nervous in a completely different sense than the one with Doe did.

With Doe, all she's known me as was the two-faced moron who tore down his relationships for fun and then wallowed in it later.

Nico he... well he's my brother for crying out loud. The one's whose side I've been by since pretty much birth.

He knew me for me before all of this and then watched me tear it all down and turn into a dick with no warning whatsoever.

And even so, even though he had absolutely every right to cut me off completely, he didn't.

He opened his door, he answered his phone, he helped Doe, he listened to my now completely pointless rants. Even if he did each one with annoyance, it was still more than I deserved.

Even if he never said anything, I knew what I was doing upset him deeply.

We were the only ones who've had each other's backs 100% of the time and I just threw that away so easily for a girl who so obviously wanted nothing but the power he could give her.

He even tried telling me that multiple times but I just continued to push him away.

That uneasy feeling settled in my stomach again as I thought back to the ball, hell even the phone call before that.

Right when I was finally fitting everything together.

He knew something was up, I could tell by the way he spoke to me.

"Soon," I settled with.

She rolled her eyes at my very... broad response.

"I'm gonna need something better than that," She pushed.

Right... She wanted me to fix up my mistakes as well.

"Within the week."

She hummed a bit, twirling her spoon between her fingers.

"Alright. After that, we can discuss your nickname again."