theirlawyer | [For Shadow & Karen]

Current Mood: tired

[For Shadow & Karen]

Most mornings, if Ainsley had stayed over the night before, she had made sure to be up and back to the Compound at a relatively early hour of the morning; one she had grown accustomed to getting up at in her jobs in Washington. This was done mostly so no little girls stumbled their way into a precarious situation.

But this morning? Well, Ainsley had had a couple of glasses of wine the night before and had even brought sleeping garments in the form of a pink negligee and so, when the sun rose in the sky, rather than spill out of bed and change, she just burrowed deeper into the warmth of the covers and Shadow and ignored any potentialities the morning might bring.

She couldn't be blamed for one morning like this, could she?

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When she was over, Shadow tried his best to get up when she did. Occasionally, this worked out beautifully. Somewhat more often it resulted in rambling conversations with her that he only half-remembered later after waking up for a second time.

This was better. This was comfortable and drowsily warm, so he just held her a bit closer when she shifted and did his best to enjoy still being mostly asleep with Ainsley right here.

Karen can more or less do this walk in her sleep. She stumbles out of bed with Puss Cat shoved under her arm, and either her feet take her to Rollie's or Shadow's. On this, particular morning, it's Shadow. She pads into his hut and clambers up on the bed before realising that he's not actually in bed alone.

She pokes the other body in the bed with her finger.

"Who's that?"

Ainsley gave a tired little sound at the poke until she realized that Shadow wasn't exactly a poker and she was still in his bed and that was most definitely Karen's voice and oh thank god she had clothes on, but at the same time, Ainsley just about wanted to die of humiliation and really, oh god...

So she peeked one eye open and very covertly tugged the covers up a little higher. "Karen," she spoke, very groggy and sleepy-sounding. "Please don't poke me so early."

"'S Ainsely," Shadow murmured as he turned his head and opened his eyes to look at her, barely stifling a yawn. Normally, Karen just burrowed her way into the covers, but maybe they should have a bit of a talk first. Not to mention that Ainsley hadn't gone to bed wearing flimsy sort of clothes.

He reached and put his hand on the top of Karen's head gently and asked quietly. "Bad dream?"

Karen nods miserably and, instead of poking Ainsley, she pats her instead. She doesn't really mind that Ainsley's there. Her and Shadow must have been having a sleep over.

"I had the dream about the weasels again."

Ainsley was keeping her eyes shut as if this would all fade away into a dream if she concentrated hard enough. She felt ridiculously underclothed and like she wanted to just roll out of the bed, thump to the floor and then run away.

In a very dignified manner, of course.

So she just lay there, a bit humiliated and petrified, yet.

"No weasels here," Shadow told her quietly. This was a conversation they'd had before. "Garm's a guard dog, remember? He's out there keeping watch."

For a moment he glanced over at Ainsley and reached his hand over to brush his thumb over her cheek gently. But when he psoke he was talking to Karen. "How about you sleep next to me, and then you let Puss Cat sleep next to Ainsley, okay?"

"Keeping the weasels out," says Karen, her tone making it clear that she's quoting Shadow."

She thinks about that for a moment, and then she nods her head.

"That's okay. Puss Cat likes Ainsley a lot. He does, Ainsley."

She leaned into the brush of her cheek and sighed softly for a moment until she realized that it wasn't so very bad and she just nodded. "I like Puss Cat too," she replied, her voice stringent and thick with her accent, more so when she was stressed than ever. "He's...very nice. Just like you, Karen."

He looked over at Ainsley and smiled slightly, eyes warm in a private moment despite small girl and pussy cat looking on. Then he lifted the edge of the blanket so Karen could crawl under and made a good-natured grumbling sound as he shifted slightly in the bed. "Stupid weasels, trying to make trouble."

"They were trying to eat my face!" protests Karen, clambering in under the sheets and yawning dramatically. "My whole face!"

"There are no weasals here, Karen, promise," Ainsley drowsily murmured and turned, her eyes not opening once as she tried to make it another five minutes awake. "Just embarrassed Republicans."

Shadow chuckled and rested his hand on Karen's back, thumb stroking over her lightly, affectionately. "Nothing's going to eat your face." Then he reached his hand over to touch Ainsley's shoulder once, briefly. "No cause to be embarrassed either."

Karen lifts her head, peering sleepily at Ainsley over Puss Cat's head.

"Why are you embarrased, Ainsley? And what's a Publican?"

"A Republican is a political party in the United States and I happen to be one of the few here and she is embarrassed because she is wearing a lack of actual clothing," Ainsley parroted the answer while her cheeks went red.

Shadow chuckled quietly and shifted the blanket up a bit higher, for Ainsley's sake. Wisely, though, he kept quiet, leaving it to Ainsley to explain her way out of this one.

"I've got my nightie on," says Karen, reasonably. "And Shadow just has trousers on!"

She lifts her head and looks at Ainsley, like this information renders any embarrassment null and void.

"He does yes!" Ainsley agreed, her voice a little panicked and sounding hysteric with laughter at the information. And really, thank God he did have his trousers on. Though, she refused to explain that one. She was not a mother at this point in her life.

Shadow put a hand over his mouth in an attempt to stifle the laughter spilling out of him. Because this was- wow. Poor AInsley.

After a few seconds he managed to compose himself to nod. "I do indeed," he agreed. "We've all got pajamas on, so let's go back to sleep for a few more hours."

Karen makes a soft, grumbling sound and drops her head to the pillow. There were other things that she wanted to say, but it's really, really, really, so early and maybe they can wait until later.

It isn't more than a few moments before she's snoring softly.

Ainsley shifted, a bit uncomfortable as she stared at Shadow over Karen's head and mouthed, 'do you want me to stay?' because she was already going through about four scenarios of what to do now.

Shadow kept quiet and still as Karen dropped off to sleep again in the deep, overwhelming way that only children can. Then he reached over and touched Ainsley's arm gently and nodded. "If you want to," he said in a low whisper.

Ainsley just nodded and with every ounce of resolve, she kept herself from running away too quickly and just stayed put.

He had been half-expecting her to get up and be on her way, so when she stayed right there, he smiled slightly, gray eyes watching her warmly in the near-dark of early morning.

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[For Shadow & Karen]

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