Page 8 of Arrow

Oh, God.

It wasn't all part of the dream. She'd dreamt she had a nightmare, and someone woke her from it... but, someone reallyhad woken her from it. The last part, it wasn't a dream after all. Her face flamed.

Did she call himDaddy?

No, no, no! She couldn't have called him Daddy!

“Settle down, kitten,” he murmured, his tone both soothing and commanding. She reluctantly relaxed into his embrace, feeling the warmth of his body seeping into hers and took several deep breaths. The man was huge and built like an armored truck. She had no chance struggling against him. He loosened his arms and allowed her to sit up.

Emilee felt a pang of embarrassment at the vulnerability she'd shown. “Oh, God, I'm sorry--” she started, but he cut her off.

“Sorry for what? There’s nothing to apologize for. You had a nightmare and asked me to stay with you. You're safe here, Emilee. Do you have nightmares often?”

“Too often,” she confessed. Why was she telling him all this? This virtual stranger? The better question was, why did she feel safe in his arms?

“Does it turn out differently each time?” He asked her.

“What do you mean?”

“You were calling out for help in your dream. You said something about getting hit by a car?”

“That's what happened,” she said quietly. She'd not talked to anyone but her therapist about any of this. Why now did she feel safe talking to a stranger? What was it about this man that made her want to open up?

“What do you mean, Emilee? Can you tell me what happened that night?”

“Why? Why do you care?” She bit back.

“I don't believe in coincidences. I believe God, or fate, or whoever you want to call it, brought you into my life for a reason.I don't know what that reason is. Maybe, it's because you need a friend. Maybe you need a protector. Maybe--”

“Maybe I don't need a damned thing.”

“I don't believe that. Please don't get defensive on me again. You like to hiss a lot, kitten. Stop. Put your claws away, calm down and take the support I'm offering you.” Arrow said.

She remembered his words from last night.

You're not my type.

That's right. There was no sexual attraction there. At least not on his part. As far as she was concerned, however, she'd never seen a sexier man in real life before. Only thing that had come close was when she’d gone to Denver and seen the Thunder Down Under show with a college friend before… before her world had ended. She clenched her eyes tightly closed and forbid herself from going back there.

“So, you got hit by a car?” Arrow nudged.

She sighed, allowing herself to lean into his comforting embrace once more. “I... I went to get help,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. “But I got hit by a car... ended up in the hospital...”

Arrow's arms tightened around her, offering silent support as she processed the memories that still felt like fragments of a disjointed dream.

“I was under the impression that you ran away and didn't get help,” Arrow said gently.

“Everyone thinks that, because who would believe the junkie, right?” Defensiveness seeped back into her tone.

“Emilee, I'm not judging you. I have no reason not to trust you. I will give you respect as long as you give me the same in return, okay?”

She turned her head to look back at him, searched his eyes and finally, believing him, relaxed. “Yeah, okay.”

“I don't know who you spoke to before, but I'm not them. I'm willing to listen. Sometimes, it's nice to have someone listen who isn't involved and can be completely objective.”

“I went for help. I know Catie doesn't believe me, but I did,” she said.

“Then why isn't there a record of it?” he asked.

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