When Lily woke, golden rays of sunlight shone through the windows. She felt perfectly rested, her body wasn't tense like it usually was, and she didn't feel the weight of fatigue on her eyes at all. Lily glanced down at her stomach, where Jason's arm rested. She lightly placed her hand on his and moved his arm to his side.
She sat up on the bed, dangling her legs off the mattress, and stretched her arms out. She placed her arms on the bed and almost stood when Jason grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him.
She yelped and collapsed on the bed. Jason grabbed her into an embrace. "Don't go." He said.
"I wasn't going anywhere," She whispered.
He pulled her closer, "I know. Did you sleep well? No nightmares?"
She relaxed in his arms, "Yes, no nightmares."
He let go, "Do you want to go get breakfast?"
She sat up again, "Don't we need to go get to the Moonbucks first?"
"It's not urgent. It's just 'suspicious activity'."
"Oh, okay." She said, "Then, if that's the case, let's go."
He looked at her quizzically as she stared at the floor. He could tell something was wrong. "Remember when I asked you what was wrong yesterday?"
"Yeah." She said, still staring at the floor.
"You said, 'nothing'."
She stayed silent.
"There's something wrong, isn't there?"
She lowered her head, so her hair fell and covered her face. All you could see was a bit of her chin.
He leaned closer, "Why are you having nightmares? What's going on in that head of yours, Lily?"
Silence.
"Remember last time you didn't talk to me? You went and got yourself hypnotized."
More silence.
"Lily, I understand that you care about me, and you don't want me to worry about you, but doing this is making me worry worse."
Suddenly a stray tear dripped off her chin.
"My father is a monster that murders people, including his wife that he loved." She murmured. "He hurt my friends, and someone I really care about, someone I love, you." She sniffled, "He even killed my aunt, knowing that I'd find her body." Jason still couldn't see her face, "He even hurt me, pulled me up by my hair, threw me, dragged me." Her voice quivered, "All I want is a real father. I wish he would be a real one. I wish that he didn't kill all of my family. I wish... That I still had a family...." She clenched her hands into fists, "Scared that I'll see him again, I have nightmares that he hurts me, cuts my skin open, harvests my organs, leaving me in pain and alone. Taking my remains, so I never leave him. Like the sick monster, he is."
Jason stared at her, eyes wide. He didn't know she was going through this. If he did, he would've helped her. This is what happens when you don't talk to someone. This happens when you lose yourself inside your head and can't get out. He knew this because he went through it himself.
"I'm scared, Jason." He could hear her breathing quickly. "I'm sorry...." She wiped her eyes and looked up at him. "I kinda lost myself a little there." She gave him a smile, tears slipped from her eyes, and she looked down at the bed.
Jason grabbed her and pulled her toward him, "Don't be sorry, I'm glad you told me." He tugged her head toward his chest, and she collapsed into his body. Hiccups escaped her throat as she wept. She felt weak. She hated that feeling. Weakness was a terrible feeling to have. It felt like you couldn't breathe, it felt like you couldn't sleep, it felt like you couldn't feel anything else but weakness. She grabbed his shirt, folding the felt into her fingers. Cries of distress escaped her throat as she got louder and louder. Jason just wrapped his arms around her and let her cry. That's what she needed right now, she needed to weep, and Lily needed someone to comfort her as she wept.
He closed his eyes, feeling the shivering and the trembling of Lily as she sobbed.
What she was going through, no one should. She was strong, stronger than Jason. He could've never brought Lucifer down like that. But sometimes, you need someone less strong to help you through your weak moments.
*****
She cried for about ten minutes when she quieted down. Jason heard her sniffle, and she let go of his shirt. She was still slumped in his chest, but she was silent. He let go of her and brushed his fingers through her hair, "You okay?"
She sniffled again, "Yeah." His way of calming her down was soothing. She never knew that you can actually calm someone down in any way.
"Are you telling the truth this time?" He rested his chin on top of her head.
She smiled, not faking it this time, "Yes."
"Promise?"
"Promise." She sniffled again.
He let go for a brief moment and leaned back. He grabbed something from the nightstand and handed it to Lily. "Here."
It was a tissue, "Thanks." Then she dabbed her eyes.
"You're welcome." He looked down at her. Her lashes were soaked from tears, her eyes red, her cheeks drenched. He could almost feel her pain, the feeling of emptiness in her chest, the sting of tears in her eyes. He tried to fill that gap in her soul with his love because he truly loved her, and he always would.
She looked up at him, their gazes locked. His eyes were sea green. Her eyes were a midnight blue. He could see the fear swirling around in her eyes. She could see fear in his eyes as well... but there was something else... something darker.
Quickly she looked away, "Jason?" she asked quietly.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
She shook her head, "No, nothing's wrong... I just wanted to ask you something."
"Okay then. What's up?"
She clasped her hands together, "Why... Do you care about me?"
He sighed, "Because I love you."
"No, I know that. I meant why... me?"
"Because you and I connect very well."
"How?" She looked up, "I'm a demon, I'm a monster! You're just a wonderful boy who made the mistake of caring about me."
He exhaled, "Lily, demons aren't monsters." He looked at her, "Their wolf is the monster."
"How do you know... that I don't have a wolf...?"
"You do. It just has been controlled." He tugged at her chin, so she looked him in the eyes. "Your aunt developed a potion, a wonderful potion, that only you have gotten. It gets injected into your bloodstream, then it controls your wolf, almost making it go away. So it won't bother you."
She looked down.
"Remember when you asked me what was bothering me?" He let go of her chin.
"Yes..." She breathed.
"It's because I have been avoiding telling you something."
She looked at him, eager to know what he was going to say.
"If I tell you... Promise you won't be scared?"
She nodded.
"I'm a... I'm half...." He took a deep breath. "I'm half demon."
Lily gasped, fear rushing through her veins. "You... have a wolf too?"
He nodded.
"You... can... control it?"
"Partly." He muttered.
"So... you can... you can lose yourself?"
"Sorry... I shouldn't have told you that. You probably find me disgusting." He started getting up when she grabbed his arm.
"No. No! You're not disgusting. You're still the same Jason I love."
He glanced back at her.
"You let me talk to you... You can talk to me now. It's not one way. That's not fair for either of us." She let go of his arm and rested her hand on the bed. "So talk to me... Please."
He looked down, "My father was a warrior demon. He fought for BeedleBind when heaven attacked." He looked at her, "His name was Mark Marrow. The demon of Death."
"I never knew your last name." She remembered.
"Yep. My last name is Marrow. Jason Marrow."
"So your brother has the same last name as well?"
"Yes. Nathan Marrow."
"Is he half-demon too?" She asked.
"No. Nathan was born from a different father that died of cancer."
"Oh... So does your brother have any powers?"
"No."
"Hmm. I guess my real last name is Morningstar, not Bron." She mumbled. Lily Morningstar... that sounds... different.
"Let's go eat breakfast. I'll talk more in the car." He got up and slipped on his shoes.
"Oh. Okay. Do you promise you'll talk to me?"
He stood up after tying his laces and looked at her. "Yes. I promise."
*****
Thirty minutes later, after filling themselves with eggs and bacon, Jason and Lily found themselves driving further downtown to the Moonbucks, which was also known as the bureau's branch in Colorado. Lily was staring at her food during the full breakfast, and Jason constantly reminded her to eat. Lily sat in the passenger seat, staring at the window, waiting for Jason to speak.
She looked at him. He stared off into the road. Maybe he was focusing? He was only a driver for about a year.
"Okay, okay, I'll talk." He said. "Just don't look at me like that."
Uncertainty swam through Lily's mind, "What? What does my facial expression look like?" She put her hands on her cheeks and rubbed them. Her hands were ice cold. It was autumn, after all.
"Like I'm keeping something serious a secret from you."
"Well... you kinda are." She put her hands up, "Oh no! That probably sounded rude, sorry."
"It was not rude, and STOP APOLOGIZING." He exhaled, "As I said, my father was a demon." He glanced at the center console and changed the buttons, so the heater turned on. "My mother was human. It was quite a surprise to figure out your husband's a demon, especially after you have triplets."
"You had two sisters that are the same age as you?"
"Yes." He took a deep breath, "They were the only siblings I was connected with." He blinked, and tears fell from his eyes, "I was the oldest by a couple of hours. The second oldest was Steffie. The youngest was Elie." His voice cracked, "Oh man... I can't see with all these tears,"
"Do you want to pull over?"
"No, I'm fine." He wiped his watery eyes with his sleeve, "My mother found out when Steffie's powers awakened. Steffie had orange eyes. She asked my dad what was going on, and he finally told her the truth." He chuckled sadly, "She didn't take it very well."
"So she drove off the bridge," Lily whispered.
Jason sniffed, "Yes."
"What about your brother? Did she happen to love him more than you and your sisters?" Lily asked.
"What? No. Why would she?"
"I thought... Your mother would have loved him more because he wasn't half-demon." Lily tugged at her black sweatshirt, pulling it over her entire front.
Jason turned the knob of the heater up, taking her sudden movement as if she was cold. "No. In fact, she hated him worse."
"Really?" She asked.
"Yeah."
"Why?" She wondered.
"Because he loved the 'demons'." He took a deep breath then exhaled, "He really cared about us. Nathan cooked us dinner, he made us lunch, he paid for our well-being."
"Your mother and father both didn't do that?"
"Yep. My father was always busy. And my mother hated us."
Lily let out a breath that she held in for god knows how long, "That's... tough." She looked up at him, "What made her snap?"
"Snap?" He questioned.
"Yeah, what made her decide to commit murder as well as kill herself?" Lily put her frozen hands on top of the heater vent.
"Nathan told me... No, I'm not gonna lie." He pushed air out of his lips, "I snuck out of bed one time... I overheard mom and dad's conversation. It was about two in the morning." His eyelids lowered. It made Lily feel his pain, the grief, the sorrow. "Apparently, mom was cheating on dad, and he got mad, so he... Murdered the person she was cheating on...."
"Oh my god," Lily murmured. "that's... Not good."
"Welcome to my life." He muttered.
She returned his sad chuckle, "Don't worry, you're not alone. I have a terrible life too." She looked up at him, smiled, and her cheeks burned red. "But... You make my life better."
He grinned, still staring at the road, "You make my life worth living as well."
They pulled into the Moonbucks parking lot. Jason pulled the emergency brake then looked at Lily. His eyes were a misty dark green, then he smiled, and they glowed brighter.
"I haven't done this in a while, but...."
He leaned closer and touched their lips together. Lily's eyes widened, and her cheeks glowed a bright red. Why now? What was the occasion? When did couples kiss? Was it when they were both sad?
Finally, she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. Jason's hand lightly cupped her cheek, adding heat to her face. She tilted her head, so their lips were opposite of one another.
Then he let go. They rested their foreheads together, both of their eyes closed, panting heavily.
"Why did you stop?" She joked.
"Because," He smiled.
"Because what?"
"Just because I like messing with you." He chuckled.
She laughed and pulled him closer, meeting their lips together again.
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