[Suddenly feels around the bed to search for the other’s hand / body when they’re sleeping]
The cottage supplied to them by the Professor had more than one bedroom. There were three in fact, something they never really brought too much attention to in the beginning. It was always a taboo topic, even when they didn’t want it to be. Having children was supposed to be something exciting, something they looked forward to, and instead they just tried their best not to mention it out of fear of what would happen if they ever did.
Then it did, happen. And those rooms quickly filled with furniture meant for people much smaller than them (well, than Scott) and the curtains were parted and windows were opened. Light and air flooded the them, and they became part of the house again, making it whole.
Though the fear lingered, it was reserved for days when it was warranted or for nights when they let themselves voice them to each other long after the children were snoring. Sometimes it bled, leaked out into little moments like when the kids were a few minutes late returning from school or when they were in public and they drifted out of sight. And then there were times like these, when the unconscious couldn’t stifle the fear very well.
Jean watches Scott’s hand searching beside him, his brows suddenly drawn tight. She smiles, sleepy and slow, reaching out to take it in hers. Gently, she leads it to their daughter’s hair between them. Her dirty brown locks are tangled from her tossing and turning, which Jean thinks might have something to do with Scott’s worry. “She was having a nightmare, I think,” she whispers over her to her husband, smoothing the back of his hand before letting go. “She’s okay now.”