For whatever reason, Nick kept waking up. It was taking him forever to fall asleep, and then the slightest thing jarred him awake. After barely sleeping the night before, this just seemed cruel. He'd glanced at the clock each time.
1:17. 1:43. 2:04.
Now it read 2:30 exactly and he decided to try and slip out of bed undetected, but he felt Sabrina stir beside him. Turning over on his side, he discovered she was awake as well. "Am I keeping you awake?" he asked, frowning.
She shook her head as she tucked her hands under her chin. She didn't understand what was going on. It wasn’t like she was waking from nightmares like she had a few weeks back after the death circle stuff. Nothing exactly was propelling her out of her dreams, but she’d kept waking every thirty minutes or so, unable to stay asleep.
“No. It’s not you.” Sabrina frowned, reaching over to touch Nick’s hair. “I just keep waking up.”
She felt unsettled but she couldn’t pinpoint why she was feeling that way.
"Same," Nick replied. "Thought I wouldn't have any trouble falling asleep after last night."
He closed his eyes as her fingers brushed through his hair, wishing that they both could fall asleep. That she was experiencing the same thing he was for no apparent reason was odd. "Think it's Vallo?" he asked, opening his eyes to look at her.
Sabrina considered that as she pushed herself up so that she was sitting. Salem stirred above her pillow, letting out a pitiful meow at being woken before moving to lay in her lap. She stroked his fur, helping him settle down as she glanced out the bedroom window. There wasn’t any real method to figuring out if things were because of Vallo or happening for some other reason.
But there was a tightness that seemed to crawl through her skin, reminding her of something else that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “No.”
Though whatever it was could be Vallo. Even if it was slightly familiar. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
Nick sat up as well, giving Sabrina a curious look when she first answered no. "What is it, Spellman?" He didn't know what she was thinking, but something about her reaction or the tone of her voice gave him pause. He wasn't sure what it was, just that something seemed off.
"I don't know," she snapped before closing her eyes and taking a long breath. "Sorry. I didn't… It's not you." She was just feeling extra irritable over the lack of sleep.
It wasn't like they'd had the best luck at it earlier in the month either but she'd thought they had gotten a handle on at least part of it.
This seemed like Vallo to Nick, but there really wasn't any way to tell without reaching for his phone and checking the network to see if anyone else was experiencing the same thing. And maybe he was overthinking it. Really, it was hard to think clearly at all in the middle of the night when sleep was annoyingly evasive.
"Yeah, I know," he said. "You wanna take a walk or something? Maybe some fresh air will help." At least they might be more tired afterward.
Sabrina nodded. It couldn’t hurt to go for a walk. Staying in bed definitely wasn’t helping either of them get some sleep. “Can’t hurt to try that, right?”
Even if Salem was glaring at the two of them for the idea. A walk meant he wasn’t getting any cuddles.
"Might need a jacket," Nick after climbing out of bed. He took that as an excuse to wear his Baxter High varsity jacket that he never really earned. That wasn't going to stop him.
Once outside he felt almost instantly better in the cool night air, his arm draped around Sabrina's shoulders, and Shadow and a still displeased Salem trailing behind them. Nick took the opportunity to take a deep breath, letting his earlier annoyances drop away.
Sabrina ignored her familiar's mental grumbling as the four of them walked through the woods. Getting out of the house seemed to have helped immensely, the unease that had curled around her disappearing as she leaned into Nick.
They were near the clearing she had used to lay down in during the previous summer, back when her nightmares had kept her up more often than she liked admitting. She steered Nick in that direction, nodding toward the blanket and pillows that she had willed into existence.
Salem happily pounced over to it, making himself comfortable on one of the pillows. "We could stargaze?"
Nick glanced over at Sabrina, his mouth quirking upward into a grin. "You think of everything, Spellman."
They got themselves situated on the blanket, still giving Salem room, and Nick stared up at the night sky, breathing in the night. "I needed this," he said quietly, more relaxed than he'd been indoors, though he had no real reason as to why.
“I think we both did,” she murmured as she rested her head on his chest. Everything seemed a lot lighter now and she had to stifle a yawn after speaking, feeling the exhaustion settling into her bones again.
“Can you put a ward up? I’m just going to rest my eyes for a second.”
"Of course," he whispered, smiling because he knew she was falling asleep and he wasn't going to try to keep her awake. He managed the ward, then lay there running his fingers through her hair, looking up at the stars until he couldn't keep his eyes open either. It wasn't long before he was fast asleep.