**
well before the dawn's light
hold me again with all of your might
in the still of the night (in the still of the night)
in the still of the night
(excerpt from: "In the Still of the Night")
**




A soft whimper escaped into the stillness of the night. Lucky's eyes flew open. Liz was dreaming. She thrashed about. Then she froze and began shaking. Lucky halfway sat up, leaning on his elbow, and reached out for her. His hand touched her shoulder and she jerked violently. Her arm swung up and over and connected with Lucky's nose.

He groaned as he felt warm blood flowing through it. He pressed his other hand to it, and shook Liz. She cried out.

"Elizabeth!" Lucky murmured, leaning over her warily, in case she should decide to strike out again. Liz moaned but didn't wake up. "Elizabeth?! Elizabeth, wake up!"

Liz sat up with a start, knocking Lucky completely out of the bed. He landed on the floor with a 'thump'.

"Lucky?" Liz's voice was sleep-slurred. There were tears on her cheeks.

"I'm here." Lucky still had a hand to his nose, but blood was leaking through his fingers. He got up and ran for the bathroom. Liz rubbed her face with her sleeve and got up to follow him. He was pressing a wad of tissue to his nose, standing in front of the mirror.

"What happened?" Liz asked, moving closer and trying to get a better look.

"I got hit in the nose," Lucky told her. He pulled slightly away.

"I hit you?!" Lucky looked away. Liz wrung her hands. "Oh! Ok, I can help here. Bloody nose...bloody nose. Right. Uh, lie down on the floor."

Lucky looked at her like she was crazy, but did as she said. Liz knelt down by the side of his head and gently tilted it back.

"Ok, stay like this, and breath through your mouth. Here, give me those tissues." Liz took the blood-soaked cloths and tossed them in the trash-can. "Are you hurt anywhere else?" Liz asked anxiously.

"No," Lucky replied. Only it came out sounding like, "Doh".

"That must have been some dream," he said. Lucky adjusted his neck slightly.

"Yeah," Liz said softly. She crawled around behind his head and arranged her legs, Indian style. "Here, put your head on my lap. You'll be more comfortable." Lucky complied. "Better?"

"Yeah, thanks."

The two sat in silence, Liz checking Lucky's nose often, until the bleeding had stopped.

"I think you'll live," Liz said. She helped Lucky sit up. He stood and reached down for her hand. When she was standing in front of him, he brushed away what was left of her tears.

"Are you all right?"

Liz smiled lightly, but her eyes were dark, a fact Lucky noticed and filed away in his head.

"I punched you in the nose and knocked you out of bed and you're worried *I'm* okay?"

Lucky nodded somberly.

"Yes. Are you?"

Liz's throat closed up. She swallowed roughly.

"I will be. Are you *sure* you aren't hurt anywhere else?"

Lucky went with the subject change.

"Well, my backside is gonna be awful sore in the morning, but otherwise I'm fine."

Lucky motioned to the bedroom.

"C'mon, let's go back to bed."

He touched her back lightly until they got in the room, when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders protectively. She consciously leaned closer to him, needing to feel his presence.

Lucky looked down on the precious angel nestled against him. Feeling a surge of protectiveness and love, his stomach tied itself in knots.

Liz looked up into Lucky's face. She was too tired and too far gone in sleep to comprehend what his expression meant. She tilted her face up farther.

"Kiss me goodnight, Lucky," she pleaded. Lucky looked like he would refuse her. "Please?"

Lucky's face crumpled when he gave in. He leaned down and touched his lips to Liz's mouth, tenderly and with infinite gentleness. He forced himself to pull back almost as soon as the kiss was begun. Liz opened her eyes slowly. Lucky exhaled loudly and moved away from her.

"Go to sleep, Elizabeth," he muttered. He stretched out on his side of the bed, and locked his hands behind his head, leaving Liz to do what she wished. She slid into her side of the bed and paused. Indecision flickered through her mind. An instant later, she was snuggled up against Lucky's chest. He felt his heart jump, then settle into a fast rhythm. He tried valiantly to slow it down. Liz's lips curled into a smile as she drifted off.

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