Glasses

[ I have this image in my head. The character itself is a blur. So I'm covering all the bases. ]

Eyes cracked open, the groggy sense of sleep still clinging to his eye lids. Rolling over from his side to his stomach, Jamie pulled his right arm up through the blankets that were wrapped around him and partially falling from the bed. Rubbing at his face, the other arm curled under pillow and head. Opening his eyes to the real world beyond the realm of sleep, blue eyes squinted at the sudden intrusion of light. Images were forming as a blur. Pushing up on his elbows the world slowly returned into focus. The first thing his eyes caught that seemed out of place was the glass of water sitting on his bedside table just in front of his digital alarm clock. Now, a glass there was nothing out of the ordinary.

It was the lipstick on the rim.

Moving to sit up fully, both hands rubbed at his face, then over his hair and down his neck, palms coming to rest on bare shoulders. Sweeping across the room there was more coming to light that didn't belong in his room. Leaning over the edge, fingers reached for the top on his floor. Skinny fit female tee. Too small for even someone as skinny as himself.

Jamie could hear his shower running. Well, running and then soon coming to a stop, bathing the world in silence once more. The door to his bathroom opened, revealing a blonde wrapped up in one of his towels.

Grin formed on his lips and he dropped the top, leaning back on the pillows, both arms folding behind his head. "Well, good morning, Kate."

- - - - -

There was the scent of pancakes in the air. Soft music drifted down towards the room where she lay. Nuzzling into the soft pillows that held a familiar masculine scent Isobel was reluctant to open her eyes. But she did, and looked towards the bedside table and saw a pair of thin rimmed glasses. Small smile formed on her lips and she rolled over onto her back, staring up at the ceiling where silver stars were painted on a creamy blue background.

This wasn't her room. She'd seen this room many times before. Tonight was the first night she had ever slept within it, curled into the blankets and feeling the warm body behind her that somehow gave her a calming feeling as if she was laying beside the ocean. Fingers ran over the fabric of the large baseball jersey she was wearing, clutching it tightly.

Soon the curiosity and the overwhelmingly delicious scents of pancakes took over the want to remain within the warm bed. Slipping one leg out and followed by the other, Isobel made for the door that had been left ajar when the owner of the room had left. Fingers traced over the wall as she wandered along the hall at the far side of the house that lead off to the bedrooms and bathroom. The bungalow had gone through its fair share of conversations and rebuilds over the years. What had been the home of one had grown to a home of a family of five.

Her walk lead her to the lounge where the soft, relaxing music was at its loudest. Pan pipes, harps and the sound of thunderstorms and rain. Alastar's music.

Onwards, she came to the doorway to the kitchen.

"Daisy, tell Roo to wear more clothes when he gets out of bed," protested a young girl who sat at the central island in the large kitchen. Bright and sunny colours, the room was decorated to feel warm and inviting. The girl was only a few years younger than herself.

Also in the kitchen was David - who was busy making pancakes for everyone at the stove - and Reuben himself who was wearing a pair of black boxer shorts and white tube socks who was rummaging through the refrigerator.

"Roo, Daphne says that you're too naked," David said helpfully but obviously not the way the girl had intended him to say it if the pout that settled on her lips was anything to go by.

Daphne Hughes-Malone was the princess of the family. Raised in a home of males, they all loved her to pieces. David and Alastar had adopted her when she was only three years old. Her biological father had left before she was even born, and her real mother had such an alcohol problem and drug habit that she was willing to sell her own daughter to get her fix. Social Services had stepped in and removed the baby girl as soon as possible. There was no family for her to go to, and so Daphne had floated from foster home to foster home until Alastar and David had come along and scooped the three year old up.

"Tell Daphne that I can hear her," Roo replied from within the fridge. "Do we have any strawberry yogurts?"

"Have you two fallen out?" Isobel asked from the door.

Roo poked his head up from behind the open door and smiled at her. "Good morning, Izzy!"

- - - - -

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes that morning was the glass on the desk filled with pens, rulers and a few plastic drinking straws of varying colours. Rolling onto his back before sitting up, he continued to look around the familiar dorm room. Familiar, but not his own.

"Well, good morning, sleepy head." Theo announced as he spotted Evander moving in the reflection of the mirror where he stood combing his ginger hair. "Sleep well?"

Instantly a blush flushed on his face and he pulled the blankets up to cover his bare chest. "Theo!?"

The older twin turned around to face the male in his brother's bed, flashing him a cool grin. "Nath said that he didn't want to wake you, but he had to rush to the maths room to pick up a few things so he can finish packing. He says he's sorry that he couldn't be there when you wake up. I told him I didn't want anymore details."

This was the last week that they would ever spend in the Constance dorms. High school was nearly over for all the fifth years. Evander and Nat were going to different colleges. There would no longer be the stray yellow jellybean coming his way in class. But he did not despair. He was not loosing Nathanael.

He was moving in with him. To live with. Forever.

- - - - -

With his head buried underneath the blankets the whole world was dark and any sounds that floated his way were muffled. Someone was talking nearby.

Poking his head out from within the warmth, blue eyes found a glass of orange juice in a tall glass sitting on the table beside the bed. A strong hand was retreating away from it having only just placed the glass down. They were still talking, and by the sounds of things it was only one person, meaning that it was a phone conversation and Ethan could only hear one part of the whole.

Not that he wanted to eavesdrop, but he found himself listening in anyway.

"I'll be in later," came the smooth voice. "He just needed someone to come and look after him, not matter how ill he isn't." The man chuckled, laughing with whatever had been said on the other end of the phone. "No, I don't think its too contagious, at least not anymore. When you feel like dirt it usually means that the body is fighting off the infection and winning." A pause. "Well I know you knew that, I was just playfully reminding you. Don't worry I'm not going to drop down dead before we meet her."

Ethan nuzzled down in his blankets even more. He felt horrible. Like he'd been ran over, and then the driver reversed just to run him over again. The bed shifted as a weight sat down near him.

"Goodbye, Star. See you soon. Love you." Another pause. "Well I have to say it. You might forget."

It was those two words that made Ethan want to remain within the confines of his blankets forever. Perhaps his bed could swallow him up and he didn't have to think about what he had lost. Unfortunately for him his bed was not going to eat him alive and instead a hand was placed onto his shoulder, giving a comforting squeeze. The phone conversation had obviously ended and now the man was free to focus his attention on Ethan. He didn't need looking after. He wasn't ill. The high fever was from the fact he was wrapped up so tightly. The murkiness in his head was from over sleeping. His throat felt raw because he was dehydrated. He wasn't ill.

David, however, seemed convinced that he was.