Prehistoric Times (Henry Wu Fanfic)

Fear On Both Sides

Alexandra's P.O.V.

I took a deep breath as I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. Henry was fast asleep, laying partially on his left side with his arm laying out toward me. The moon was still high in the sky, the light flooding in illuminating his face enough so I could see that his eyes were shut tight. I was careful as I shut the bathroom door, and I hoped that the shower turning on wouldn't wake him. I let the warm water run over me for several minutes before I started washing my hair, dreading having to scrub my skin with all of the scabs present. I hissed under my breath as the wash cloth pulled at the scabbed skin, tearing it off in some places. The water began turning a light pink, and I shut the shower off almost instantly. I slammed my hand into the tiled wall of the shower, sliding down as I started crying.

"Alexandra?" Henry's voice was quiet and gentle as he opened the bathroom door.

The shower had a glass door and was against the wall of the bedroom, meaning I had most likely woken him up. He peaked around the door, our eyes meeting as I looked up at him. He grabbed one of the towels sitting on the counter, closing the bathroom door and opening the glass door in one swift movement. He stepped into the shower, and I looked away as he draped the towel over my shoulders.

"Let's get you dry." He whispered.

I hesitated before I slowly stood up, and he held onto my hand as we both stepped out of the shower. I let him dry me off, whimpering whenever he'd pass the towel over a wound. I wrapped the towel around myself as he grabbed the second one, reaching up to help dry my hair.

"Are you afraid to sleep?" He asked.

I couldn't bring myself to speak, so I simply nodded. He held his hand under my chin, running his thumb over my bottom lip.

"It's because of Lexine, isn't it?" His voice was soft. "Is there anything I can do?"

I took a deep breath, stepping closer to him. His hands instinctively went to my waist.

"Alexandra?" Henry's hushed whisper was intoxicating to me.

"Just hold me." I muttered.

I was enveloped in his body warmth almost instantly, his arms snaking around me. I smiled as I nuzzled my face into his neck, taking in the smell of his fading cologne. His soft chuckling when I started shivering made me smile.

"I believe we should get you dressed."

~

I woke up to Henry shaking me gently, sunlight flooding into the room. His hair was a mess, and he had dark circles around his eyes like he hadn't slept.

"Time to rise and shine, Alexandra." He whispered. "Your mother wanted us to meet her at the hotel."

I hummed and grabbed his hand as he moved to get up. "Ten more minutes?"

"You know I hate being late." He sighed but reluctantly laid down beside me.

He let me use his arm as a pillow, and his free arm wrapped around me. It didn't take him long to succumb to his exhaustion, his light snores making me giggle. He hardly stirred when I pressed my lips to his neck, and I smiled to myself as I ran my hand down his chest. His eyes fluttered open, and within one second, he had me pinned down on the bed, my hands trapped under his.

"What kind of woman takes advantage of their boss while they sleep?" He muttered.

"I wasn't taking advantage of you." I laughed.

"I could feel everything you were doing, Alexandra."

His lips found my neck as he spoke, and I squirmed underneath him. My movements stopped the second he slid his leg between mine.

"Stay still and behave."

~

Henry and I walked hand in hand to the hotel. It was still strange to see him wearing anything besides his usual black turtleneck, jeans, and white coat. He was in far more casual clothing, wearing a loose fitted black t-shirt and sweatpants, his hair still neatly combed and styled and a pair of sunglasses resting on his nose. He had a bookbag on his back, choosing to use it instead of carrying around our belongings and refusing to let me carry it.

"There you two are. I was beginning to wonder if something had happened." My mother smiled at us as we approached her.

"Sorry for being late. We slept in." I opted to tell a believable lie.

"That's alright. I made sure the children ate since we had the time."

Lilliana was excitedly jumping in place as she spoke to her father and my brother. Alexander was leaning against the hotel wall, staring at his phone. I smiled when Lilliana realized I was standing with my mother, and her cheerful giggling as she ran to me had Henry chuckling.

"Aunt Allie!" Lilliana cheered.

I lifted her up into my arms and laughed as she threw her small arms around my neck. Henry stepped closer to me and smiled as Lilliana excitedly rambled about her thoughts on dinosaurs, comparing each species she had seen throughout the visit to other smaller animals. His gaze was clouded and guarded.

"Can we go see the big alligator again?" Lilliana looked at me as she spoke.

"Mosasaur." I corrected her once more. "I'm sure we can go see it later."

I put her down, and my mother beckoned her away from us. I looked at Henry as he messed with his sunglasses, shoving his hands into his pockets afterward.

"Does Lilly make you nervous?" I asked.

"What?" He cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow.

"I've noticed your behavior, Henry." I gave him a soft smile. "It's alright to be uncomfortable around children."

"I'm just not used to being around them. I've always kept to myself and my work." He shrugged.

"That's understandable." I hooked my arm around his and giggled as he looked at me. "Lilliana is the only child I can really tolerate."

He hummed, and I smiled when he leaned over and kissed the space beside my eye. "I wouldn't mind having a child with you."

His small comment made me blush. My mother beckoned for all of us to join her, and Henry took my hand as we started our journey toward the Gyrospheres. I could hear the splashing of the Mosasaur tank as we walked, and I held my hand up as the sun blinded me. Henry didn't hesitate to take his sunglasses off, holding them out to me without a word. I hesitated before I took them, putting them on.

"Aunt Allie! Aunt Allie! Can I go with you and Uncle Henry in the ball?" Lillianna asked as we waited in line.

I looked at Henry for approval, earning a small nod from the man. "Sure, Lilly. You have to listen to what we say, though."

She giggled as I picked her up, and I watched as Demetri and Alexander got into a Gyrosphere. It was the first time I had seen Alexander put his phone in his pocket. I had to hold back my laugh as Demetri struggled to understand the controls of the Gyrosphere, the ride operator explaining it another two times before Alexander waved the man away. I could tell Demetri was embarrased as the vehicle closed, Alexander being the one to control it as they drove off. My mother and Jordan got on the next one, and they were off faster than I had thought they would be. Lilliana excitedly bounced in my arms as another Gyrosphere steered itself into place. The ride operator nodded his head to us as it opened, and I ushered Lilliana inside.

"Are you sure you can handle this, Henry?" I asked him as he got in his seat, noticing his slight shaking.

"I'll be fine." He replied, refusing to look at me.

The Gyrosphere doors shut, and I made Lilliana sit with Henry. He didn't object to having to keep her in place as I took the controls. Driving through the open field at the entrance to the enclosure brought back the memory of having to run through it. I could see the anxiety in Henry's gaze when I glanced at him.

"Breathe, Henry." I muttered. "It's not going to be like last time."

My mind was put at ease when Lilliana started asking about the dinosaurs we'd roll past, distracting Henry. I put the Gyrosphere in autopilot when I was instructed to.