The things I did

3 AM

     You hear a knock at your door, "Come in" you softly say, trying not to awaken a sleeping Lizzie.

     "Is she asleep?" Ashley quietly asks as she peaks her head through the door.

     You nod your head as you slowly get up from your bed, trying not to wake Lizzie or hurt your ankle. You slowly limp to the door to talk to Ashley and Mary-Kate outside of your room.

     "How's your ankle doing?" Ashley asks as she watches you close the door to your bedroom.

     "Still hurts. I'm sure running on the dock before didn't help much either" you say as you and Ashley make your way over to the living room to join Mary-Kate.

     As you reach the living room, you and Ashley join Mary-Kate on the couch.

     "How are you two doing after today? I can only imagine how scary that must've been" you ask the twins.

     "It was pretty scary. We had no idea where the shooting had taken place so we really had no idea where the shooter was" Ashley says.

     "Oh wow I didn't realize that you guys had no idea where the shooting was. That probably made it scarier."

     "It definitely didn't help. We heard the gunshots in the distance but no one could tell just how far it was from the restaurant. The moment we heard the gunshots everyone ducked under their tables" Mary-Kate says.

     "I'm just glad you three made it out safely. Everyone was thinking about you guys."

     Ashley places her hand on your thigh, "We really are so grateful for you and your sister. For everyone. You guys got us out safely, you practically saved our lives. Who knows what would've happened if you guys didn't come."

     You softly smile at Ashley, "Well you guys are like family to us, we will always look out for you guys. Especially during times like that. We know you'd do the same for us."

     Ashley returns the same smile as she slightly nods her head, "We sure would."

     "How has Lizzie been doing?" Mary-Kate asks you.

     You let out a sigh, "When we first got back she was still shaken up by everything. It took her a good hour to calm down. I'm surprised she's sleeping right now, I expected her to be up all night."

     "Speaking of sleep, why are you up right now? It's 2AM" Ashley says.

     "Same applies to you both! Why are you two up right now?"

     Mary-Kate giggles, "We usually go to sleep around 3 AM."

     "3AM? How do you function normally during the day?"

     "Trust me, this is from years of sleeping this way. It wasn't pretty in the beginning but we got used to it" Ashley says.

     "Used to it? Why did it even start to begin with?"

     "Work! It's not easy running your own fashion line" Ashley says.

     You shrug your shoulders, "I guess so, I wouldn't really know what that's like."

     Mary-Kate playfully slaps your arm, "Why are you up?"

     "I am a bit of a night owl. I mean, now that I've been sharing a bed with Lizzie I've been going to sleep at normal hours. But usually I'm up until 1 AM."

     "And here you are judging us for going to bed at 3 AM" Ashley says as she playfully slaps your other arm.

     "1 AM is not the same as 3 AM" you say as you get up from the couch.

     "Hey! Where are you going?" Ashley asks as she watches you walk towards the kitchen.

     "I'm no longer sitting between you two, if I do I'll have huge bruises on my arms. I'm getting some chips, do you guys want some?"

     Mary-Kate eagerly nods her head, "Yes please, I'm starving."

     You open the cabinet and pull out a large bowl for the chips. You walk over to the pantry and open the door to grab the chips. You walk back to the bowl and pour the chips into the bowl. You roll the bag of chips up but leave them out on the counter in case you want more. You grab the bowl of chips and head back over to the couch, this time sitting next to Mary-Kate.

     "What? You don't like me now?" Ashley asks as she watches you sit next to Mary-Kate.

     "Well you don't want chips and you're usually the hitting machine" you say as you place the chips in the couch between you and Mary-Kate.

Ashley rolls her eyes, "Ugh whatever."

     The three of you spend the next hour sharing laughs while you watch tv and eat chips. That is until 3 AM strikes.

     Mary-Kate slaps your leg, "Alright Paulson, time for us to go to sleep."

You give Mary-Kate a strange look, "Paulson?"

     "Yup, Paulson" Mary-Kate says as she gets up from the couch.

"Alrighty then" you say to yourself.

     "Goodnight (Y/N), don't stay up to late" Ashley says as she begins to walk up the stairs.

"I'll try not to" you mumble to yourself.

     You turn the tv off and sit in silence staring out the window, watching the still water. You decide to head to bed and try to get some sleep. That is until someone joins you out on the couch.

     "Is someone sitting here?" Lizzie asks as she stands over you.

     You look up from the window and pat the open spot next to you. Lizzie plops herself on the couch next to you as she covers herself up in the blankets on the couch. As Lizzie gets comfortable, you go back to staring out the window. For a few minutes, the two of you sit there enjoying the silence, watching the water.

     "Can't sleep?" Lizzie asks as she keeps her attention on the water.

     You let out a sigh, "Yeah, I'm not sure why though."

     "Well is there something on your mind?" Lizzie asks as she turns her head to look at you.

     You turn to face Lizzie, hesitant to answer. "I- I just guess today was an eye opener for me."

     Lizzie slightly tilts her head, "What do you mean?"

     You feel your eyes begin to water, overwhelmed by your emotions. "I-I really thought I was going to lose you today. I was really scared."

     Lizzie scooches herself closer to you as she opens her arms, allowing you to crash your body into hers. As soon as you feel her arms wrap around your body, tears begin to fall down your face.

     "I don't even know why I'm crying right now. I should be comforting you" you say into Lizzie's chest.

     Lizzie places her head on top of yours, "Don't say that. You comforted me enough before. I was scared too. I know you were worried about us, it's okay to feel this way."

     You continue to cry into Lizzie's chest as she tries to comfort you.

     "Today was a scary day for everyone and I can only imagine how you felt sitting on the boat waiting for us to return. But if there's one thing today taught me, it's just how grateful I am for you. Not just for you, but for everyone. You have proven many times that you will go to extremes to protect me."

     You chuckle slightly as you know Lizzie is referring to when you were stabbed. You pull yourself out of Lizzie's embrace as you wipe your tears away.

     "Yeah, I guess I have" you say with a slight chuckle.

     Lizzie shares a chuckle with you as she places her hands on either side of your face, "You mean so much to me."

     You place your hands over Lizzie's as you smile at her. You slowly lean into Lizzie as you gently kiss her lips. As you pull away, you place your forehead against hers, "You're my whole world, Olsen."