Trapped

Chapter Seven: Comfort

Her eyes burn from the lack of sleep as she stares at the ceiling. She is used to this behavior during a thunderstorm. Has never been able to sleep through them. She gazes at the small lamp in the corner of her room that she switched on for comfort. It's not like she was afraid of the dark. Not usually anyways. It's just that it's a new room. A new house. A new world even. She is just afraid of change. And that's why she needs the light.
There is a bright flash of lighting outside and the thunder that follows is so loud that it shakes the house. She didn't want to wake Nestor because she didn't want to look weak. So she stayed in bed, gazing out of the window. After a few minutes, the storm really begins to pick up and the branches from the tree outside of her window tap on the glass.
Vera sighs and sits up, resting her back against the head board. Another flash of lighting and more thunder. And then suddenly, everything is dark. The light from the lamp is gone due to a power outage. Vera promised herself that she wouldn't wake Nestor but that was before. When her room wasn't dark.
"Screw it." she mutters, ripping the sheets off of her body and climbing out of the large bed. She opens her door and gasps as she runs into someone's bare chest.
"Sorry." she mutters, looking up at Nestor. Her lips slowly pull up in a smile.
"Nestor?" she asks.
"Yeah?" he asks, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pajama pants.
"Were you scared of the storm?" she asks. Even in the dark, she could see him blush.
"What? No. No I was just going to get...water." he says.
"At midnight?" she asks. He shrugs and nods.
"The stairs are that way." she says, pointing in the opposite direction of the way he is facing. He looks behind him and then back at Vera.
"Huh. Right. Well thank you for showing me the way." he says, turning around.
"Wait, Nestor." she calls out, looking around the creepy dark hallway.
"Yeah?" he asks, turning back to her.
"I...I was scared." she says quietly.
"Oh. Well...do you need me? I can grab a sleeping bag or-"
"Just get in here, dork." she says, walking back into her room. Nestor walks in with a smile on his face as he closes the door. He sits on the bed while Vera stands at her dresser.
"I forgot to wash my face." she says, grabbing a makeup wipe. Nestor watched her every move, the way she carries her weight on one foot, occasionally switching to the other. He watches as she took off her makeup and wondered why she ever even put it on. Her natural beauty should never be covered by makeup. She throws the wipe in the trash and turns to him with a brilliant smile, her bright blue eyes shining as they look at him.
She walks around the bed and slides in without a word. He slides into bed next to her and lays on his side, facing her. He stares at her bright blue eyes as they stare right back into his dark ones.
"Carbs?" she asks quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think we will ever get home?" she asks. He sighs, glancing down at her lips and then back up into her eyes.
"I don't know." he says honestly. She reaches for his hand, grabbing it tightly and pulling it to her chest.
"I'm scared." she whispers.
"Of what?" he asks.
"I don't know. Being here." she says with a shrug.
"I'm here with you. I'm not going anywhere. Alright?" he says, squeezing her hand. She nods and inches closer to him, their noses almost touching. He lifts his free hand up and strokes her cheek with the back of his fingers. Her pointer finger reaches up and pets his eyelashes. He chuckles and asks her,
"What's your obsession with my eyelashes?"
"They're beautiful." she says softly.
"Come here." he says, pulling her closer. She lays her head on his chest, her leg naturally moving in between his, tangling their bodies together.
He brushes his fingers through her hair, breathing it in as he does this. Her familiar scent calms his nerves and he feels himself quickly drifting to sleep.
There is a loud bang, waking them both up. Nestor glances over at the clock, reading that it's three in the morning. Vera raises her head and looks at him.
"Did you hear it too?" she whispers. He nods.
"I think it came from downstairs." she whispers, sitting up. He slides out of the bed, grabbing the baseball bat that is underneath the bed. Vera stands up, following Nestor out of their room. He motions for her to stay in the room but she ignores him. He shakes his head and pears down the stairs at the front door that is wide open.
He begins to go downstairs but Vera grabs his arm, shaking her head with tears in her eyes. He takes her hand, squeezing it before letting go and walking down the stairs. He looks around the dark house for the intruder. There are more noises in the kitchen and Nestor follows them, his bat raised in the air, ready to strike.
When he nears the kitchen, his heart begins to race and he becomes scared. Forcing himself to toughen up, he rounds the corner and looks into the kitchen.
"Jesus Christ, Freddie. You scared the crap out of us." Nestor says as he sees Freddie digging through the fridge. Nestor turns around to get Vera and jumps as he sees her right behind him with the gun pointed in his direction.
"Shit, Vera. Put that thing away!" he says, pushing it away from him. She puts it down, looking relieved.
"What the hell, Freddie? Are you trying to give us a heart attack?" she asks, moving around Nestor to look at Freddie who stands up with a sandwich in his hand.
"Sorry. The food at the institute is shit." he says with a shrug as he stuffs his mouth with another bite.
"Whatever. Why are you here at three in the morning? You could've called and we would've brought you food." Vera says.
"They won't let me call. I snuck out. I'll be back before they notice. Don't worry." he says, finishing his sandwich. He looks at Vera who is wearing a thin nightgown and then at Nestor who is only wearing his pajama pants.
"Did I interrupt?" he asks with a smirk.
"What? No. No, why would you think-"
"Are you staying or leaving? Because you left the door wide open." Nestor says, interrupting Vera.
"Leaving. Just wanted a sandwich. I'll see you guys soon." he says, walking out. Vera and Nestor watch him walk out, closing the door behind him.
"That was weird." Vera says. Nestor nods, still staring at the door.
"Let's go to bed, babe." Vera says, pulling Nestor's arm. To anyone else, the term of endearment would've been strange considering he is married. But with Nestor and Vera, those things were said with no meaning behind them. Like it was so natural that it didn't phase them.
"Alright." he mumbles, letting her lead him. They walk up the stairs and into the bedroom, closing the door behind them before climbing into bed. They lay facing each other again.
"You alright? You looked pretty shook back there." Vera whispers. Nestor smirks with a soft chuckle.
"Well yeah, you were waving a gun in my face." he says lightly. She giggles and then looks at him softly.
"Will you tell me something?" she asks.
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Something you've never told anyone before." she says with a shrug.
"Like something personal?" he asks, feeling vulnerable.
"Only if you want to."
"You first." he says with a smile. Vera smiles softly, her gaze shifting to the window beside him.
"Well, you're not gonna like it." she says with a smile.
"Tell me." he encourages her.
"Okay. Well sometimes, when Renn used to get upset, he...well he wasn't abusive but-"
"Has he ever touched you?" Nestor asks quickly.
"No. No but he has gotten close. And whenever I get really scared, I just run into my room and lock the door." Vera says, no longer smiling.
"V, why did you stay for so long?" he asks. She finally looks at him, searching his eyes for the answer.
"I...he had been with me since-"
"It doesn't matter. You should be with someone who makes you feel loved." Nestor says honestly. In his mind, he pictures himself with her, how he would treat her the way she deserves and then some. He would cherish her like his queen and protect her like he is her knight.
"Do you miss him?" he asks.
"No. Not like I thought I would. I miss what he represented. A future with kids and a partner by my side through everything. But I don't miss him."
"Distance sometimes lets you know who is worth keeping and who is worth letting go." Nestor says wisely.
These words got Vera thinking about Renn and also about Nestor. How she completely broke down when Nestor left but now that Renn is gone, she doesn't seem to notice his absence.
"Your turn." she whispers, wanting to change the subject off of her and Renn.
"My turn? Vera it's like four in the morning."
"Are you tired? I don't want you to lose sleep." she says. He sighs and thinks about it for a moment before smiling at her.
"It's fine. I mean how often do we get the opportunity to just be us? Not Norma and Alex, not costars, just us. I'll answer whatever question you have." he says softly. Vera smiles widely again and takes a moment to think.
"Okay. What was your least favorite scene to film or watch?" she asks.
"My least favorite scene to watch was one of yours actually." he says. She gives him a look.
"No it's not because you did a bad job. You could never do a bad job. It was one of your first ones."
"Which one?" she asks, sitting up. Nestor sits up and leans against the headboard.
"It was the one where you and Summers were wrestling and then..." he trails off, staring at the wall across from the bed.
"The one where he rapes me." she finishes, staring at his face, reading his expression. He nods slowly and tries to smile.
"It was just really hard to watch." he whispers. Vera grabs his hand and squeezes it.
"We should go to bed." she whispers, laying down. Nestor follows and lays down on his pillow. He looks over at her, smiling at her beauty.
"Goodnight V." he says softly.
"Goodnight, Ness."