Past midnight

The familiar figure stood a good distance away from me as my buldged eyes stared at him in disbelief. His blonde hair was a bit dirtier than I knew it to be. His knowing blue eyes rested against his oblong face and pierced into mine. Thin pink lips suddenly curved into a smirk.

"Hello, Mélie!" My heart fell into my stomach at his mention of my name. His voice was light and thus, shouldn't pass as intimidating to anyone who heard it.

I took a step back in disbelief. Was he really there?

A chuckle, "Surprised to see me?" He asked.

A gasp escaped my lips, "This can't be real!"

"It's not a dream, Mélie." He said with a sardonic smile.

"I'm afraid it's a nightmare."

A sudden buzz filled my ears as he seemed to close in on me. A swift touch on my shoulder made me jump in fear.

"Mélie."

"Damien!" I said in a near scream. His puzzled eyes cooled my tension. This was the familiar face of the man that I loved.

"Are you ok?"

"Uhm, I'm fine." I said, exhaling in relief.

A smile curled his lips, "Alright."

"I missed you!" I said and drew into him for an embrace.

Damien Jaeger chuckled and planted a kiss on my hair, "I'm right here, Mélie."

"So am I, you know!"

My skin tightened as Damien Jaeger broke our embrace and I turned my sight back to the person I thought was a delusion.

Damien Jaeger cleared his throat, "Mélie, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

"Derrick." My voice creeped in, in a whisper of disbelief.

"Right." Damien Jaeger said, "My brother."

My eyes could have fallen onto the floor at the moment with my jaw following shortly after, "What?"

Derrick strode and stopped in front of me with a hand stretched out,"Hello, Mélie."

"It's so nice to see you." He added, his eyes sparking with mischief under his short eyelashes.

"I guess you're a fan of hugs?" He asked, teasingly but almost immediately, raised his hands up in mock surrender, "Or not!"

"Wait, have you 2 met before?" Damien Jaeger asked.

Derrick chuckled, "Yes."

I felt myself stiffen as I stared from Damien Jaeger to Derrick.

"I just introduced myself a few moments ago!" Derrick added briskly.

"I must confess, bro. You have a beautiful wife!" He said with animation, "The finest flower in the garden!"

I was not flattered.

"I didn't know that you were a fan of Shakespeare." Damien Jaeger said with sarcasm.

"Lot of things you don't know about me, big bro." Derrick replied and eyed me briefly, "Lotta things."

"Oh well!" He said, "I should be off to bed then. You may have developed the habit of staying up all night but I definitely need some rest!"

Damien Jaeger picked up the teasing in his voice, "Very funny."

He returned to face me when Derrick left the living room, "Are you okay, Mélie?"

"Uhm- I'm fine." "I am okay." I repeated with unreal assurance.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Really?!" I said in an almost alarming tone. Realising this, I quickly added a light chuckle, "Well, I wasn't expecting to find a brother-in-law I had no idea existed in my living room after midnight."

"Sorry I didn't tell you about that, my love." Damien Jaeger said, "The thing is that it's more complicated than it appears."

"But I promise to tell you all about it." He added, "For now, Let's go to bed. It's quite late."

Although I desperately wanted to hear what he'd have to say, I simply agreed with him. My head was already heavy as it is. There couldn't be anything more complicated than the relationship between Derrick and I.

"Mélie, are you okay?"

I looked up at Damien Jaeger and heaved a light sigh, "I'm fine. Just tired."

"Why don't we sleep together tonight." Damien Jaeger suggested, "I can help you relax."

I sensed the teasing in his tone, "I'm good."

Damien Jaeger chuckled, "Sure. But you should know that you're supposed to be lying in bed beside me every night."

"Darcy is a big girl. If I keep coming to your room, I might not be able to stop myself one day." He bent over, whispering that last sentence in my ear.

I giggled lightly, "Stop being naughty, Damien Jaeger!"

"You make me naughty, my Queen!" I felt his hot breath on my neck and I pulled back quickly running up the stairs like a shy bride "Good night!" He yelled after me.

"Good night." I yelled back.
~

In bed. Sleep was far far away and I tossed and turned, the fluffy mattress suddenly feeling as hard as a rock. His image kept coming into sight when I closed my eyes and when I opened them, I saw him standing beside me or standing by the door with a menacing grin on his face.

Derrick. What was he doing here?

Why did he have to come back into my life after all these years and that too as Damien Jaeger's brother?

Why was this happening to me?

I grabbed the duvet and buried myself in it, curling up like a worm. The atmosphere had turned a trifle colder. Or was it just my paranoia?

Darcy cried beside me in her sleep. I inched closer to her and cuddled her for comfort, "It's okay, Princess. You're just having a nightmare."

"It's okay…Shhhh." I added and continued patting her hair until she stopped whimpering.

Maybe I was also having a nightmare and needed someone to comfort just like I did to Darcy.

Dreams turn to realities but sometimes our reality becomes our worst nightmare. The voice in my head reminded me.

But what do you do when your reality becomes a nightmare? I asked.

I don't know. It answered.

This oblivion sent my paranoia to new heights. Derrick. He was here to destroy my life like he did before! My past was back to haunt me!