Sleep
It was late one night, and Anne was going to sneak up to bed were her wife lay waiting for her or maybe already were asleep. She had come home late and missed dinner and tried to be as quiet as humanly possible to not alert anyone else in the house. It had all gone according to plan – no one had heard her come in and she was hoping to keep it that way so Marian wouldn’t arise from her slumber to give her a beratement. Argus had been in the way – as usual, but she had managed to creep past the dog without him ruining her plan.
She was now stood on the landing, outside Ann’s bedroom, in which she hardly ever slept, only occasionally when Anne hadn’t been home when they retired. Because it would look rather odd if Ann went into the brunette’s room instead. All though, Anne suspected they were all more or less aware of their arrangement. Just as she placed her hand on the doorknob to twist it, she heard someone behind her,
“Why are you sneaking into Ann’s room in the middle of the night?”
Anne turned around startled and was faced with her sister who stood in her favourite pose; hands on hips and her eyebrow quirked.
“Eh, Ann’s room? Oh, I promised to pop in when I came home so she knew I arrived back safely… and to eh, tell her a story.” Anne lied quickly cursing herself for telling the worst lie she had ever told. Marian didn’t look convinced but then she smirked,
“Oh really? You expect me to believe that Ann, a woman of one and thirty needs a bedtime story?”
“Well Ann struggles to sleep, you know that, and likes to have someone talk her to sleep.”
“Then you are the right woman for the job, talking someone to sleep I mean.”
“I thought to ask you, but I didn’t want her to die of boredom the poor thing.” Anne retorted and Marian rolled her eyes, before giving a reply,
“Then you won’t mind if I come with you and listen. I’m sure Ann wouldn’t mind. Unless there is something, you’re not telling me.”
“Hm no of course not. You can join in.”
“Open the door then.”
“Mm.” Anne bit her tongue as she turned to the open the door – she had no idea how she was going to manage situations now. Hopefully as elegant as she usually skipped between her scrapes. Ann sat up at the sound and seemed intent to leap out of bed to greet the brunette when she saw Marian with her and drew the covers back over herself.
“I’m back.” Anne smiled, “And here to tell you that bedtime story you wanted.”
“The wha… oh yes that!” Ann smoothed over her own confusion quickly when she saw Anne’s look. Anne sat down on the bed, wringing her hands nervously, trying to conjure a story in her mind to tell.
“Have I told you the story of… of”
“Of what?” Marian was enjoying this tormenting far too much and Anne glared at her sister before turning back to the blonde,
“of Ann…”
“Ann?! This sounds completely made up on the spot.” Marian cried in disbelief almost laughing and Anne gave her a sharp look,
“Would I be calling the protagonist Ann if it were made up? Please, Marian, I’m no idiot.”
“I want to hear this story about Ann is it with an e?” Ann asked amused and Anne gave her a look,
“No, it just so happens that this Ann has lost her e. Now she lived in a big old house by herself.”
“By herself, in a big old house? Named Ann? I think I know her.” Marian teased and Anne glared at her sister,
“Don’t interrupt. Anyway, she… close your eyes Ann or you won’t fall asleep.”
“Trust me, I want to hear this story.” Ann smirked and Anne sighed,
“She walked the empty halls of the manor one night and it was like the walls were speaking to her. Then appeared at the end of the hallway a beastly thing, a ghost of a horrendous woman that had lived in the house centuries past. She kept repeating words of doom, of eternal flames.”
“Is the story meant to put me to sleep or to frighten me to death?” Ann asked with her arms crossed and Anne realised, a story of a woman named Ann hearing voices might not have been the best thing she had thought up.
“Um, no, it was fine because then Ann woke up in her bed, it had all been a dream. Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling off, but she was in luck her friend came over.”
“Let me guess, her name was Ann, Ann with an e.” Marian interrupted, and Anne exhaled,
“No, in fact her name was Anna – you cannot make these stories up, Marian!”
“And they were close friends?”
“Yes, in fact Ann was going to be swept off on her greatest adventure yet…”
“This is so obviously a story you made up just now on the basis of you and Ann. Now, I’m going to bed, so I don’t have to witness this poor attempt at storytelling. I tell you what Anne, if you journal as bad as you tell stories – then thank God no one shall ever read them, they will certainly never make any theatrical production on your life, if told by yourself.” Marian stood up, then she yawned before making her way out the room,
“Good night.”
“Night.” Anne replied craning her neck to see that Marian shut the door completely before leaning down to kiss her wife.
“I’m so sorry, she saw me about to sneak in and I had to lie.”
“You know Marian knows right?”
“Uh…”
“This was completely unnecessary. You are way too dramatic for your own good.” Ann chuckled kindly and Anne shook her head at her before kissing her again.
“Where you asleep?”
“No, I was waiting for you. You know I can hardly sleep without you.”
“I’ll just call for Eugenie and get undressed and I will be back shortly.” Anne smiled and Ann stopped her with her hand.
“I’ll come to you. Your bed is much comfier anyway, I sleep better there.”
“Good. I’ll prepare for bed and then you’ll join me.” Anne leant forwards to capture her lips in a chaste kiss before standing up to do what she had just said. All though there wasn’t much sleep to be had when it came to that… *insert Anne’s eyebrow thingy that she does for the camera*