She couldn't sleep. After hours of tossing and turning and pacing, Audrey couldn't shake a bad feeling out of her heart. Frustrated, she walked to her closet, deciding she must just be cold. Upon opening it, she found herself face to face with Eli's sweater. She reached out and felt along its arm, so soft and well worn.

Maybe she just needed a drink of water. Yes, she thought, that has to be it. It wasn't that she wanted to check on Eli, though. Definitely not. She tiptoed down the hallway and then the stairs, carefully avoiding the ones that she knew creaked.

In the darkness, she tried to hear if he was sleeping. A little snore, or a mumble. She remembered how he used to mumble in his sleep. Instead, she heard a quiet, "Audrey?" She clicked on a lamp, adorning the room in a dull orange light.

"Eli." Her nose crinkled. He was sat up on the sofa, book in his lap. "What are you doing up?"

"Reading." He said, as if it were that obvious. "You?"

Audrey put a hand on her hip. "Getting water." She shook her head, "It was pitch black, how were you reading?" She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to read his feelings.

Eli reached down and showed her a small flashlight. Audrey chuckled. "You couldn't sleep?" She took a step closer as she asked.

Eli shrugged, fingers tapping on his book. "Me neither." Audrey admitted. She could feel something else lingering too, an emotion radiating off of Eli that had kept her from sleeping.

She took a hesitant seat beside him on the couch, not too close. "Are you okay, Eli?" She asked softly. Eli glanced up at her and gulped. A tear escaped his eye and he felt stupid for crying.

As soon as he did, though, Audrey put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I was thinking," He said so quietly it was almost a whisper, "About how I hurt you. And I don't know how to make it better. I'm so sorry for hurting you, Audrey. And I didn't know you would be- I thought you'd be better off-" He choked on his own words and put his hands over his face, elbows rested on his knees.

"Eli, I understand." Audrey said firmly, though she felt herself tearing up at his breaking in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed on to him as tightly as she could. "It's okay." She whispered, planting a chaste kiss on his cheek as she pulled away.

"You were trying to protect me. You did what you thought was right." She grabbed his hands and pulled them towards her. "You're back now, that's all that matters." She rubbed circles on his wrists with her thumbs as she talked.

Eli nodded, feeling slightly better as he wiped his face. Audrey took his book and placed it on the coffee table. She got up, off of the sofa. "Lay down and go to sleep." She instructed, picking up his abandoned blanket and laying it over top of him as he silently obeyed her.

Audrey, seeing the worry lines still over his face, jaw clenched and fresh tears brewing in his eyes, sighed and knelt down on the floor.

She knelt beside the sofa, and quietly started to stroke through his hair. It was surreal, as she felt this was something she would get butterflies about. But, it was so very natural, combing her fingers through his feathery hair.

Audrey watched Eli's frown slowly disappear as he drifted to sleep. She smiled and the slow, rhythmic sound of his breathing, and started to feel a wave of tiredness overtake her as well.

****

Angie was an early riser. At 6 AM, she pulled on her nightgown and tied back her hair. Before she walked downstairs, she cracked open her daughter's door, an old habit. Audrey was gone.

Her heart beat a little faster as she walked downstairs, wondering what she would find. Underneath the faint glow of the living room lamp, she found her daughter.

Sat on the floor, Audrey was pressed against the couch, head lulling on the arm rest, hand frozen in place, mid-way through Eli's hair. Angie took in the scene for a moment, so innocent and yet so deeply intimate. 

She walked over to her daughter and lightly shook her awake. Groggy and still mostly asleep, Audrey growled. "Come on, sweetie." She whispered, pulling Audrey up to stand, "Get back to bed before Grandma wakes up."

As Audrey slowly made her way upstairs, Angie crossed her arms, feeling an indescribable emotion. She was sure she had just witnessed love. She sucked in an uneasy breath and watched as Eli's fingers twitched in his sleep. Somehow, in his unconscious state, aware that Audrey had left his side. 

****

Audrey walked over to the sofa and sat, handing Eli a cup of coffee. Eli took it gratefully and placed it on the coffee table. She decided to act casually, though her back and neck ached, and her morning pill combined with the lack of sleep was making it difficult to even be awake. 

"What are you reading?" She asked, taking a sip from her own cup. She folded her legs up and shuffled to face him. "All The Light We Cannot See." He showed her the cover and she smiled sleepily.

"It looks good." She said, and leaned her head against the couch cushion. Eli automatically started reading out loud to her, and she didn't stop him. She put her mug down on the table and closed her eyes.

It felt an awful lot like home, sitting on her sofa, fireplace blazing, Eli reading to her in his soft voice. As Eli read, her old feelings crept back in. And for the first time since they reunited; Audrey didn't fight them.

Ten minutes later, she was soundly asleep, a contented look on her face. Angie walked downstairs, having showered and dressed, and smiled at the sight before her.

She quietly ushered Eli into the kitchen. Eli followed, slightly nervous to be alone with a woman who he couldn't imagine thought very good things about him. As she pulled out a carton of eggs she stated, "She's so different around you. So calm." She closed the fridge door and looked at him, "And so happy."

"It's Audrey," Eli leaned against the counter, "Isn't happy her natural state?"

Angie shook her head, "Not like that. I'm not sure I've ever seen her like this. Content and happy." She seemed teary eyed as she said it, but continued to smile. Eli couldn't think of a single thing to say to her, so instead watched as she whisked together pancake batter, and helped to fry eggs. 

After a while, the smell of home cooked food filled the house, which made Eli smile. It had been a long time since he'd smelled home cooked food. Angie had flicked the radio on, and music softly filled the quiet moments. As Angie handed Eli the plates to set the table, Eli finally felt comfortable enough to speak his mind. 

"Thanks," He said, "For telling me." 

Angie smiled a genuinely happy smile. "Thanks for being here." She replied. 

((A/N: Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality - Emily Dickinson))