Ian woke up with a start--not because he had a nightmare or anything, but because he felt like he was sleeping for too long.
It took him a minute for the fear of doing something wrong to dissipate, as the glowing stars were blinking at him from the ceiling. He could only breathe in relief when he felt a little hand touching his arm and heard a soft breathing sound beside him.
Turning to the side, his lips automatically stretched into a soft smile at the sight of a little girl curling up while hugging her bunny doll. Gently, as light as the air, he stroked the girl's head, caressing her smooth hair for a minute until he flinched because Hannah was mumbling in her sleep.
Carefully, ever so carefully, he slipped out of the blanket. After making sure Hannah wasn't disturbed by his movement, he washed his face with cold water, convincing himself that it wasn't a dream.
Yeah, it wasn't a dream. He was in his son's apartment, sleeping in the same bed as his granddaughter.
