peaceonearth | Memories Bring Back You

His head instantly gravitated to rest against hers and nuzzle between her ear and her shoulder. Tea usually signified that it was close to supper time but her suggestion was met with little resistance too. He wasn't really getting anywhere reading the same lines more than once in either case. Even so he had to blink a couple of times to move his eyes from the pages up Ruby and not agitate his magraine by moving his head quickly. His eyes looked tired but smiled because she made most things seem alright. The last few weeks his headaches seemed relatively normal to the study process, but the vivid day dreams did also accompany them.

"You're right. I'll take a break and pick up later." Her soft tone fills in what she isn't saying and he doesn't want to worry her. He pauses to consider how long he's actually been working as the magraine started mid-day with the daydreaming. His eyes flick down at his phone for the time to give her an accurate answer. "Five or six hours. It started around lunch. It's been a little harder to concentrate but I'm alright. I promise."

He sees her softness become concern and that is what helps him open up about the nagging little detail at the back of his mind. "Though this small amount of exam stress has got me day dreaming about us too. I've wanted to come back here all day and see you."

It's not close to supper time, but the tea has willow bark, peppermint, and aspirin powder, all of which will help his head. She leans her head against his when he puts it on her shoulder. She knows by the way he didn't resist a break that he needs one.

"I'll give you neck and head massage too. That should help." She frowns at his assessment of the headache. "Okay, but if it doesn't go away after the break, you might need rest and more water."

She tilts her head at his confession. "Daydreaming about us how?" Normally, she'd turn 'tell me your dreams' into something flirty, but the way he said it makes her think it's more than just the usual sexy dreams.

He's passed the point where he can convince even himself much less Ruby that he can push past it. But Ruby is the biggest factor here. He exhales sharply but is able to relax with her head supporting his head and then inhales deeply, taking in her scent that he missed since the morning. After a few moments like this, he has a sip of the tea in his hands.

"Are you sure you're not busy? I can go lie down if you are." His eyes blink some more but he can tell from her body language she isn't going if he isn't feeling well. He half smiles trying to assure her and he winces a little as a result. "There's something in the tea, correct?" He asks, inquisitive but working toward a point. "I'll drink this and rest. I promise."

He confirms with a nod that the daydreaming seems to have something to do with it. "It's different from the dreams I'm having. It almost seems real. Bits and pieces of something... But none of it made any sense. You still looked like you one of them but more distant than you do now. It... it almost seemed like you were mouthing something to me but I couldn't make out the words. I think a voice said 'Don't fight it'. I saw places I don't recognize. Things that I could have researched while choosing what to write my paper on. I was flipping through my textbooks and search history for answers since I got home, but I didn't find anything." It would be easier if they had all been sexy daydreams.

He has to take care of himself in order to do well in school. She's glad to feel him relax against her, to see him sip the tea. That's a start to helping him feel better.

"Not at all. I just finished answering some emails for work," she assures him. He's right: she's not going anywhere when he's feeling poorly. "No magic. Yet. Just willow bark, aspirin, a few other herbs, and honey to make it all taste better." She runs her fingers through his hair. "The rest will help as much as the tea," she promises.

She grows more serious as he talks about the dreams. Obviously, she can't tell him they're real; he's already got a headache from them. Instead, he'll have to figure that out for himself. She can try to talk him through it though. His description of the dream doesn't make her recall any one particular moment. "Well, I've looked this way for the last two hundred and some odd years so it's not surprising that I looked the same in your dream. Can you describe the places? Maybe I've been there."

What would he do without her?

"Alright. Then stay with me, please." He can't help but sound like he's asking her a favor. It's polite. "It feels like magic when you make it." He moves slightly to nudge her then lean his head back against hers at a more comfortable angle.

He can't make heads or tails of her serious expression just as he can't make out what he's seen and trying to explain. There's too much splitting him in different directions. However, her talking him through it helps him choose where to start; the clearest thing about it is Ruby. He shakes. "Not any obe place exactly, but I felt as if we were back in the bunker in one of them. You were there and I didn't feel there was danger."

"Always," she promises him, dipping her head to kiss his temple. She smiles softly at his comment. "Sometimes it is. The tea you drink in the morning is." But he knows that; she hasn't ever tried to hide what the tea he drinks in the morning does (helps him live longer and healthier). She lets him get settled against her, wrapping her arms around him.

Talking him through the dreams and memories is one thing that she can do. She nods a little. She assumes that he isn't talking about some of the memories from the last time they stayed at the bunker. "I lived in the bunker for a long time," a hint for him, "it's the safest place I know of."

He hums favorably at the kiss upon his temple. It could only just be the placebo effect but her affection feels like it temporarily soothes his mind from the ache. He never needed to know what was in the tea to trust her, but he finds the honesty and up frontness from Ruby is always refreshing. In turn her arms wrapped around him encourage him to close his eyes. It helps him go back to some of the flashes that crossed his head space.

Little do they both know, he'll be able to unlock all of his memories in time due to her support and the comfort she provides him. He senses that nod even if he can't see it. He might have otherwise convinced himself the memories were from the first time he visited or day dreams all together. He remains thoughtful about the images for a moment and what they mean. "You mean the sigils on the wall? The ones that keep demons and angels and ghosts out?" Images of the various symbols flash across his mind as if he studied them at one time or another. In truth, he only recognized a few that his parents or Ruby taught him in case of emergencies at the time. Now he sort of felt more connected to the sigils. As if they held a special interest. "What would you say if I wanted to go back there on the break. I feel like I have to."

Placebos get a bad rap; it doesn't really matter if it's a placebo as long as it works. Sam has known Ruby is a witch and a demon most of his life so she's always been upfront about when she was dosing him with magic.

That's her hope, but they'll be okay together and separately even if he never recovers those memories. She nods a little. "The demon ones had to be altered a little when I moved in." Sam was the one who helped her figure out how to alter them. "It's also a literal bunker. It can withstand a nuclear blast. It's a literal armory as well as a magical one." She can't help but smile at his request. "We can leave as soon as you finish your last final."

He loves her with his whole heart (being) so naturally they will be alright. His eyes are a mix of green and blue, hearing everything she tells him with interest. "How did you alter it? I want to learn how you do incredible things and how you think with that mind of yours." He's every bit sure she had some part in altering the bunker sigil. He vaguely recalls the three red dots next to the sigil in the bunker (the first one was Ruby's blood, the other blood being the girls). He's every bit encouraged and turned on a little bit that his school work and finals have now become a task for a reward. "I think I should kiss you right now." He maintains eye contact, looking up at her.

She smiles softly at his encouragement to tell him more about the sigils. Her fingers continue to comb through his hair as she talks to him in a quiet voice. "A lot of research and some help from my husband, but once I understood how the sigils worked, I could create a spell to change them using my blood. Me and the girls are the only demons that can get into the bunker." She's not trying to take full credit for the spell (which had been pretty major), but she's also not trying to push those memories he's on the cusp of uncovering too quickly either.

"I think you should always kiss me," she tells him, dipping her head and meeting him halfway into that kiss.

She won't need to tell him about his own active role in redesigning the warding on the bunker when his memories do return to him. Whenever her husband comes up, he doesn't want to push too much. Of course he's still curious. He doesn't feel the need to compete with the ghost of her former husband though. "Yeah, I've heard he was a genius. I would like to see how you do it sometime. Think Aleksandra and Zuzanna will want to visit anytime soon?" He can't explain it but they give him a warm feeling when they're around. He also gets to see a whole other side of Ruby that he enjoys to his very core.

He obliges her words with action, kissing her until the last bit of air in his lungs leaves through his nostrils. He pecks her again to let her know he's ready to separate. "Stay a while?" he asks. "We should order something in" He recognizes that he's been hungry for a while.

It's good that he doesn't push too much simply because there's so little she can tell him. There is no competition and he'll realize how right he was to feel that way in the next few years. "He was very smart. The notes for the spell are at the bunker. We can look over them while we're there." she agrees. It makes her smile when he mentions Alek and Zuzu. "I bet we could convince them to visit. Make a weekend of it." The girls had seen the penthouse separately when they'd first gotten it, but they hadn't come to visit recently.

"I'll stay as long as you like," she promises him once the kiss breaks. "Food is a good idea. Is there anything that sounds good to you?"

It'll nag at him for the next couple of months as to why he's having such vivid daydreams, but Ruby's presence helps let it rest for now. "I'll mention it again when we have a chance to visit the bunker next time." He smiles when he sees her smile so open and warm. "Great! Once I get past midterms, my calendar is clear. I'm sure they want to visit you again too." Of course he would think he shouldn't monopolize all their time if the girls came to visit their mother.

"Mexican. Or spicy pizza." He doesn't have to think about it, rather sort of blurts it out. Headaches have always made him crave spice. "We should get some spicy Mexican fries. Grande size. Um, maybe some chips and salsa." Yes. It's one of those nights where all the regimen is out.

"Sounds like we have a plan: bunker trip, then back here to visit with the girls whenever they can." The girls will be happy to have him along and even to do things with just the three of them. Of course, they'll also do some things with just their mother. Alek and Zuzu are glad to have their dad back, even if he doesn't know he's their dad yet.

"Mexican sounds good. We'll get you some chicken tortilla soup too with extra spice." Falling 'off the wagon' so to speak is good for him sometimes, especially when he's stressed.

Sam thinks of combining the trip with the visit almost immediately but he has this raw feeling in his gut that tells him that it would be a lot at once. He reasons it would be unfair to ask both girls to meet them on a specific day or timeline. He's fine with letting it happen as it's most feasible to Ruby's children. "It'd be very gracious if we ask the two of them together." He got positive vibes leaning towards approval from them last time. It's important to him that he shows he returns the same sentiment.

He can't hide the fact that his head still pounds when he flinches as he lights up because she remembers his exact preference for Mexican food. He runs his fingers over lips appreciatively. "You remembered. But this time I think we should order two of everything. What you got last time was really good, too." He's hungry enough that he knows they'll need more to share.

Yeah, the bunker is going to be a lot to process with these memories coming back. Ruby wants to give him time to process that before the girls come to visit. She doesn't think he'll remember them this early (though he might) but she doesn't want to overload him. It'll be more enjoyable for all of them that way. Ruby can't help but smile at his suggestion and phrasing. "We'll facetime them when you feel better," she assures him. The girls absolutely approve and want to get to know him regardless of his memories.

"Okay. You finish your tea. I'll make the order. Shut down your laptop. We're just going to watch movies tonight."

Unfortunately, his memories aren't going to make sense for a while and he will have a number of other theories before it makes sense. He appreciates Ruby's help with the way he is feeling now. Saying that he feels like a crapshoot would be putting it mildly. They've been a 'them' for at least a few years now. He'll use every opportunity to show her it. He leans back on the couch when she mentions his feeling better as a soft condition. He agrees with her and powers down his laptop. "Okay. When you put it like that, I have to work on feeling better, right." He reaches for the blanket that is at the end of the long sectional and beckons Ruby to lay with him. "Use my phone" he hands her his device to make the order so she stays.

His lips pull into a line to indicate that he has a thought. Movies sounded perfect. "Nothing that makes me think too hard," he suggests. He knew he needed something simple to follow to also help him rest.

That's okay. They'll work through it together until his memories do make sense. She'll encourage him to write the theories and memories down so that he can work through them that way. She'll help by posing questions for him and confirming what he sees, but she can't confirm any of his theories or provide much context to his memories.

"Exactly," she agrees with his plan to work on feeling better. She snuggles up with him, places the order, and starts trying to decide on a movie. Since it's close to Christmas, she suggests a cheesy, holiday romance that has a predictable plot and a happy ending. Once the food arrives, she'll retrieve it, set it up across the coffee table in front of them, and refill both of their water tumblers.

In time, he will journal his experiences in a separate binder as a means to communicate with Ruby. They both could write in it back and forth as he comes up with questions, theories and notes. He will greatly appreciate her advice if only because right now and in the near future he wouldn't want her to see him as crazy.

He's quiet for a moment when she snuggles up to him, only until his headache ebbs again. He gets himself comfortable by the time the Christmas options come up on the screen. He was thinking the same thing but in contrast points out a Thanksgiving romance might also work. When the food arrives, they have the options narrowed down and Sam is given permission from Ruby to choose the best one. He presses start and pauses on a classic before his time, The Santa Clause 2 to wait for Ruby. The challenge that Santa Claus faces in the movie is marrying a Mrs. Claus to save Christmas. Sam won't deny if Ruby asks that he still enjoys heroic storylines.

Little does he know they did something similar in another life. It's a good idea though and journaling will help him cope, but also might help him uncover the truth of his dreams and memories. She knows he's not crazy. Even if he were, as he'll eventually remember, she'd stay with him.

Ruby readily agrees to the Thanksgiving romance. She's more concerned that the movie be something he can relax with than she is with the content. Ruby settles in just as Sam gets the movie sorted. She pulls the coffee table closer so that neither of them will have to reach much for the food. "I haven't seen this one in decades," she responds as she opens up a container of food and offers him a fork.

All he can do is thank her one day for being by his side through it all. As for right now, he's open to any suggestion she may have on how to cope with what is going on with him. At the very least he knows it can't be related to school stress because the pictures in his head all seem to make him feel comforted even though his head hurts. If he were to go a little crazy, he'd also be comforted in her sticking by his side.

Yes, some parts might be a little questionable to begin with but it's a straightforward romance. No thought required. The music that begins the movie is one they both know to start playing in stores all across America even before Halloween is over. He casts a side look of fond appreciation at Ruby for the table closer to them. He doesn't let her do all the work though and sorts out the food between them. He knows what she might say about his head and doesn't mess with it too much though. He sits back before long, shoulder bumping hers. "First time watching for me. No spoilers," he jests, knowing she wouldn't. He accepts the fork and sticks it in the container to fork out a bite to eat. The restaurant she ordered from always takes care to prepare the best and he smiles with appreciation. "Wow! You should try it." He sticks his fork into another bite, but offers it up to her rather than himself.

The fact that the memories comfort him without context is something. The stress probably contributes to his headaches, but it isn't the cause of the memories. Sam might not realize it yet, but she's there for the long run.

The questionable parts can be waved away easily enough. She opens her carton of food and mixes it up a little, taking a bite out of a tamale. She makes a zip-it gesture at his jest, bumping his shoulder in return. It's one of their favorite places to eat either dine-in or take-out. At his urging, she leans in to take a bite from his fork, eyes widening a bit and she hums an appreciative noise. "And that's why I usually get that one." She'd gotten something different this time so they could share. She cuts a small piece of her chicken enchiladas and holds it out to him to try.

His whole (secondary) life he felt safe and not shared the emotional turmoil in his sense of being and upbringing that his first life had instilled in him. Jack had made certain that the memories that did come back to him first would at the very most be the ones that were less likely to traumatize him. To that effect, the familiarity of what he was seeing with his headaches helped comfort him.

The truth of the matter is they make a good team at ignoring the questionable parts. Part of that is he's still half tuned into Ruby and the food. He has a better idea than having things seperate. "Wait, wait. We should lay everything out and share." They normally always just eat from each other cartons but this time it seems easier to spread it out with how much she's ordered. His face when she tries the bite from his fork is one of Didn't I tell you? mixed in with a chuckle. Naturally, the way she does it turns him on a bit. "So, what did you get this time?" He looks over her container to see what else there might be other than chicken enchiladas. She needn't ask twice before he leans back just enough to see what she holds out and open his mouth to accept it. He chews it for a few seconds to really grasp the seasoning in the sauce. "This is heaven. Why haven't we ordered it before? Is it new on the menu?," he asks, mouthful, before swallowing.

In accordance with the agreement that Jack and Ruby made, he won't ever get some of those memories, like the ones from Souless or Hell. Of course, there are some that he needs to provide context to their lives and they will be upsetting, like what happened in Heaven (he has to know why he gave it up and why things need to be different this time), but anything traumatizing that won't provide depth and context gets left behind. Plus, with Ruby around to trigger the memories, it makes sense that memories of her would show up first, and most of those are good.

She readily agrees to his idea, pauses a moment then dashes off for him to hold on. She gets up and returns after a moment with the extra large wooden lap desk she sometimes uses for her laptop when she works in bed or on the couch. She places all the food on that and then moves it into their laps. There are pork tamales (of course), empanadas, elotes off the cob, and tacos. She definitely ordered too much, but they will have leftovers for a little while. "I don't know if it's new, but it's something we're adding to the rotation."

He would have been content with spreading things out over the table but Sam is happy to see where this goes. Upon her return, he lifts his arms up to take the laptop tray from her and holds it steadily for her to place the food on to. Of course he expects her to either sit in his lap or press close to him and adjusts the desk accordingly when she's done. All the extra food means is that they can stay in for a couple of days without worrying about it. Once his hands are free, he moves one to hug her closer to him around the small of her back and settle in. "Yes, please. You're in charge of food from here on out." He only jests the second part to express how smart her choice in ordering was.

She doesn't sit in his lap but does slide close, her shoulder pressing against his, her legs tucked up away from him so that the trap lays evenly across their legs. She laughs softly at that. "Okay, but we'll be eating a lot of fries," she warns teasingly

He probably would have felt the sensation of his heart jump out of his chest had she moved any closer. As it is, his heart is barely beating steady with her so close. He's forgotten about his headache already. He has a few ideas how they could get away with fries for a week or so. "There's curly fries, there's poutine and all different kinds. I think we could get away with it for a while," he accepts her warning as a challenge. Maybe they could make it what they do for lunch every day.

“Hashbrowns count if we’re counting poutine. There’s also latkes and thick cut fries. I don’t think I’ve ever made you latkes though. I’ll put it on my to-do list,” she tells him.

Once his finals are over, they’ll get packed up for a trip to the bunker so he can explore it and compare it with some of his newfound memories. Depending on how he feels after that, maybe they’ll stop by Alek or Zuzu’s to say hi.

"Are you suggesting we turn this into a cooking date?" he leans closer to her. Yes or no, he's intrigued either way as he's always been a fan of her cultural food.

They could pack the night before and be gone the minute he finishes his last exam. Fortunately, his last exam runs from 9 AM to 11 AM so there would be a lot of daylight left. He'd never say no to saying hello to the girls. Of course if his head hurt, he would suggest putting it off for a day to let the head pangs subside.

"I do have potatoes." Her kitchen is much better stocked than it used to be now that Sam lives with her full time.

A road trip will be good for them. She'll let him be in charge of the things they stop to see. They can drive until they're tired or hungry and then stop for the night in a decent hotel, because she refuses to sleep in dives anymore.

Memories Bring Back You | Life 2

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