Author: SoThatHappened

Shaw was asleep when Root got in. For some reason she had expected Shaw to be awake, waiting, and as Root walked through the empty downstairs she wondered if maybe Shaw was out. But as she went into their room and saw Shaw splayed out, asleep on the bed she realised that maybe she hadbeen trying to stay awake, but she had fallen asleep accidentally. Bear was asleep on the end of the bed, he lifted his head to look at Root then quickly went back to sleep.

Root stood at the end of the bed and watched Shaw for a moment, she almost looked completely lifeless, aside from the rising and falling of her chest as she breathed, and the tiny twitch of her fingers that were resting against the pillow. She was face down on the bed, her dark hair sprawled across the pillow beside her. She hadn't even made it under the covers yet. Laying there in a sweatshirt and boxers Root couldn't help but smile.

Shaw had left Root with Garret in the safe house after quickly establishing there was no threat, she had clearly determined that giving the two of them some space couldn't do any harm, particularly Root.

Root had told her to stay, but she hadn't. By the looks of it, she'd only gone to the gym and then come back here. No new numbers, no shooting, and there didn't appear to be a single new scratch on her body.

Root pulled her clothes off piece by piece, still facing the bed, still looking at Shaw who hadn't batted an eyelid.

Root hadn't known quite how to feel when she had walked in the door moments ago, her head had been swirling with the conversation she had with Garret, who had suddenly remerged from her past. Bringing up things she had purposefully forgotten, asking her questions that she thought she would never have to answer, about why she left, about her whole other life that seemed like more than just one lifetime ago.

She thought it would confuse her more than anything, make her sad, having to relive that time of her life where she was so young and alone. But for some reason, a strange clarity was now hanging over her head and heart. As she considered where she was now, and then she had walked into the bedroom, and seen her wife, perfect as ever, asleep on their bed. In their home. With their dog. She was exactly where she wanted to be. By no means did this fix anything that had happened, but it reminded her at least of what she had now, and how much that meant to her.

Root walked around to Shaw's side of the bed and tried to pull the covers out from underneath her, Shaw just grumbled lightly but didn't move.

"Sam" she said softly "you're gonna get cold."

Shaw made a soft sleepy sound but still didn't budge, and Root let out a light sigh as she climbed onto the bed beside Shaw.

"You don't need to wake up, okay" Root said pulling Shaw up a little.

"What're you doing" Shaw mumbled her eyes fluttering a little as she felt Root pull her off the pillow so she was sitting up.

"Laying on top of the blankets doesn't have quite the same effect as being underneath them" Root said kicking the blankets back, Bear not bothering to move. Root gently lay Shaw back down and then pulled the covers back up over them both. Shaw was asleep again within seconds, Root turned onto her side to look at Shaw.

"Stop" Shaw mumbled suddenly and her hand moved out to cover Root's face. Root smirked beneath her hand wondering if Shaw knew she was looking at her.

"Stop what sweetie?" Root asked and Shaw just grumbled something before rolling over onto her back, throwing her other arm out to the side.

Root smiled a little letting her eyes slowly shut as she considered where she was now, her happy place.

*

When Root woke up the next morning Shaw was still asleep. She lay there for a moment and let her eyes adjust to the light, listening to the quiet silence that filled their home, before she turned over and looked at Shaw. Root briefly wondered if Shaw had taken some kind of high powered sleeping tablet because it was unusual for her to sleep so much. She lightly poked Shaw in the leg with her toe. Shaw didn't stir. She moved closer to Shaw so that their bodies were touching and then lightly bit her earlobe. Shaw mumbled a little and Root quickly dodged an arm that was flung out from under the covers.

"What?" Shaw grumbled her eyes still shut. Root lifted an eyebrow.

"Good morning" she said softly and Shaw let out a sigh opening her eyes a little and looking at Root.

"No." Shaw said and Root smirked.

"It's after nine, Sam" Root said and Shaw just shut her eyes again.

"You're annoying." Shaw said and Root arched an eyebrow.

"And you're grouchy" Root said "Do you want me to make you coffee?"

Shaw opened her eyes again and stared at the ceiling. "No."

Root looked at Shaw, noticing that she was being a little sharp.

"You okay?" Root asked and Shaw continued to stare upwards, blinking slowly as she began to wake up more.

"You did something uncharacteristically shitty" Shaw said and Root arched an eyebrow with a ounce of concern creeping into her veins.

"When?" Root asked "What did I do?"

"You cheated on me," Shaw said turning to look at Root "With Garret."

"What?" Root almost choked on the word as it spluttered from her mouth in shock. "Sameen, what are you talking about?"

"I can't believe you." Shaw said with a frown, looking back up at the ceiling, reaching up towards it then letting her hands fall back down onto her forehead.

"Sam" Root almost shouted, sitting up and staring at her Shaw. "I didn't cheat on you..."

"Oh you did." Shaw said looking at Root who was staring at her in bewilderment with a grief stricken concern forming on her face.

Root opened her mouth to speak but too many words rushed to the edge of her tongue and she couldn't even form a coherent sentence, with the thousands of thoughts racing around her mind. She closed her mouth again and Shaw sighed loudly.

"I'm so mad." Shaw said and Root just frowned deeply.

"Why the fuck would I cheat on you with Garret?" Root asked shaking her head in confusion "Sam, I don't understand where this is coming from...it's not even true."

"How would you know?" Shaw asked raising an eyebrow "it was my dream."

Root stared at her blankly.

"What?"

"I said, it was my dream." Shaw said and yawned.

Root stared at her without saying anything, then finally Shaw realised why she seemed so agitated and arched an eyebrow.

"Wait did you think I meant..."

"Yesterday" Root finished and Shaw just stared at her.

"Oh my god" Shaw said and Root glared at her.

"I wouldn't cheat on you," Root said through gritted teeth. "Ever."

"Well you did" Shaw said "In my dream," she paused. "I can't believe you thought I meant for real, although I'm still angry."

"But it was a dream" Root protested.

"It still happened." Shaw said staring at Root.

Root blinked as she looked at Shaw, wondering what the hell she was meant to do now that Shaw was angry about something that didn't even happen. She also wondered why Shaw had even had a dream that Root had cheated on her, was it her subconscious trying to tell her something... did she maybe have a trust issue, or was it just one of those stupid brain things.

"I'm sorry" Root said with a frown and Shaw just looked at her.

"Asshole." she said and Root sighed.

"Sam..." she said with a pout her voice whiny. Shaw just stared at her.

"You slept with that nerd sack... instead of me." Shaw shook her head, running her hands over her face and rubbing her eyes. "I can't... why would you even go there."

"I didn't" Root said with a frown.

"Ugh" Shaw said "I'm so grossed out, and mad."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Root asked and Shaw just looked at her.

"You cheated on me, with Vader boy, and then thought you could get away with not telling me." Shaw frowned. "Doesn't that break up some people's marriages?"

"Sam," Root groaned "It didn't even happen though!"

Shaw just sighed and pulled herself out of bed and heading for the door. "I thought I was doing an okay job at this wife shit," Shaw said as she started to disappear from sight, going down the stairs. Root quickly clambered off the bed, grabbing the nearest shirt and throwing it over her naked body and following after Shaw.

"But it turns out, if you put the right nerd in the picture, that gets overruled."

"Will you shut up?" Root asked following Shaw into the kitchen. "I have literally done nothing wrong."

"Oh, you've done plenty" Shaw said starting to make coffee.

"Are you seriously mad at me about this?" Root asked and Shaw spun around.

"The fact that you would do that to me ever, dreams included, makes me very angry." Shaw said and Root just let out a frustrated sigh, pushing Shaw out of the way so that she could make them coffee, figuring it was now the least she could do.

"Sam, I would never fucking cheat on you okay" Root said again "Like ever, ever ever."

"But you did, Root." Shaw said and sat down at the counter.

"It was a dream, Sameen" Root said loudly "it doesn't fucking count."

"It counts enough." Shaw said and Root stared at her with her jaw locked.

"So you're gonna tell people I cheated on you?" Root said, realising quickly that this was possibly her worst nightmare. Having the love of her life beyond angry for doing something that didn't even fucking happen in real life, and clearly not being able to do a damn thing about it.

"Why would I tell people?" Shaw said and Root let out a low growl as she poured their coffee, sliding Shaw's mug across the counter to her.

"You understand the concept that I didn't actually touch another person right?" Root said and Shaw sipped her coffee.

"Doesn't matter if you did or not, the image is burned into my mind." Shaw said.

Root frowned and Shaw looked at her.

"You're being a dick" Root said shaking her head and looking away from Shaw.

"Better than having one inside me when I'm already married." Shaw shot back and Root immediately turned back to her with a death glare. "I didn't even know you were into that, no matter how many nerd references he can make."

"Sameen." Root growled. "Stop. It."

Shaw took another sip of coffee and stared at the counter top with a frown creasing her forehead. Root looked at her and let out a sigh, putting down her mug and walking around to the other side of the counter where Shaw was, turning Shaw's seat bar stool around so they were facing each other.

"Can you just..." Root struggled to find any of the right words as she searched Shaw's eyes. "Not make me feel terrible about something I did in your dream."

"It felt real." Shaw said staring into Root's eyes.

"But it wasn't" Root said softly putting her hands on Shaw's legs. "I would never..." a small smile crept onto her face in amusement "I would never even dream of cheating on you."

"Lucky you." Shaw said expressionlessly, and Root just looked at her without saying anything.

"You know I love you," Root said after a beat of silence. "I would never even consider anyone else, especially Garret, he's so..." her voice trailed off and she looked at Shaw. "You're so sexy, and strong...why would I ever even look at someone else?"

"Sexy and strong?" Shaw repeated "Those are my two selling points?"

Root just frowned, feeling her heart aching in her chest and a heavy feeling in her body that unsettled her immensely.

"You're making me feel horrible." Root said quietly.

"Well imagine my shock" Shaw said "when I'm suddenly struck with an abnormal amount of deeply troubling emotions...in my sleep."

Root stared at her. "You...felt it?"

"Yeah, I sure fucking did." Shaw said.

"Sam" Root said her voice nothing more than a whisper as she took Shaw's face in her hands and looked at her. "You know I'm here, forever. You're my... happy place." Root said and the troubled angry look in Shaw's eye softened for a moment.