Dream A Little Dream Of Me

Mercedes opened her eyes slowly against the warmth of the sun and smiled down at the arm that rested lazily on her stomach. The clock beside the bed told her it was almost noon. Sighing happily, she turned into the embrace of Jack Mercer, studying the peaceful expression on his still sleeping face. Quietly and with as much stealth as she could muster in her still sleepy state, she rolled over on top of her lover and buried her face in his neck, placing a small kiss beneath his ear and traveling downwards slowly towards his collarbone. He shifted, groaning as she laughed and continued to kiss her way over to his mouth.

“Wake up.” She said softly, placing a kiss on his parted lips and running her tongue across them lightly. “The morning’s almost over.”

“Mmm.” It was halfway between a purr and another groan but he opened his eyes slightly, one eyebrow raised.

“Good morning.” Mercedes smiled down at Jack, resting one arm on either side of his head and leaning in to kiss his neck again. He lifted the sheets momentarily, staring down the length of their bodies, then back at her.

“You’re naked…” He said playfully, biting his lip as her mouth found his ear and her tongue ran up the length of it, nipping lightly at the lobe. Hands instinctually found her hips and ran themselves up her sides slowly, relishing the feel of the soft flesh beneath his palms.

“Mmhmm.” She replied coaxingly, kissing down his jaw and then finding his collar bone and nipping playfully at the skin there. A hushed moan escaped his lips as she traveled lower still, tracing a trail to one nipple, sucking it slowly before running her tongue lightly over it and traveling lower still. Before she could travel any lower however, two strong arms had pulled her quickly upwards again as his mouth found hers in a searing kiss.

Mercedes moaned into his mouth as his fingers found her entrance and though she was already wet he inserted one finger, causing her to arch against him, her breath catching in her throat.

“Someone woke up on the right side of the bed this morning.” He quipped, placing another finger inside and groaning as she tightened around him.

“Mmmm.” She smiled, removing herself from his fingers and leaning in for another kiss as she lowered herself onto him. The moans that escaped their lips were low and throaty as she began moving with him, slowly at first though the pace quickly picked up. Morning sex had become somewhat of a ritual for the two, both knew they woke up hornier than rabbits and a quickie to start the day managed to put a smile on their faces until Mercedes got off of work and could come home for a longer round.

Labored breaths coming in unison, they moved together, hard and fast, the heat rising in both of them as they neared their climax. Mercedes moaned loudly into his neck as she felt the orgasm rising in her and as Jack grew within her she knew he too was close.

“Fuck.” He ground out, lifting her hips and plunging into her from beneath.

“Yeah baby…fuck I’m gonna cum.” She managed, moaning louder as he began pumping harder. His moan was the only response she got as the orgasm washed over her and he finished in one final powerful thrust, then another. Both stayed there for a moment, panting into each other’s shoulders, body’s humming, hearts racing.

“Fuck…” He muttered happily, kissing her shoulder lightly. She nodded, rolling her head to the side and studying his features.

“Yeah.” She managed, swallowing against the dryness in her throat. Both parties groaned as she rolled off of him, splaying herself out onto the bed, her body covered in a thin sheet of sweat. Though the desire to stay in one another’s arms would normally have the couple entangled on the old bed, the summer heat of Detroit made it almost impossible for any physical contact at all.

“I’m going to run a bath.” He smiled, rolling over and kissing her forehead as he grabbed for the sheet. Wrapping it around his waist he stood and headed for the door. “You wanna grab the smokes and a couple beer babe?”

“Mmm…sounds good.” She smiled, stretching lazily and sitting up as Jack made a quick exit. Mercedes reached for two discarded towels on the bedroom floor, a pack of cigarettes and the six-pack in the cooler beside the bed. It was a Monday morning, which meant they had the house to themselves until she went to work at the dinner at four.

It was nice, in the simplest of terms. It was time for them to wander around the house and play at being a couple, make breakfast, drink coffee, soak in the tub. There was, of course, also the option of having loud sex without worrying who else in the house could hear them.

Mercedes could hear the water running as she entered the small bathroom and dropped the towels onto the floor. Jack was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, testing the temperature as he poured a generous amount of dish soap into the churning water.

Placing the cigarettes and beer on the floor, Mercedes leaned over and rested her chin on his shoulder, kissing his earlobe playfully and smiling when he leaned back into her.

“Hey.” He smiled, kissing her cheek and nudging her. “Jump in.” She nodded and stepped into the bath, a murmured sigh of happiness rising to her lips as the cool water enveloped her. She readily accepted the beer that was handed to her as Jack sank into the water, resting his back against her chest. Mercedes opened her beer and took a long satisfying sip and leaned her head back against the edge of the tub. One hand rose lazily in the water to dribble a cool stream down one of Jack shoulders and she caressed it slowly, smiling.

“I love Mondays.” She said quietly, taking another sip and placing the beer on the tiled floor. Jack nodded, wiggling closer into her embrace and submerging himself deeper into the water.

“Me too, Mermaid.” A comfortable silence drifted between them as they soaked, occasionally splashing one another playfully, placing chaste kisses on one another’s exposed skin.

Mindless topics arose as they laughed quietly amongst themselves, blissfully unaware that there existed anything outside of that bathtub, that bathroom. This time was theirs. The atmosphere was light and relaxed as they smoked cigarette after cigarette, downing the contents of their six pack and growing more and more affectionate with the passing time. Light caresses under the water, whispered promises and lingering kisses.

Finally came the time when the supplies had been consumed and the bubbles had disappeared from the water and Jack rose reluctantly from the cool depths of the tub. Grabbing a towel and holding the other out for Mercedes as she too climbed out of the bath.

“Alright.” He said, tying the towel tightly around his waist and turning towards Mer. “I’m going to go start the coffee but you’re on eggs and bacon this time. I cooked last Monday…and it’s too damn hot.”

“Deal.” She smiled, shoving him playfully out the bathroom door and turning towards their bedroom as he headed down the stairs in his towel. She rifled through her clothes for a moment, selecting a bra and underwear and grabbing one of his black wife beaters off of the floor. She contemplated pants but quickly dismissed the issue…it was far too hot to be wearing pants.

Padding quietly down the stairs she could hear the coffee maker humming as it began to brew their morning drink and paused in the doorway of the kitchen to study Jack. One hand drifted absently to her stomach and drew slow circles around it thoughtfully, something she’d been doing often in the past week.

Once she became aware of the action, Mercedes removed her hand and shook her head silently. She couldn’t be doing that, not in private and definitely not around Jack…not until she knew for certain.

A slight sense of unease washed over her as she momentarily brought herself out of her love induced haze and to her present situation, a small frown curving at the corners of her lips. Yes, she was late. By a week at least, not that she tended to keep track of these things. She’d been planning on running to the pharmacy after work that night to pick up a pregnancy test but admittedly she was nervous. Scared even…yes scared, she decided. Too many uncertain variables for her liking…and the fact that she and Jack had only been living together in harmony for eight months made her wary of even bringing up the topic.

However, when Jack glanced over his shoulder and saw her standing there, the smile that spread across his face was enough to shake the nerves from her and bring a smile to her own lips.

“Hey you.” Pushing off of the doorway she made her way over to the stove and turning on the front burner. She felt Jack behind her, his hand resting lazily on her hips.

“Her yourself.” She replied playfully, nudging him with her hip and leaning towards the fridge to retrieve the eggs. “How many, fatso?”

“Oh I dunno…ten sounds about right.” He nipped at her ear playfully and pulled her hips closer to his as she bent and grabbed the eggs and bacon.

“Three it is.” She conceded, turning to face him as the element heated. “You know…cooking’s usually a lot easier when there isn’t somebody trying to fuck you over the counter.” She raised an eyebrow sternly, but leaned up and kissed him lingeringly on the lips. Jack’s mouth softened under hers and she leaned up, her hands finding the back of his neck and playing with soft blond locks as the kiss deepened and their bodies pressed closer together.

Mercedes was dimly aware of the edge of the stove digging into the small of her back as Jack pressed his hips into hers, simultaneously pulling her head closer, wanting to taste more of her with each passing second. Mercedes purred low in her throat, loving the feeling of his body flush against hers, his tongue exploring her mouth. Reaching back to brace herself against the weight of her lover, a searing pain ripped through her hand.

“Argh!” Her cry of pain was muffled by Jack’s mouth as he was slow to register that anything was wrong. “Fuck fuck fuck…” She muttered, shoving against his chest and cradling her burnt hand in the other as she rushed for the sink. Turning the cold water on she shoved the assaulted flesh underneath and leaned against the edge of the sink. She could feel hot tears stinging the back of her eyes but fought to keep them away.

Mer could feel Jack hovering behind her, not sure of what to do. He never had been good at assessing these types of situations. With a deep breath, she sighed, shaking her head.

“Forgot the damn element was on.” She scolded herself, staring at the angry red circles rising on the palm of her hand. “Damnit…”

“I’ll get you some ice.” Jack said, grabbing a plastic shopping bag from the kitchen table and heading for the freezer.

“Thanks babe.” She muttered, still angry with herself for being so careless. Now the angry throbbing in her hand would likely be there all through her work shift and she had to do a lot of work with her hands. Jack returned moments later with a bag of ice and pulled out a chair for Mer.

“Here, you sit, I’ll take care of breakfast.” He kissed her cheek softly and smiled endearingly at the firm scowl set on her features. With a quick pat on the top of her head, Jack turned placed a pan on the offending element and began cracking eggs.

He flipped on the radio bye the sink and the sounds of Dispatch filtered through the silent kitchen. Mer smiled contently, despite the pain in her hand, as she watched Jack sing along to The General and mix eggs and milk, his hips swaying in a comically feminine fashion. His voice was smooth and at the same time rough, telling of years of smoking self rolled cigarettes. That same voice had sung into her ear as a child when she was upset as he cradled her in his arms, something he still did from time to time when the occasion called for it.

“…and I’ve seen their mothers…and I will no other…to follow me where I’m going…” He sang as he practically bounced around the kitchen, tossing a generous amount of bacon into another heating pan and glancing over his shoulder. Mer sat at the table, giggling silently as she watched him. “Oh what?” He asked, making his way over to her. Sitting down on the chair nearest to her, Jack pulled her feet into his lap, his mouth quirked up in a lazy smile. “Something funny?” He placed an affectionate kiss on the tip of her toe, running his hands over her feet before taking one in hand rubbing his thumbs over the soles.

“Mmmm…no.” She let her head fall back over the edge of the chair, rolling her neck from side to side. “You cook, you clean, you sing…you’re amazing in bed and you give great foot massages…I must have done something right somewhere.”

“Nah, you’re just lucky.” He assured her, rising and placing her feet on the chair as the bacon began to sizzle loudly in the pan. The song Name by the GooGoo Dolls came on the radio and Mercedes smiled again. This song was one of her favorites…mainly because she’d seen Jack playing it so many times in his room, even before they’d become a couple…and every time she’d imagined he’d been singing to her.

Removing the ice from her hand she rose languidly and stood behind Jack, her lips resting on the back of his shoulder, her hands toying with the edge of his towel as she leaned into him. They stood there in comfortable silence, Jack pushing bacon around in one pan and stirring scrambled eggs in the other, Mercedes leaning into his back and swaying slightly to the music. Finally, he glanced over his shoulder.

“So you gonna tell me what’s been bugging you for the past week?” He asked softly, turning to face her and placing two hands on the small of her back. She simply shook her head into his chest, wet hair falling into her face.
“Tomorrow…” She muttered resting her chin against him and staring up into his concerned eyes. “We don’t talk about shit on Mondays.” Jack chuckled, leaning down and placing a kiss on the tip of her nose and turning back to the food.

“You’re right Mermaid. Now sit down, the food’s ready.”

“No toast?”

“No bread.” He replied non-commitedly, opening the plate cupboard.

“Put that on the list, I’ll stop bye the store on the way home.” She said, gratefully accepting her plate of food and cup of coffee. “Thanks baby.”

“Any time, doll.” Jack sat down to his own plate of food and dug in hungrily. Mer watched him eat, taking a bite of her own food and chewing distractedly. Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a day.