Elizabeth slowly awakened; rolling over in the king-sized bed and bunching up the sheets as she did so. The storm outside had subsided. She pushed herself into a sitting position, bleary-eyed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the faint light of the lamp, shining from the open door from the room across the dark hallway. She then looked to her left, eyes landing on the empty space next to her. The girl gently carressed the still-warm fabric, affection swelling up inside of her.
“Alastair.” She thought fondly, a soft smile spreading across her face. Her sweet, intelligent Alastair, always thinking, always on the move. Elizabeth knew he was writing; he was always writing. He would wake up, pace around the room for a few minutes, leave their bedroom to write his thoughts down into the computer, and then crawl back into the bed with her. He never knew she was awake every time. She enjoyed hearing the soft clicking of the keyboard as he typed; imagining him crouching over the desk, hands tirelessly typing, mind whirring non-stop. Sighing a little at the image, she quietly got out of bed and began to make her way towards Alastair’s study, ignoring the feeling of the cold cherry wood floor against her bare feet and the magnetic pull of the warm silk sheets as she did so. Of course, she knew Alastair’s work was important, but he should at least get a full night’s rest every once in a while. With the thought in mind, she continued her tread down the seemingly endless hallway.

“Alastair, come back to sleep”
Elizabeth murmured softly, standing in the open door frame.
“I have an important document to finish”
Alastair’s amber eyes flitted to her for a millisecond, before fixing themselves back onto the report he was currently writing.
“But it’s still dark outside”
She said, walking to his desk to put her hands on his shoulder.
“I know”
He said quietly, not taking his eyes off the document, nor did he give her any acknowledgment. This workaholic.
“I just need to write something down”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes at that. To Alastair, “something” could be a fifty-paged document, detailing the finances of the Underworld. But she wasn’t interested in whatever Alastair was writing. Whatever it is, it could wait. Elizabeth wanted him next to her in bed, and she wanted him next to her in bed right then.
Why do you write like you’re running out of time?”
“Shh…”
Only then did he notice the pair of hands on his shoulders. Alastair put his hand on top of hers, leaning into her touch, the faintest ghost of a smile on his lips.
“Come back to bed, that would be enough…”
Elizabeth tried again, determined not to let him get away with another sleepless night. This man’s sleeping schedule was already messed up as it is. No need to screw it up any more than that. But alas, nothing in life is ever easy, a fact that Elizabeth had found out many, many years ago.
“I’ll be back before you know I’m gone.” He replied curtly.
Elizabeth let out a long, drawn-out sigh. Alastair is way too stubborn for his own good, once he was onto something, he would not stop until he had obtained it. After all, he had done so with the Secretary of the Underworld position. He wanted it, so he tirelessly worked, never even once stopping to even eat or sleep (not that he needed to anyways, this man’s literally dead, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a break every once in a while), and finally, the position sat firmly in the palm of his hand, and would probably be his for many millennia to come. Lovingly, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, resting her head at the crook of his neck. She inhaled, his familiar scent filled her nostrils. His stubbornness was one of the things Elizabeth admired about him, but at this moment, it was increasingly getting on her nerves.
“Come back to sleep…”
Elizabeth insisted one last time. She was expecting to be able to convince him tonight, but she supposed things couldn’t go her way all the time.
“This is an incredibly important piece of document, Liz, it’s better if you went to bed without me.”
Alastair said, calmly, standing his ground. Realizing that he wouldn’t budge, Elizabeth accepted her defeat, removing her arms from their place around his shoulders, and began to walk away.
“Well, I’m going back to sleep…”
He did say it was an important document, after all, she shouldn’t be selfish.
. She had only taken a few steps from the desk when she felt a cold hand pull her back.
“Hey?”
Elizabeth turned around, confused. He had just practically chased her away, and now he’s calling her back. What was he playing at?
“Yes, darling?”
Blue met amber, and Alastair turned away shyly, his cheeks dusted red. Cute.
“Best of wives and best of women, Liz. I love you.”
Elizabeth’s eyes widened in surprise, before her expression softened, a small smile playing on her lips.
“Love you too, Al. Goodnight.”
She then turned and quickly strode out of the room.
. It was safe to say she couldn’t wipe the grin off of her face that entire night. It was also safe to say she didn’t get much sleep after that either.