Nightmares

Playlist for This Chapter: POV by Ariana Grande, My Tears Ricochet by Taylor Swift.

* NICHOLAS *

"Dove?" I stroked her soft cheek that was now covered in tears.

"Wake up my love." I shook her gently and her eyes shot open as she sat up straight, breathing hard.

"Nico?" She whispered in her sweet voice and hugged me tightly, crying in my arms. I rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. Her body shook violently and she was drenched in sweat.

"It's okay sweetheart, I'm right here." I whispered to her.

Just then her door flew open and her father came running inside, but froze when he saw me. He looked at Dove who was crying and snapped out of his confusion and ran to her.

"Dove sweetheart come here." Her dad called to her but she shook her head and buried herself deeper into my chest, clutching my shirt tightly.

"Please don't leave me Nico, I'm so scared. Please." Her voice was full of fear, full of pain and my chest constricted. I couldn't bear to see her crying. I rubbed her back slowly and once she was calmed down did her grip on me loosen.

She looked at her dad, her eyes red.

"The same nightmare?" He asked her softly and she nodded solemnly.

"The first one." She whispered and her father released a shaky breath.

"Watch her for me will you? I'll be back." He looked at me and I nodded, watching her father leave the room and closing the door.

I kissed her head and made her look at me.

"What happened my love?" I asked her worriedly and saw the fear in her eyes.

"Giovanni." She whispered and that's all it took for me to understand.

I'll kill you, you bastard.

"When did you come here?" Her father looked at me questioningly."Around daybreak." I told him and he nodded.

"I called him. I couldn't sleep." Dove finally spoke and I looked at her.

She lied for me.

"Okay well I'm grateful that you were here with her. She usually has panic attacks like these. This one happened after a while though." He delved into deep thought, frowning.

Just then Cole and Abby entered the kitchen and froze when they saw me. Abby waved at me and I gave her a curt nod.

"When did you get here?" Cole asked.

"Some time ago." I told him and he nodded as the maids put breakfast in front of us. I glanced at Dove briefly and saw she wasn't eating anything.

"Why aren't you eating anything?" I asked her.

"I'm not hungry." She said, but I grabbed a sandwich and some coffee and put it in front of her.

"Come on love, eat it."

"I'm not hungry." She said again and I took the sandwich and put it to her mouth. She looked at me carefully and then the sandwich in my hand.

"Eat. Now." I told her firmly and she took a bite, chewing slowly. I handed her the coffee mug and fed her the whole sandwich, and looked at her empty plate in satisfaction.

"Good." I told her and ate my breakfast in silence.

"Huh. You are pretty demanding and stubborn." Abby said and we all looked her. "What? That's what Dove said." She told us and I raised my eyebrow at Dove questioningly, who just shrugged. Blushing, might I add.

It was a Saturday, and I'd been here for a week already. Cole and Abby left after breakfast saying they'd visit soon. Her dad went to college because he had some classes today and her mother went to work as well, leaving us two alone.

I told Jake to take over for me for a while so I could stay with Dove. There was no way I was leaving her alone.

"I need you to tell me everything sweetheart." I took her hands and she nodded, settling on the couch next to me when everyone had left.

And she told me everything. From leaving me to waking up in a hospital bed with IV's attached to her. Her nightmares, Giovanni's words, what he told her, what he did to her. Everything.

I felt my blood boil when I heard about everything. She didn't deserve that. It wasn't even her fault. The fact that we weren't together at that time made Giovanni think she wasn't important to me, or he wouldn't have hesitated to...

Fuck, even the thought of losing her drives me mad.

I tried my best to comfort her but I still felt it wasn't enough. Jake came over in the afternoon when I told him to come.

"Ciao. Com'è lei?" (Hey. How is she?) He asked me when I closed the door behind him and handed me my black suit.

"Meglio ora." (Better now.) I told him and he nodded, and we both went into the living room. I sat beside Dove nd put my arm around her and Jake sat across her.

I went to change and got ready within minutes and walked back to them and saw them watching television. Once I had sat down did Jake speak.

"Il posto che ha descritto... potremmo riuscire a trovarlo. Ho già persone che ci lavorano." (The place she described... we might be able to find it. I've already got people working on it.) He looked at me and spoke, and I hummed in response.

"Posso descriverlo in modo più dettagliato." (I can describe it in more detail.) She suddenly said and both Jake and I looked at her and then we realized.

"Oh cazzo, dimenticavo che ora parla italiano." (Oh fuck I forgot she can speak Italian now.) Jake said and Dove smiled a bit.

"I have dreams... nightmares. Of every single thing that happened to me in those two weeks." She started and looked at me.

I took her hand and squeezed it gently.

"They have a weird pattern... I had the first one of those events today... The second will come tomorrow, and so on. It repeats in a cycle after every while. At first I had them every single day but now, the days between one cycle have increased." She told us and Jake nodded.

"So how many days will this go on?" I asked her and she looked at me meaningfully.

"5." She replied and I exhaled slowly, the anger rising in me.

"Ace." I looked at Jake. "We need to go back."

Dove looked at me confused.

"Back? You mean?..." She looked at me, as realization struck her. "Oh." Was all she said.

That reaction was all it took for me to throw a death glare at Jake and he got up quickly and said he had some work to take care of and left. We sat like that for a while until she cleared she throat.

"Why do they call you Ace?" She asked me and I smiled.

"My name used to be Ace. But then my parents changed it to Nicholas when I was 10 years old. I'm also really great at cards, and the Ace of Spades is kind of like my power move." I told her and she nodded.

"So Ace just stuck?" She asked and I hummed in response. Silence engulfed us for a few more minutes and then she spoke again.

"When do you have to go back?" She asked me softly, like she was afraid of what I would say. I thought for a moment to choose my next words carefully.

"I can stay with you. It's no problem." I told her but she just shook her head.

"When Nico?"

"In two days." I said and her face fell.

"Oh."

Just then the front door opened and her father came in, in a hurry and ran towards Dove and held her in his arms hugging her tightly.

"You're alright." He sighed and Dove looked at him confused when he pulled her up and away from me.

"Dad what's wrong?" She asked him but his eyes were on me, looking at me carefully. I could sense the fear and anger in his eyes.

"Dad?" He looked at her and then back at me.

"I'm sorry Mr. king, but you need to leave. I can't have someone like you near my daughter." He said and Dove moved away from him and took my hand.

"What are you saying dad?" She asked him and he looked at her with worry. I put my hand on her waist possessively and her father gulped.

"Dove, sweetheart I want you to stay away from Nicholas. He's not good for you." Her father spoke frustrated.

"No. I'm not leaving him." She stated firmly and held my hand tighter.

"Leave my daughter be, I'll give you anything but her." He stated and looked at me.

"No." I answered simply.

Just then Liam walked into the living room slowly and looked at all of us, and I realized what had happened.

I seriously fell like killing that on of a-...

"He's not a good man Dove, he's not-.." But I cut her father of and cocked my head to the side, running my hand over my jaw.

"He knows." Was all I said and Dove's eyes widened in realization.

"What? H-How? Who told you?" She looked at her father who glanced at Liam briefly and I smirked.

"I did."

Any moment now.