Reagan
After a frantic day of phone calls and organising, Reagan should have slipped into a deep sleep. Planning a party in a few days was a challenge at the best of times, but with the size of the gala and how close it was to Christmas, it was going to be almost impossible. She was lucky she hadn't got any other parties booked in between now and then. Most of the companies who engaged her services for staff parties had them earlier in the month, and the rest of her December was taken up by preparations for the week leading up to New Year.
But Eustace had asked her to help with this, and not only did she want to help him, but she also enjoyed a challenge.
After what felt like hours, she finally drifted into sleep, welcoming it with open arms. Her dreams passed in a blur of colour and sound, never making complete sense and not making any particular mark on her mind.
Or they weren't until she awoke with a start, her eyes wide but blank. A whirring sensation took over and she started to feel dizzy, a sure sign that her Sight was about to do its thing and show her something she didn't necessarily want to see.
While most witches saw the Sight as something to envy, Reagan would rather live her life without the constant threat of the future hanging over her head.
The vision sharpened, revealing a snow-covered ground. Something about it didn't seem completely natural, but she wasn't able to work out what it was.
A man raced towards a small hut, a panicked expression on his face. "Derek!"
An older gentleman with a bushy beard and deep fatigue in his eyes popped his head out of the door. "What's up?"
"Rosie's sick, you need to come tend to her."
The man sighed. "That reindeer is going to be the death of me." He stepped outside and closed the door behind him, hurrying in the direction of a barn.
The vision cut out, bringing Reagan back into the present, gasping for breath and with a bad feeling in her gut. There was only one thing it could be about. All of her waking thoughts, and many of her half-asleep ones, had been focused on the hospital's event which meant that this was something to do with that.
It was how most of her visions seemed to work, they were brought on by her over fixation on a specific issue.
She reached for her phone, hitting the call button without thinking twice about it.
"Hello?" Eustace sounded sleepy, and it was only then she realised how late it was.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called..."
"Reagan?" Concern filled his voice and she could vaguely make out the sound of him moving around in his bed. It created an oddly intimate air to their call. She shouldn't have reached out to him. It would only confuse things between them.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have disturbed you. I'll talk to you in the morning."
"What's wrong?" he asked. "And don't even think about hanging up."
She sighed. Why was he so sweet? It was clear to her that he felt the mating bond as keenly as she felt it, so why was he so insistent on keeping them apart?
She pushed that worry aside. It could wait for another day, especially as she had more pressing matters at hand.
"I had a vision."
"Don't you have them a lot?"
"I wouldn't say a lot. Maybe once a month or so."
"What makes this one different?"
"What makes you so sure it is?" she asked, confused about how he'd managed to work out there was something going on with this one.
"You don't normally call me in the middle of the night because of any of the others. Something has to be wrong if you're doing that."
She sighed. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm glad you feel like you can call me if you need me."
Warmth flooded through her at his response. "Thank you, I appreciate it."
"So, vision."
"I think something is going to go wrong at the charity event," she admitted.
"Why?"
She told him about her vision, and about the bad feeling that came with it, realising only after she'd finished how comfortable she was telling him the exact way her power worked. She didn't think she'd ever had that with anyone else. Not even her parents knew precisely how it worked.
"Ah, I see. Have you hired anyone called Rosie for the event?" he asked.
"Not that I can recall."
"Hmm. Then that's not helpful for knowing who we need to replace."
"No, not really."
He took a deep breath, the sound crackling across the line and reminding her that there was a lot of distance between them.
"It'll be okay," he promised. "I'm not working tomorrow, so how about I help you go through everything and work out who Rosie might be. If we can work it out, then maybe we have time to do something about it before the event."
"Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Isn't that the reason you called?" he teased.
For a moment, she contemplated coming up with a reason, but decided it was always better to opt for the truth, especially if she wanted them to progress with their mated relationship soon.
"I didn't really think about who I was calling," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. Between the phone and his enhanced shifter hearing, she knew he'd have heard. "I woke up in a bit of a daze and you answered before I'd had a chance to think about it."
His satisfaction came down the line. "I'm glad you thought I could help."
"Mum always taught me to call a doctor when in need. I'm not sure this is what she meant, but who am I to argue with her?"
"She sounds just as wise as her daughter."
Reagan let out a small laugh. "Thank you, Eustace."
"What for?"
"Making me feel better about all of this."
"I'm glad I've managed. I promise we'll figure it out. We're smart people."
"That's true."
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said. "Sleep well, Reagan."
"Sleep well, Eustace."
The line clicked as he hung up and she settled down under her covers, finally managing to drift into a peaceful sleep.