Benjamin

"Let me tell you a story, Ben".

A warm smile spread across Benjamin's face, creating those little creases on the edges of his eyes that he had begun to notice more with age. This was how Rylee always seemed to introduce herself to him now. He leaned back, his strong arms supporting his lean body as he gave her a nod to let her know she could.

The alarm sounded before she could get her first word out.

Ben jumped at the uncomfortable feeling of being jarred awake by reality. The comfort and warmth of sleep seemed to shield him from the cold and steely feeling of the Chicago morning. He groaned and rolled over, the strong lean body he possessed moments before trapped in his subconscious. He pressed his hands to his face to block out the feeling of consciousness sinking in and groaned again for good measure. It wouldn't be long before he forgot about Rylee and his superior form and the daily worries about age, finances, work, and health set in.

Benjamin was nearly forty and still had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. Sure, he held a steady job and had earned a solid education. However, as he looked in the mirror while getting ready his inadequacies quickly began spreading through his mind; he was out of shape, his love life was sparse if it even existed at all, and he felt trapped inside his own imagination. Ever since Benjamin was young he loved to read, create, and imagine. Maybe that was why he fell in love with carpentry and building things. Rylee started out somewhat as an imaginary friend. His mother told him stories about how he would sit for hours and play with the woman with the red hair who lived in the trees. It wasn't until his early twenties that he remembered Rylee in his dreams. Now that he was older, despite the fact that Rylee seemed to live in an entirely different plane he could access only through sleep, he shrugged it off as a strange recurring dream. Afterall, he wouldn't be any different looking if it was some sort of supernatural event.

----

Guardians.

She kept her gun strapped to her side and came home to collapse. She was so glad she was in training for the police force, being a paramedic had nearly been a disaster. Her previous client was an animal cruelty rescue specialist who was an ex-veterinarian, a vegan, and incredibly obsessive compulsive. Mel couldn't really handle it and thought she would be stuck in that cycle forever. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and stared at it longingly as she put her legs up and stretched out on the couch. This pad looked comfortable enough, but whoever decorated it didn't really have much taste in her opinion. She blew some of her ever-growing brown bangs off her forehead and stashed her cigarettes in her pocket, sighing and leaning back. She thought back to the teenage gang member she had to help out right before the animal rescue gig. The entire thing had been nearly heartbreaking but much more relate-able to her. She checked her glowing watch and wondered when this kid was going to get here. Introductions were one of her least favorite parts of protocol.

With a sigh, Mel rolled onto her stomach and toyed with the remote control. She looked at the fancy television on the wall and noted how shabby everything else was. Another glance at the remote revealed it to be unnaturally complex.

"Fantastic" Mel murmured to herself with a roll of her eyes "I bet this thing's a console too."

Before Mel could flip on the television, or what appeared to be a television, she finally heard footsteps approaching the apartment. He sounded hesitant and antisocial, she thought to herself. As if on cue, she could hear him fumble with the keys before turning them in the lock.

"Showtime" said Mel, flipping onto her back and stretching on the couch again, her police cap over her eyes as she waited for Mr. Nerd to come in and have a heart attack.

She knew that making a shocking entrance was against protocol but she had to have fun.