All the lights were out as Jake laid in bed looking over at the empty spot next to him. Most kids would probably be happy to not have to share their bed, but this 8-year-old fox boy was feeling kind of lonely instead. His older brother had gone to stay with one of his friends, leaving him all alone tonight. Normally in these situations he would invite his best friend come over and spend the night, but he had other plans tonight as well.

The bed felt oddly vacant as Jake stayed on his side with nobody else next to him. He wasn't scared or anything, but he was feeling a bit anxious. Sleeping alone was a completely foreign thing to him. He had always shared his bed with others, whether it be his brother or his twin sister or his best friend. This was the first time he had ever been completely alone.

Jake sat up and looked at the clock over on his brother's side of the bed. It was just after midnight and he still hadn't managed to fall asleep. This wasn't working, he just couldn't relax enough to get any rest. The cub pushed his blanket aside and scooted over to the edge of the bed, sitting and thinking there for a moment in his oversized t-shirt and night diaper. Both of his sisters were still home tonight, maybe one of them wouldn't mind sharing a bed with him. He was wary of asking; it was bad enough that he still needed diapers at night, he didn't want to look even more like a baby. But at the rate things were going, he wasn't going to get any sleep otherwise.

Hopping off the bed, he quietly left his room and tiptoed down the hall to his sisters' bedroom. Gently pushing their door open, he peeked inside. His twin sister Anne was asleep in a small bed in the far corner of the room. It was a small bed meant for one person, so he wasn't sure if there would be enough room for both of them. Closer to the middle of the room, his older sister Melissa was also snoozing. Her bed was slightly bigger, but not quite the same size as the one he and his brother shared. Still, it looked like there would enough room for him to squeeze in next to her.

He carefully lifted the blanket and put a hand on the edge of her bed. He tried to climb up without disturbing the slumbering feline, but her body began to stir almost as soon as he pushed down on the mattress. She cracked her eyes and looked over at the shadowy figure standing by her bed. "...Anne?"

"Jake." he corrected her.

She yawned and raised her head, "What's wrong?"

He hesitated for a moment. He still didn't want to ask, but he had already come this far, "...Can I sleep in here with you tonight?"

In her haze, it took a second to register what he was saying. But once she understood, she pulled back the blanket and patted on the mattress. She could hear her baby brother crinkling as he clambered up and snuggled in next to her. She wrapped her arms around the little guy and pulled him close, then gently patted his pampered bottom and started rubbing the back of his head. "There there," she whispered, "Everything's okay now. Big sissie's got ya."

He exhaled and rested his head against her chest. As much as he hated being babied, he couldn't deny that this was helping him relax. He put his arms around her and threw his legs around one of hers. With his big sister's warmth all around him, his eyelids were starting to feel heavy. The anxiety from earlier had melted away, and the lack of sleep was catching up to him. His eyes slowly closed, and he finally drifted off to sleep.
