AN:Hey this is a story that I have been working on for about six months. And I'm really happy with it. Please leave a review telling me who you think of this one. There could possibly be a second part to this. One where April helps Jackson. Let me know if I should write it. Any and all mistakes are mine.
Setting: Sometime after the elevator scene from 10x18. But before April was pregnant.
As he walked into the apartment that he shared with his wife. Jackson stretched his long arms over his head. Feeling his shoulders give a satisfying pop as he did so.
Dropping his gym bag in the corner, and putting his keys on the hook. (Yes he did that everyday now.)
Jackson could barely keep his eyes open. He had two long surgeries plus a board meeting. After all of that he had gone to the gym for an hour. It had been a really long day.
"Jackson." He heard his wife calling his name as he was taking his jacket off before throwing it over a chair. At first he thinks that April had heard him coming in the door and was just acknowledging him.
"JACKSON, JACKSON."
But he then hears her yelling for him again. But, this time April's voice is so loud. It sounds so frightened almost as if she was in pain. That he thinks that something is wrong and that maybe she needs his help.
Jackson takes off like lighting towards their bedroom. Once he gets there he finds April tossing in the bed. Her whole body covered in a thin layer of sweat.
Her eyes are closed tightly; but he can see her eyes moving at lighting speed behind her eyelids. Her legs are tangled in the sheets near the bottom of the bed.
Jackson lets out a breath, feeling his heart beat begin to slow, when he realizes that April is asleep and she wasn't in danger.
But it appeared that she was having a server nightmare. His heart hurts to see her in pain over a dream about him. And in that moment he knew that he had to wake her, to show her that he was okay.
Jackson knew how hard it was to have dreams like that. He had one's where she was hurt and couldn't help her. Too one's where she was lost and he couldn't find her, all the time.
Jackson quickly toes off his shoes, before crossing the room to the bed. Dropping down next to April.
Gently grabbing her shoulders, he quickly stills her shaking and thrashing body. Just as she starts yelling for him again. She's just not as loud this time, but just as frightened.
"Jackson."
"April, it's okay, your okay." April calms down, her body stilling almost instantly at the sound of Jackson's voice. Yet she doesn't wake up.
Jackson pulls April's body into his own. So, her back is against his chest, before leaning down and talking into her ear. "April. April baby, you need to wake up you're just having a bad dream. I'm here and everything is alright. You're safe." Jackson whispers as he gently shakes her body.
This seems to work and April's eyes flutter open. Her chest quickly rising as she tries to catch her breath. Her eyes start to fractionally search the room, looking for Jackson. Not really knowing where she is or that Jackson is right behind her. Caught somewhere between still being her dream and being awake.
Her mouth opens again to call for Jackson. It is then, Jackson makes his presence known by touching her arm.
(He had sat there once her eyes opened, not wanting to startle her, for what seemed like hours, but it was only about two seconds.)
"Hey, it's okay, you're at home, you're safe. I'm here."
April's head whips around at the sound of his voice and her eyes start to fill with tears. She brings her hand up to touch his check before speaking.
"Jackson…" His name comes out as a breathless sound. "You're alive, you're here"
"Yeah, Baby I'm fine where both fine. You were just having a nightmare." he tells her, then moving his lips into her palm placing a kiss there.
Jackson then reaches over; turning on the lamp next to their bed, filling their room with a soft dim light.
"It was so real Jackson, god I have never had a dream seem so real before."
"It was just a dream, everything is alright. Do you wanna tell me what happened?"
"I don't know Jackson."
"I'm not gonna force you to tell me, but it may help to talk about, you know make you feel better."
"Alright, but I don't want to burden you with my nightmare."
"You will never be a burden to me ever. I'm your husband and your problems are my problems. I love you and I want to help you, I want to protect you even if it's from your own dreams. So, just take your time and start wherever you want"
"Umm… okay…" She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly before continuing. "Umm… it started with me in Dr. Shepard's office, the day of the shooting after I had found Reed. He then left in his office and told me to stay there, that I would be safe there. And that was just how it happened in real life. Until I heard a noise and came out of the office and there on the catwalk…"
April stops again as the images from her nightmare flood her brain, her eyes begin to fill with tears. "Hey, it okay, baby it was just a dream" Jackson tells her as he tightens his arms around her.
Jackson hated seeing her like this. In so much pain and there was nothing he could do about it. All he ever wanted to was to take all her pain away.
But there was no way for him to take her pain now and it was killing him. All he could do was be there for her, hold her and kiss her. And, do anything she asked of him without question.
April takes another deep breath and presses her lips to Jackson's in a quick kiss.
"I know, I know, I'm okay. So on the catwalk was you and Gary Clark. And, umm… he had a gun on you and one minute you were standing there with your hands up and it seemed that you were talking him down. Then, the next minute Gray Clark was pulling the trigger.
And, then you were on the ground bleeding and no matter how hard I tried or how fast I ran, I couldn't get out of the office. It was like there was something holding me in there.
All I could do was yell for you and watch as you laid there helpless and hurt. Watching you bleeding out. And, that feeling of helplessness was like being ripped apart from the inside out."
April finished as a fresh wave of tears flowed down her cheeks at the mere thought of Jackson being hurt.
"April, baby I am truly sorry that you had to go through that, but it was just a nightmare everything is alright. I'm safe and you're safe, it never happened and I promise you that I am not going anywhere."
Jackson shifted so he could wipe away her tears that were flowing down her cheeks away with his thumbs. Placing a kiss to both of her cheeks, kissing away her tear tracks.
Jackson placed his lips against April's in a soft, loving kiss.
"Thank you for listening to that, you were right did make me feel better. But, can you do something else for me please?"
"You are welcome. April, you know that I will do anything for you, all you have to do is ask."
"Hold me until I fall asleep, please."
"Of course." Jackson told her before moving them both until he was lying on his back. So that April's head pillowed on his chest right over his heart.
After turning off the light, Jackson wrapped both of his arms around April holding her body tightly on top of his own. Before dropping a soft kiss onto the crown of her head.
"I love you." April told him, pressing a kiss to the skin of his chest over his heart.
"I love you too." Jackson kissed her head once more, breathing in the unique scent that he loved so much, that was April, as he did so.
April fell asleep an hour later to the sound of Jackson's heart beat. And the soothing feeling of his hand, making soft circles on her back.
Jackson however, didn't fall asleep until a few hours after April. He just laid there watching her sleep peacefully, enjoying the feeling of her slow and steady breathing against his chest.
Eventually once he was completely sure that April was in a deep and peaceful sleep. He finally let her soft and steady breathing lull him to sleep.
Thanks For Reading. Please leave a review letting me know what you think. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM is always welcome.