A/N: Like many of my other stories, this one hit me suddenly when I was at work. Thank God for slow days! Anyway, I don't own anything, so don't sue. This will contain slash and mentions of mpreg, so if you don't like either of those two things, then click the back button. If you continue to read on, please tell me what you think. R&R. Enjoy!

Dream Away

She had no idea where she was. The entire room was shrouded in darkness aside from the small circle of light encompassing the three shadowy figures before her. Amanda could barely make out the three figures; they were blurry and their faces were covered in darkness and shadow. Their posture remained the same; the two with their backs to her were tense and ridged, while the other one, who was facing her, was calm and relaxed. It confused her, especially when Amanda was able to hear a little of the dialogue that was being exchanged.

"…do you...me? …me? …no idea…dangerous….games….are…."

The voice speaking had a slight Irish accent to it and it sent shivers down Amanda's spine. She shuddered involuntary, but she couldn't look away. Oh, how she wanted to, so very desperately wanted to, but she couldn't. Literally. It was almost as though she was rooted to the spot, cloaked in the darkness outside the circle of light.

"On the…exactly how….are. …nothing you...surprise…"

Although she couldn't see any of the faces, Amanda knew that the man facing towards her was smirking. It was almost as though his arrogance was visibly radiating off of him and it affected the atmosphere around them. The man moved his hand to his back, as if to retrieve a gun or something…

Amanda woke up, drenched in sweat, her heart pounding in her chest, and her eyes darting anywhere and everywhere. Taking in her surroundings as she tried to calm herself, she saw that she was still in her bedroom. Her bed was solid, firm, yet soft beneath her. The sheets and blankets were tangled around her legs, keeping her trapped within. The lamp on her desk was off, but after peering through the darkness, Amanda could make out the books that she needed for her classes at Uni. Everything was in its place, just as she was in her place. Feeling calm and reassured, Amanda fell back onto her bed, her head hitting the pillow.

Like every single night, it had been a dream. A very weird, very confusing dream that had plagued her since before she could remember. It was always the same: the three figured cloaked in shadow and darkness, two with their backs toward her while the other faced her. Faces constantly shielded from her, leaving her to guess. A broken conversation would always flow to her ears, practically visible in the air around her. She had no idea what was going on or why she was in the dream, even though she was merely an invisible specter. Unheard. Unseen. Unknown to the three other individuals.

The dream was a very odd one indeed and Amanda couldn't figure out for the life of her why she always dreamt it. Every single night without fail, at that. Why did she always dream the same weird dream every night? Who were the people in her dream? Why couldn't she hear the entire conversation? Was it a dream of a memory buried deep in her mind or did her mind create the weird dream? If so, then why didn't she dream of anything else?

There were too many questions and not enough answers. Amanda didn't like it. Not just because the dream did kind of creep her out, but because afterwards, when she woke up, she could never get back to sleep. Sighing heavily, she glanced over at her alarm clock and saw that it was only three in the morning. Knowing that she wasn't going to get any more sleep, Amanda got up and crossed the few feet from her bed to her desk. She had a few assignments that could use some touching up and she had the time to do so, so why not? They could probably use more information anyway, and Amanda had always been gifted with withholding a bundle of knowledge inside her brain. This would, hopefully, distract her from the dream, and she needed a good distraction.

…

After her classes were over at Uni, Amanda returned home, planning on getting some work done. However, as soon as she entered the flat that she shared with her Uncle Greg, she found a list on the table. A grocery list. And her uncle's bank card. She didn't mind doing the shopping. Uncle Greg worked hard as a Detective Inspector for Scotland Yard and he didn't have the time to do the shopping himself. It was a short list, anyway, and Tesco wasn't too far.

Amanda could always catch a cab, but she preferred to walk. Not only did she like to walk, but she couldn't get a cab to stop for her to save her life and she'd rather not look like a fool trying. Putting her school bag on the table, she pocketed the list and card and made sure she had her key before locking up the flat and leaving.

It didn't take her very long to get to Tesco. The route she took was familiar to her and she knew it like the back of her hand. Of course, most of that was due to her muscle memory of having walked it so many times, but Amanda didn't really care about that. As she neared the store, she pulled the list out of her pocket and read over it. With just a few items on it, it could hardly be called a list, but at least it'd make for quick shopping. And quick shopping meant that Amanda would get home sooner rather than later and would be able to start on her paper right away.

Arriving at Tesco, Amanda made her way inside and grabbed a basket for her groceries. Before going after anything else, she went for the milk. Milk was always something that they had a hard time keeping in the house. Between Amanda and Uncle Greg, it seemed as though one or the other was always going out for milk. Placing her uncle's favorite brand of milk in the basket – because she wasn't picky about brands – Amanda made her way towards the aisle with the jam. There were a decent amount of people in the store, but then again, there almost always were. Work hours varied depending on the occupation, and one never knew when they would need something. But the store wasn't overcrowded, unlike during the holidays. Which is why it was a bit startling that Amanda bumped shoulders with one of the other shoppers.

There weren't that many people in the aisle and there was more than enough room for people to pass by her if she was walking too slow or something. So there was no need for the sudden physical contact. Slightly alarmed and quite surprised, Amanda looked up at the person she had bumped into and found that it was a man. A tall, thin man with graying, dark, curly hair and beard to match. His face was pale and his cheekbones were sharp and defined. But it was his eyes that startled her the most. They looked a lot like her own: bright and knowing and familiar. Very familiar.

Feeling awkward and unsure, Amanda looked down, observing the clothing the stranger wore. A long, dark coat with black trousers and a button down shirt. He didn't look like a bum, but he gave off the feeling that he wasn't quite used to a life at home. The worst part of it was that Amanda felt as though she knew the person before her. She was more than pretty sure that she had never seen him before in her life. If she had, then she would have remembered it. Her memory was very sharp and very keen, thanks in great part to her observational skills. So she would have remembered the man if she had seen or met him before. As it was, she had no recollection, but that feeling that she knew him didn't escape her.

"I-I'm sorry, sir. Beg your pardon. I wasn't watching where I was going I suppose…" Amanda stammered just a little, but she wasn't as startled or surprised as she had been when they first bumped shoulders. In all honesty, the only person she had regular contact with was Uncle Greg. She didn't have many friends before Uni and she still didn't have many friends. Her professors didn't count, so that left her uncle.

"It's…it's fine." The man's voice was a deep baritone and it suited him perfectly. Once again, Amanda got the feeling that she had met the man prior to bumping into him just now. And once again, she told herself that that was impossible. There was no way she knew him…right?

Not knowing what to say or if she should say anything, Amanda merely nodded and walked away. She could feel the stranger's eyes follow her down the aisle as she continued to the jam. Stopping at the jam selections, Amanda stood there for a few minutes, the hair on the back of her neck standing up as she continued to feel watched. Reaching out, she grabbed the jam that she needed and put it in her basket. Glancing over, she saw that the man was, indeed, watching her, a dazed look on his face accompanying a very small smile.

Amanda left the aisle as quick as possible, wanting nothing more than to get home and tell Uncle Greg about the odd encounter she had just had. She made her way throughout the store, getting was she needed, before checking out. The feeling of being watched never left her, though, and she saw, as she grabbed her bags, that the stranger was also checking out. Shaking her head, getting a tad bit annoyed, she left Tesco and briskly walked home. Hopefully, her uncle would be there. If not, then she'd lock the door behind her and wait for him to come home before starting on her paper. Bumping into that strange man, being struck with a sense that she knew the man, was just too weird for her taste. She'd feel so much better once she had talked it over with Uncle Greg.