Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, Tribune does. I do, however, own the story, however weird it may be.

Author's Note: This came from the part of Jen's mind that comes alive when she gets too little sleep (which also makes her speak in third person)...ummm...please tell me what's wrong and what's right and please review!

"Before I Wake"

He found himself repeating something he had heard long ago, in his dreams; something that he had never known if it was real or just a phrase his mind had created.

"If I die before I wake, I grant the Lord my soul to take. If I die before I wake, I grant the Lord my soul to take. If I die before I wake..."

He didn't even believe in a Lord, whoever the Lord was. Probably something like the Divine, maybe, although what he kept repeating was nothing like "My pain belongs to the Divine. It is like air; it is like water." Although that didn't help him now.

"If I die before I wake, I grant the Lord my soul to take. If I die before I wake, if I die, if I die, if I wake...oh, Lord, don't let me die, don't let them die, if I die before I wake, I grant the Lord my soul to take..."

He woke, feeling cold metal pressed hard against his cheek. Stared into a pale face framed with blonde hair, where blue eyes should have been open and staring right back at him. He turned his head minutely. Red hair was near his legs...red, braided hair, up which one could find a golden white face, whose eyes weren't open either. To the other side, bluish-black hair...eyes open but unseeing.

Was he the only one alive?

"If they die before they wake, please oh Lord don't take them..."

He carefully rolled over onto his back, feeling the pain shooting through his body. Now was the time to say, "My pain belongs to the Divine, it is like air; it is like water. Lord take my pain but don't take them, please."

He sat up. Pressure rushed through his head, trying to drag him back down, but he fought against his body and against gravity and triumphed at last, looking over at the closest one to him.

The android jerked and spasmed, every so often muttering an alert that had, until moments ago, fell on deaf ears, and even now, were alerts to no one who cared.

The other's hair still held it's natural red, but her figure was just as immobile...he couldn't see why she was so still, but he knew there must be a reason...she didn't worry him as much; she had come back from the dead several times. The final figure worried him the most.

Her blonde hair, he could see now, was only half-blonde...the other was a terrifying, sickening red that was by no means natural. Her face was so still...the face that could go through so many expressions in a single instant was slack and unresponsive.

"Beka..."

He crawled over to her and laid down beside her, placing his hand in hers. He closed his eyes.

"If we die before we wake, I pray the Lord our souls to take...if we die before we wake, I pray the Lord our souls to take, if we die before we wake take our souls before we wake if we die..."

The next time he woke, he saw an angel with red hair.

"How are you feeling, Harper?" it asked softly.

He tried to turn his head, but could not. He tried to squeeze the hand in his, but could not.

"Beka..."

"Beka's going to be fine, Harper...Dylan and Tyr got back in time..."

"I want to see her..."

"No, Harper, don't try to move. You both suffered life-threatening injuries, please don't move."

"I want to see her..."

He felt gentle hands place under him, and he was raised up just enough so that he could see clean, beautiful, completely blonde hair, and a calm face with just a hint of color that hadn't been there before. He was lowered back.

"Sleep now, Harper," the angel murmured.

"Don't let her die before she wakes, but if she does, I pray the Lord her soul to take...and if I die before I wake..."

He slept.