Authors Note: Hey guys! I bet you're wondering exactly what this is, huh? Well, basically, a few ideas have hit me from different periods of time during TAE that never fit into the books themselves, and so this was created. What TAE: The Lost Chapters is going to be is a collection of oneshots based on TAE that never took place within the stories themselves. They'll come from each era, different situations, and won't really connect or go in order; they will also vary in regards to ratings.
That said, enjoy the first oneshot, and have a great 2010!
Title: Comfort
Era: Book 2
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: Old habits die hard; Tera comforts her friend after he's woken by a violent nightmare.
Dedicated to: Misa 3
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For several seconds, Tera couldn't figure out why she was awake.
Just a moment ago she'd been fast asleep, curled under the thin blanket of her bed, unperturbed by the constant sounds of sirens and zoomers and people just outside her window. The noise had bothered her at first, when they had only just arrived, but after two years she'd gotten used to it. Haven was nothing like Sandover; she'd simply had to adapt.
But now, for no apparent reason, she was awake; still drowsy, of course, and groggy from the sudden shift in consciousness, staring at the numbers of the clock sitting on her nightstand. Four thirty AM; what in precursors sake had woken her up…?
Slowly becoming more lucid, the first thing the girl took into account was that, for once, she was the sole occupant of her small bed. This was a bit odd; normally Jak would have come in a few minutes after she'd gone to bed, plunking down behind her and stealing her blankets. Surely this wasn't the reason she was awake, though; it had been hours since she'd gone to bed. The lack of her friend would have bothered her before now, surely?
A quiet noise drew her attention then, the channeler sitting up and glancing at the door, frowning. The noise came again, louder, and Tera was on her feet in seconds. Shuffling and moving around was what she was hearing, and it stirred memories of Sandover, nights spent sleeping over at Jak's uncles with he and Daxter.
Memories of the nightmares that used to plague the boy.
Back then, it wasn't uncommon for her to be woken in the middle of the night by Jak thrashing around in bed, sweating and making what noise he could, being a mute. They'd always managed to wake him up, she and Daxter, and to calm him down and get him back to sleep.
It had been a month now that Jak had been back, and this was the first time she'd heard movements like those from their younger days in all that time; it worried her.
"Jak…?" Tera quietly pushed the door open, peering in cautiously. It was just as she'd feared, though; he was twisted in his sheets, thrashing around and muttering in various tones, eco flickering occasionally.
Used to such a sight, the blonde girl approached carefully, kneeling on the bed once she was close enough and reaching out to press down on his shoulder, just a light touch, just enough to startle his sleeping mind a little. "Jak," she called softly, shaking him a little, "Jak, wake up. It's just a dream, just a bad dream."
Her fingers squeezed a little then, and Jak's eyes shot open with a gasp, shooting up in bed. His eyes jumped around the room, fuzzy for a moment before focusing on her, becoming suddenly clear, "T-tera?"
"Just a nightmare." She held his gaze, hand still pressed to his shoulder lightly.
They stayed like that for a moment, just staring at each other, before he grimaced, eyebrows drawing down over his eyes as he sighed and turned away from her, towards the window. This surprised her; he'd never done this back in Sandover.
He was trying to shut her out, she realized, trying to deal with it by himself. She wouldn't let him.
Jak stiffened when a pair of slim arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind, feeling her lean against his back, cheek between his shoulder blades. Tera said nothing for several minutes, just leaning against him, holding onto him.
"Don't block me out," she whispered finally, grip tightening just a bit, "Don't try to deal with everything by yourself. I couldn't help you for two years; let me help now."
The tension went out of him in a rush, a hand coming up to cover her much smaller one. "Not used to it anymore." He managed, licking dry lips, "Being… touched. Helped."
"I know."
"I was in prison again," he was talking about the dream now, "Back in that damned chair, having the eco pumped into me all over again while Praxis watched. Helpless, again."
Tera gave him a silent squeeze, the action calming him more than words ever could.
"Never again." She promised softly, "We won't let them do that again. I promise."
"Thanks."
"Mm." they sat there for a while, her arms still around him, his hand still on hers. When she couldn't feel any more tension in him, she lifted her head a little, eyes drooping now from lack of sleep, "You okay now?"
"Yeah."
"Kay." Tera moved to pull her arms away, but his hand suddenly tightened over hers, stopping her, "Jak?"
"Don't go," his voice was rough, worn out, like a soldier coming home from a million battles, "Stay."
The girl flushed just a little, but relented with a small smile, removing only one arm so that he wouldn't lay on it, the other returning the squeeze, "Alright, I'll stay."
Jak only made a noise in his throat, lying down and taking the girl with him, still gripping her hand. Tera settled behind him, murmuring a sleepy "G'night…" before drifting off.
It was the best sleep either had ever had.
