Title: Nightmare Memories

Author: The Moof

Feedback: Yes

Rating: NC 17

Main Character: Cross Country

Summary: Cross Country is having nightmares about his childhood that he always tried to forget; but now the nightmares are getting worse and forcing him to face the truth about his family and his purpose in his family.

Notes: This story takes place during the season 3 episode Nightmare Assault.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cross Country, his aunt Hazel, any of the Joes, G.I.Joe or Cobra, they are all owned by Hasbro; but I do own Cross Country's parents, his other relatives and everyone else.

Following the dim light from the woods out side his boyhood home; Cross Country could hear the chanting get louder as he walked closer to the light. Seeing a group of mysterious people in black hooded robes, Cross Country walked up to see what they where up to.

Seeing a newborn baby, with an upside down crescent moon shaped birthmark on the base of his back, was on a stone alter surrounded by the trappings of witch's coven. He first figured that the baby was going to be sacrificed till these strange people started to worship it. They where telling this baby allsorts of strange and bizarre things.

"All hale the lord of the night." Said one man.

"Drink my blood oh prince of the new world." Said a woman who started to cut her wrists.

Then a man said, "You are the one who will be the father of a god."

That's when he heard a familiar woman's voice say, "We have been expectin' you, Arlen."

"Aahh!" screamed Cross Country as he was rudely awakened by his nightmare. Looking around him, he realized that he was in his quarters at the Pit.

"It's, it was just a bad dream. It's nothin' to get wiled up about." He told himself calmly as he got up and went to the bathroom to splash some cool water on his face.

He's been having these nightmares for almost a week now; and they're only getting worse. These dreams have been affecting his work and his appetite; badly. Cross Country thought he out grew these nightmares; but as they say the past will try to haunt you if you don't watch out.

"An't that the damn truth." Said Cross Country to himself as he looked in the mirror. He vividly remembers the first time he started to have these nightmares. He as about seven years old and he was staying with his father's oldest sister Hazel while his parents renovated the family house.

He was sleeping in the guest room when he heard this odd chanting coming from Aunt Hazel's basement. Walking to the basement door an opening it, Cross Country peaked to see what was the chanting about. To his surprise, he saw his dad, Aunt Hazel, and a few other people in black robes in a circle with an odd glowing red creature in the center. Not wanting to know what was going on, Cross County quickly and quietly ran back to the guest room and went back to sleep.

The next morning he asked his Aunt Hazel about what he saw the night before. All she told him that none of that happed and he must have dreamt it and to say nothing more of it. So he didn't. When he went back to his home and to his new room, the dreams only got worse. He remembers overhearing his mom and dad talking about him and his stay at his Aunt Hazel's.

"I don't like the thought of Arlen stayin' at you sister's after what happened to him. He keeps havin' these nightmares." Said his mom to his dad.

"Let him believe that what is happening are nightmares." Said his dad, "I personally don't like it ether, but if he is to fulfill his porpoise then we have no choice in the matter now do we."

"What is this porpoise my dad spoke of that day?" Cross Country said to himself as he went back to bed. It wasn't to long till he fell back to sleep. But when he started to have another nightmare, similar to the one he just had, the upside down crescent moon on the base of his back started to glow red.