You Don't Rush Into Destiny
Chapter One
A Nightmare
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own anything but the idea for this story. I'm definitely not going to make any money off this. It's just a little something for fun!
A/n: Hello, lovely readers. This is my first time writing Stargate: Universe fanfiction. Actually, it's my first time writing Stargate anything fanfiction. I have to thank the great betas I used for this: ThatGuyYouKnew, ThisMortalCoil, and a good friend of mine Jazz E. Roisin. Each of them helped me so very much and I thank them greatly for their time! To anyone who may be a fan of my Harry Potter fanfiction Comfort With the Enemy: have no fear, I'm working on that one as well! I'm in the process of redoing the first five chapters. They need massive beta work and then I'm going to work on chapter six. Be patient with that story. I swear I'll finish it! And now onto the show!
Dr. Nicholas Rush starred at the console in the Control Interface Room and sighed heavily. He'd been staring at the readouts for his latest set of simulations for hours. At this point he'd lost track of how long he'd been working on them. Rush removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, finishing with running his hands over his forehead and through his hair. He was tired; he hadn't slept in almost 48 hours. He'd been working for the past two days on simulations in attempt to find a better way to conserve power while boosting their shield and weapons capabilities. It was the same old song and dance they went through, especially after jumping out of FTL.
There was another reason he couldn't sleep, though. Every time he closed his eyes he was in a tank of water or he was on a table with blue aliens standing over him, cutting his chest open while he felt every moment of it. Every time he went to sleep he woke drenched in sweat, stifling a scream and choking back bile. He was barely surviving on the few hours he managed every other night when his body couldn't take being awake any longer and shut down against his will. I wonder if T.J. ken find me a sedative. Doubt it'll do any good, though.
His arms and legs twitched lightly, indicating his body had reached its limit for lack of sleep. He stood, stretching his arms above his head and arching back. He needed to lie down in his quarters before he fell asleep hunched over the console. There was no need to have a stiff neck on top of everything else. Stifling a yawn he began to make his way down the corridors through the section of crew quarters to his own, set away from everyone else's for some semblance of what passed as privacy on board Destiny.
The walk from the Control Interface Room was a short one under normal circumstances but this fatigued the walk felt like it took hours. Time is relative… if only I was courting a pretty girl. Rush chuckled quietly at the thought. Having a pretty girl to court sure would make the time aboard Destiny pass much faster. It would certainly make the long, grueling hours a little more bearable, if nothing else. If not the girl then he wished he could have the pleasure of Gloria's music once more. The memory of her playing in the study still haunted him. For a while after she passed he swore he could hear her music playing in another room.
Currently every corridor was empty and there was no trace of people living aboard the vessel. With only a skeleton crew operating for the next few hours, the only thing Rush heard was the myriad of sounds made by Destiny; the thrum of the engine, the whisper of life support, and the beeps of monitors they still didn't understand. The semi-silence made walking alone almost eerie, so when a scream pierced the air like a huntsman's arrow through a buck, Rush found himself jumping a few inches into the air. He was grateful he was the only one around. The sound came from one of the occupied rooms and Rush heard a muffled,
"No, please let me out!" Rush followed the sound of the screaming and hit the button to open the door. On the bed Chloe Armstrong thrashed amongst tangled covers in the throes of a nightmare. There was no sign of her young soldier, Matthew, so Rush made his way to the young woman and sat on the edge of the bed. He placed a hand gently on her left shoulder, feeling the dampness of her skin on his palm and shook her gently, hoping the poor girl wouldn't wake fighting.
"Chloe, wake up, it's only a dream. Chloe." He continued to gently shake her for roughly two minutes as she tossed beneath her sheets. Finally, her eyes flew open and she propped herself up partially on her elbows, gasping for air. Rush placed a hand on her upper back and helped Chloe sit up further.
"It's okay, it was just a dream," he said gently. Chloe looked over at him, eyes wide and full of fear. Her breathing was beginning to deepen and steady.
"They…they had me again. I was back in the tank and the water was pouring in," she whispered. Rush knew the feeling all too well. He'd had the same dream himself several times since they'd returned. All he did was nod in understanding and he was surprised when Chloe pulled him into a hug. It had been a long time since someone hugged him, even in thanks. Not knowing what else to do he hugged the frightened girl back, trying to stifle his own yawn.
"Are you going to be alright, then?" Rush asked.
"I-I think so..." Chloe muttered without releasing Rush. "Will the nightmares ever go away?" He didn't know what to do. He wanted to comfort the girl but it had been a very long time since anyone had come to him for comfort. He wasn't exactly seen as a comforting person, especially on the ship, but he knew the girl needed someone to talk to or at least someone to say the nightmares weren't going to come true and she wasn't going to go back aboard the alien ship.
"It'll take some time, but yes, eventually they'll stop." Chloe seemed to accept the answer. Sometimes all the comfort one needed was to know an end would come even if it would take a while. Chloe finally released him and Rush stood up, turning to walk out of the door.
"Wait… can I-can I ask a favor?" Chloe asked shyly. Rush nodded and looked at her, waiting for the question. "Would you mind…would you stay here until I'm asleep? I know it's strange but-" Rush cut her off saying,
"It's not odd at all, Chloe. Lie back down and go on to sleep." Rush slid onto the double bed and sat upright against the headboard. If one of them could get a decent night's sleep he didn't mind helping the girl out. Chloe put her back to his legs and within five minutes Rush heard her breathing settle into the slow, rhythmic pattern of sleep and she rolled onto her other side and tossed an arm over his lap. He wanted to give her a few more minutes to insure her dreams wouldn't be plagued by more nightmares before he went to his own quarters.
As he watched her sleep, searching for any sign of a new nightmare beginning, his own eyes began to feel heavy. His lack of sleep was finally taking its toll on his body and his brain was shutting itself down. Within a minute his eyes closed and his head bobbed. After two more minutes his head was against the headboard, his eyes were closed, and he was sliding down the bed. Another two minutes and he had slid into a laying position and Chloe's head found its way into the crook of his shoulder, where it stayed for the next six hours.
A/n: What do you think? I really hope you enjoy the chapter! Please review but remember: no flames. Constructive criticism is not a flame. Also, if you see any missed typos don't hesitate to point them out!