(I own nothing of the BLADE franchise. Everything belongs to Marvel and New Line Cinema)

NIGHTMARES

CHAPTER 1

Hannibal King lay tossing and turning in his bed. It had been a month since the events of Drake and Danica, and he felt as he first had when Abby rescued him. He felt trapped by what Danica had told him and how she treated him. He knew it was ridiculous to even consider listening to what she said, but you can't avoid the truth when it is told to you. His nightmare was always the same. That Blade and Abby had arrived to late to rescue He and Zoë.

Trapped in his nightmare King watched as Danica bit him all over again. He felt her fangs sink into his throat as a knife does in butter, and drink his blood noticing that Zoë was being made to watch. Danica's words echoed through his mind, "You will drink her." As Danica finished, he saw himself slide to the cold hard ground; his arm still chained to the floor. Watched as Danica chained Zoë's little hand to the same bar his was latched on to. Zoë's face was full of concern and fear of him, afraid that he was going to feed on her. King could feel the hunger that was reawaken inside of him and he couldn't fight it. He knew that he was weak, but never thought that he would allow himself to give in so easily. He saw Zoë trying to pull her hand out of the manacle but to no avail. King tried to fight the urge, but he wanted blood. Zoë's was young and fresh. He watched himself grab for her and heard her scream, pleading to him to stop being mean and scary. King was torn, he didn't want to hurt her, but he couldn't help himself as he punctured her flesh with elongated teeth and started to feed. King felt her blood flowing through him. Then he heard it. A crash through the skylight and there directly in front of him stood Blade and Abby. As he held Zoë in his arms, he heard Abby scream. King realized that he had never heard Abby scream before. Then with a sudden prick he felt a needle slide his neck and a burning sensation flow through his system. It was the antidote that each member of the Nightstalkers carried on them. He felt himself grab hold of Abby's neck to try and stop her. In the back of his mind, Hannibal realized that he was trying to hurt the one woman that he loved. Suddenly Abby connected the butt of her gun to the back of his head. The last thing that King remembered was Abby checking Zoë to see if she was alive.

King suddenly shot up in bed screaming, and hyperventilating. Thinking only of the one person that he needed, he started screaming. "ABBY!" "ABBY!" "ABBY!"

CHAPTER 2

Abby shot up in bed hearing her name being screamed repeatedly from down the hall. She climbed out of bed rushing into King's room and accessed the situation. Another nightmare she thought. She walked over and sat on King's bed pulling him close. "Shhh King. It's ok." She told him in a calm soothing voice. Hannibal didn't even seem to register that Abby had entered the room. "King, listen to me. You have to focus." Abby took his face in her hands so she could look in his dark brown eyes filled with fear and anxiety. "Look at me King!" Abby shouted. "You're ok. Zoë and I are ok. You're at the hive remember?" She watched as he blinked away the confusion and had clarity flood back into him.

"Abby?" he asked hugging her tightly.

"Yeah, King. It's me." She replied holding onto him.

"I killed Zoë," he explained to her "and tried to choke you."

"No, you didn't. You're ok. You would never hurt Zoë or me." Abby reassured him.

"But that's the thing Abby. I would have if Danica had bit me again. I would have hurt you two, even kill you. I couldn't live with that." he confessed while sobbing into her shoulder.

"You listen to me Hannibal King. You are strong and I trust you with my life and Zoë's. You are a honorable man and that will never change." Abby forced him to look at her, to see the determination in her eyes. "Do you understand me, King?"

"Yes." He replied softly as if trying to convince himself at the same time.

"This part of you is in the past." Abby explained to him pulling down the band of his sweats to reveal Danica's mark and resting her hand over it. "You came so far in accepting that King. Don't let this drag you back to the past. Your future is here and has been here with me and Zoë. Think about it. Ok?" King's only acknowledgement to her was a slight nod of his head.

"Ok then. Let's get you settled back into bed." Abby talked to him as if he were a child, knowing that it would take him awhile to fall back to sleep. Helping him lie back down, she pulled the covers over his trembling body. "Do you need a sedative?" She asked him tentatively. "No." he replied shaking his head. "Ok then. Call me if you need anything." She bent over and kissed him lightly on his forehead before exiting the room. "Abby?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you could lie here for a bit?"

Abby looked him over and realized once again how much his nightmares got to him. Just like when she first rescued him from Danica. "Sure King." As she climbed under the blankets next to him she couldn't help but take him into her arms. "Sleep King. Just rest. Everything will be better in the morning." She felt him relax in her embrace as she lightly brushed his bearded face with her hand. It didn't take long before his breathing became deep and even, eventually lulling Abby to sleep as well.

That was how Zoë found her guardians in the morning, comforting each other as they slept. It made her feel that everything would work out because they were a family and families were there for one another. Throughout all of their nightmares, they stood by each other forever.

Fin!