Only Black
Her heart pounds away in her chest as she heaves breathes in, sitting straight up, but stopping herself because the blackness, the lack of light, reminds her of the sarcophagus, and instead concentrates on the bead of sweat rolling down her back.
Doesn't bother cleaning herself up. It's a ridiculous hour in the morning, and she aims to slam into Daniel's laboratory door, but finds he was actually truthful when he said he'd be spending the night off base.
After nightmares, she seeks him out to talk her down, doesn't know he does it, just grounds her in this reality while her mind trembles in the past.
"Isn't it a bit late for you, Ms. Mal Doran?" At the corner of the corridor, General Landry stands still in uniform, flipping through a file, his eyes dark and heavy. He checks his watch and his eyebrows jump. "Sorry, a bit early."
"I had a bad dream." The nonchalance of her answer is overshadowed by the softness of her voice.
Something he detects as he approaches in a normal manner because the General is a professional, but he is also the most old-fashioned person she knows. He drops his arms, the folder slapping against his leg. "When Carolyn was little and she'd have a nightmare, we'd sip hot cocoa and talk until she settled."
"Yes, well—" Clears her throat, a bit dry from sleep "—unfortunately the cafeteria isn't open for another few hours, but thank you for the—"
He shakes his head at her, his lips hooking into a tight smile, and he beckons her with the folder. "I have a kettle and cocoa mix in my office."
When she doesn't follow him, still hazy and a bit sleep addled, he adds, "you think you're the only one to have bad dreams?"
