Disclaimer: I do not own Ib.

Chapter 6

They had thought she was getting better. The nightmares had been less severe and her pale face had begun to regain color. But it was obvious something was still undeniably wrong. She had calmed a bit since Garry arrived, they had been able to pull her out of her nightmares and calm her down. But tonight, it seemed like nothing they did could calm her down. It was painful to watch her. She was awake, no longer bound by the nightmare, but her terror would not cease. Ezekiel stood at the doorway, watching his sobbing wife plead with their daughter who struggled in her arms. But all the little girl did was cry out.

"Ib, please calm down. Please." Vivian was reaching for her, pulling at her, trying to get her baby safely within her arms.

Ib twisted out of her mother's arms again. She burrowed herself into the corner of the room, her eyes wide and fearful. "No, no, no! You aren't―you're not―I―I―I don't believe you!"

She'd been crying for the last hour without signs of calming. She had not reacted well to either of them.

He winced as she screamed that they weren't her parents again. She'd been repeating variations of the same thing since she'd awoken. He glanced out the dark room into the hallway, eyes falling upon the telephone. An idea sprang to mind and held. He shook his head, he didn't want to. As Ib screamed in protest to her mother's begging again, his jaw locked and he left the room. He stood in front of the phone, debating. They didn't need him. He heard Ib hiccup her way through another sentence, culminating in a sob. He picked up the phone and dialled. If they didn't calm her down soon she would start hyperventilating.

Ring!

Garry stirred in his sleep.

Ring!

He groaned and turned over in bed.

Ring!

He lay flat on his back, looking up irritably at the ceiling.

Ring!

With a frustrated sigh, he got out of bed and stumbled groggily over to the phone.

It took him another three rings for his half-awake self to pick up the phone successfully.

"Hello?" he snapped, voice cracking. He cleared his throat as he waited for the reply.

"Ib had a nightmare."

The hazy quality of his thoughts cleared instantly. "I'll be right there."

Ezekiel leaned against the wall by the door, waiting for Garry to arrive. He called him an hour ago! Finally, Garry knocked. Ezekiel opened the door and Garry hurried passed him and into Ib's room. He followed.

Entering the room, Vivian's eyes met their's, hopeful. She stepped away as Garry approached Ib.

"Good evening, Ib." he greeted her as cheerfully as he could.

She seemed to push herself farther into the corner. He kneeled in front of her and held out his arms. She curled up and whimpered.

"Come on, Ib. Don't you want to come give me a hug?"

"No, no. You aren't my friend!"

Garry's smile wavered then dropped as he sighed. He reached out, grabbing her firmly by her wrists. She tried to pull them back to her chest, only succeeding in bringing her closer to the man. Garry maneuvered her so that both wrists were held within one hand and his arm was around her back. He pulled her close. He shushed her, pressing her hands and head to his chest. She continued to struggle.

"Shh. It's me, Ib. It's Garry. Shh. I'm real. Can you hear it? Can you feel it?"

Ib stilled and Garry remained silent. Moments later she had thrown her arms around him and crying in relief.

"That's it. Just calm down. Everything's okay."

"They're," she murmured quietly. "They're not my parents."

"Are you sure about that? I believe them. Why don't we check?" Garry replied, gesturing them closer.

Ib's frightened gaze darted between her parents and Garry.

"It's okay. If they aren't I'll pull you away, alright?"

She hesitated but nodded. Garry picked her up and stood in front of them. Her uncertain eyes took in his encouraging smile and she turned to them. Two trembling hands reached out, finding their place on her parents' chests'. She held them there and her frame slowly stopped shaking. Her tense frame relaxed. Garry loosened his hold on her as she tackled her two parents down in a hug. She held onto them, whispering "They're real." over and over.

They'd all been sitting in silence in the dining room, drinking tea. Everyone had left the dark room, hoping to calm down with a drink in the well-lit room. The tense silence was broken with a soft thud as Garry's head came to rest upon the table, fast asleep. Ib hopped out of her seat and left, returning promptly with a blanket. She dragged her seat over and stood upon it, needing the extra height to wrap it around her dozing friend. She sat down in her new position so close to him. A fond smile on her face, she reached out, tucking purple strands behind his ear. Then, she sat back, eyes darkening.

She whispered, "Garry's too kind."

Ezekiel merely frowned. He would not say anything against him tonight.

"It was kind of him to come so late." Vivian agreed.

She shook her head, guiltily. "He must be so tired."

Ezekiel attempted to reassure her, "He came of his own will. This surely didn't take much of his time."

She persisted, shaking her head fervently.

"It's not that big a deal, dear," her mother added.

Ib relented, though she did not agree. She chewed absently on her bottom lip. They hadn't noticed but she definitely did. Amidst the turmoil of waking from the nightmare, she saw the exhaustion on his face. Her chaotic emotions had obscured his image and dulled her ability to observe, but looking back with a cleared head now it was obvious. Guilt swept through her. He'd been overly warm, as damp with sweat as she had been upon waking. Heart thudding rapidly. Chest falling with quick, heavy breaths that she could hear. Gravel in his voice, as only deep breaths of cold night air coupled with an already dry throat could produce. When he'd picked her up off the floor, his muscles spasmed under the new weight and recent intense use. He'd come for her, ran to her rescue, and he hadn't wasted a single moment. She pulled the blanket back over a shoulder it had fallen off of and made sure to tuck it in carefully. Garry's home was far.

Guilt of a deeper sort settled within her, regret burdening her little shoulders. Though she felt bad that she had disturbed her friend from much needed sleep, she could forgive herself after seeing how willing he had been to help her. She could almost think of herself as less of an inconvenience when she thought back to his encouraging smile and the proud look he gifted her with when she had mustered the courage to confirm her parents' identities. But she had caught another feeling as she'd stared into his eyes. Right after she'd accused him as an impostor, she had seen the brief flash of raw anguish. The widened eyes and slack jaw with eyes so dark and fearful they could only be described as haunted. And though it had not registered to her right then, it did so now. And she knew. She knew she was not the only one losing sleep. She was not the only one looking over her shoulder. She was not the only one consciously avoiding the walls of green hallways expecting claws to reach out. These nightmares were not hers, they were theirs. In the gallery, he'd kept them safe, he'd gotten things she couldn't reach and moved things she couldn't budge. She had kept them sane, had kept them going, and saw the important details that he'd missed. It seemed outside the gallery they had neglected each other as much as they had supported each other within it. Determination lessened the weight of the guilt on her back as her had gripped his under the table. She would not let them make that mistake again.

A/N: It's been a while. I'm glad to finally be able to finish this chapter. I like the parallel between their emotions. They just support each other so much. Though they have very different personalities, they have so much in common at the core. They definitely won't be neglecting each other now that both have resolved to be there for the other.

That's about all I have planned on doing for tonight.

Thank you so very much for continuing to read this.

Until next time friendlies,

Dfsemina