Chapter Seven:

JJ lay in his bed staring at the ceiling. He was desperatly trying to push away all thoughts of the night before and he wasn't succeding. He was extreamly tired and all he wanted to do was go to sleep but he was terrifed of the nightmares he was sure to have. Parker was already asleep, usually he would have stayed up with him but JJ had the feeling that Parker hadn't slept at all the night before. Maybe for once this memory wouldn't make it's way into his nightmares. "Yeah, right." he told himself before finally giving into sleep.


Parker woke up to his brother's screams and he was by his side in a second. "It's ok, JJ. It's just dream! Wake up!" he said as he gently shook his little brother. "Parker!" JJ exclaimed as he shot straight up in bed. Parker sat down on the bed and wrapped his arms around JJ. "It's ok, I'm here. It's over, it wasn't real this time." he told the smaller boy. JJ was shaking and desperatly fighting back tears when his parents came running in. "Nightmare." Parker simply told the panicked adults. Jack sat down on Parker's bed, unsure what to say. "Oh, JJ." was all Carly could manage herself as she sank to her knees in front of the two boys.

It didn't take long before Sage had rushed in too. "What's wrong? I heard JJ scream!" she asked. Jack walked over to his daughter. "He just had a really bad nightmare. He's ok, go back to bed." he told her. Sage didn't look to convinced. "Are you really ok, JJ?" she asked. JJ tried to will the tears out of his eyes before he looked at his little sister. "Yeah, I'm fine." he said, faking a smile. She didn't quite beleive him, but she left anyway.


Finally, JJ was able to convince his parents he was fine and they went back to bed. Both boys were back in their own beds, but neither was asleep. Parker was mentaly screaming at himself for falling into such a deep sleep that he hadn't been able to wake JJ up before it got that bad. JJ was now more terrified to go to sleep then he'd ever been in his life. That nightmare had felt just as a real as if he had been taken back in time. He could not handle that again. He just couldn't.

JJ looked over at his brother and say that he was still awake as well. Reminding himself that this was his big brother he allowed himself to say what he was thinking. "Parker ... why do all these people have to hurt me?" he asked in a very childlike voice with tears shimmering in his eyes. Parker's heart ached for JJ. "Because they are stupid ... and evil ... and ... I don't know." he admitted. "It's not fair." JJ said softly with a small sob. "I know." whispered Parker.

Parker got up and sat on JJ's bed. "Do you want to talk about the nightmare?" he asked his little brother. "It was about last night... Parker, I can't describe it again. I just can't." JJ said. "It's ok, it's ok. You don't have too." Parker assured him. They sat in silence for a moment. "I'm sorry I couldn't wake you up earlier. I won't let it happen again. I was just tired ... but I won't let that happen again. I'll wake you up before it get's that bad if it happens again." Parker told JJ. "I'm scared." JJ admited. "I know. Anybody would be. It's ok to be scared. I'll be here." Parker said as he headed back to his own bed.

Parker tried to make sure he'd go into his "JJ-watch" sleep mode. It was an ability he really didn't understand. He guessed it was like when you knew you had to be up early for something and you wake yourself up before the alarm. Or ... he'd heard about how some parents would instantly begin sleeping very lightly as soon as their child was born so they would here if anything happened to it. Whatever it was, he was glad he could do it, because JJ needed to be woken up from these nightmares as fast as possible, so the lighter he slept the better.

After a good hour of staring at the ceiling, JJ fell asleep against his will.

Author's Note: I know this wasn't that great, but it was a needed chapter. This is moving pretty slow, but it should speed up soon.

Thanks to y and r fan for the review!

Please review if you read this. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, what you'd like to see and I can try and work it in if it doesn't majorly affect any plans I have. I don't even care if your review is just one word. If I don't get reviews I have no way of knowing who's reading.