Chapter 7

This is a very short update. I feel soooo bad this story has been sooo hard to get going. Maybe because the fresh hell of 'After Hell Froze Over' will be so hard for my folks. R&R please, pretty please. =:-)


Sioux's Dream

The soundtrack that wafted through her nightmare was always 'Come to Me' , the song the doomed Fantine sang to her precious Cosette,from her favorite musical 'Les Misérables', as she ran and climbed desperately up the bluff that faced the raging sea. The screams of the child whipped her forward as she clawed her way through the tree branches and thorny bushes that tore at her face and arms. When she reached to top, she rested for a second on hands and knees heaving and breathless. Then finally saw a small head bobbing in the crashing waves struggling to keep a little mouth stretched in an endless scream, just above the water. Somehow Sioux knew it was a little girl. Just as she rose to begin her headlong, treacherous descent to the beach, to launch herself into the deadly crashing waves to save the child, the sea became calm and smooth as glass. A skiff suddenly appeared with a woman at the helm, headed straight to the child who stopped screaming and raised her arms for rescue. As the skiff reached the child, the woman reached out to pull her out of water. Sioux slumped and dropped her to her knees with relief and prayers of thankfulness. She was saved! She WILL LIVE! Her heart sang. As she stared at the rescue, she couldn't understand why the woman didn't immediately lift the child from the deadly water. As she started to scream for the woman to get the child out of the freezing water, the woman raised her head, smiled up at her, then pushed the child's head under the water, and held her down, throwing her head back and laughing in triumph as the child drowned. NOOOOO! NOOOO! Sioux screamed and screamed as she helplessly watched the little girl sink into the greedy maw of the lethal water.

Johnathan

From their Seattle home, on their first night back from Opies, he'd awoken a few hours earlier, couldn't go back to sleep, and had crept down to the den so as not to disturb Sioux, who was sleeping soundly. He had just paused the playback of his favorite show 'The Sons of Anarchy' and was reeling after watching the heroic and brutal death of his favorite character, the epic Opie.

'FUCK YOU SUTTER! You sadistic muthafucker! You killed Opie!?' He shouted at the screen his arms raised in disbelief. Before he could wipe away his man-tears of genuine shock and grief, Sioux's screams rent the air.

SHIT! Johnathan leaped up from the sectional and ran to the stairs. She'd started to have nightmares a few weeks ago that caused her to abruptly awake, struggle to sit up, and gasp for breath. It had happened twice while he slept next to her on the boat and scared the hell out of him. Both times, he'd held her and stroked her hair until her breathing slowed and she fell back to sleep. Both times in the morning, she claimed she didn't remember the dream, or her distress.

This one must be a humdinger he thought, his heart hammering as he bounded up the stairs to the horrifying shrieks and sobs of the woman he loved. He found Sioux screaming and frantically thrashing against the covers on the bed, desperately struggling to get free. He leap on the bed and grabbed her tightly in his arms as she fought him.

'Sioux! Sioux! Wake up Baby!' He shouted as she frantically battled to escape him.

'Noooo! Doooon't! Save her! Why won't you save her!' Sioux screamed hysterically.

He grabbed her chin and forced her wild, sightless, black-green eyes to his.

'It's a dream baby! Just a dream. It's alright! I'm here. You're O.K.!'

Before he could bring her to full consciousness, her hands fought him so frantically, he winced as her nails scored his face and neck as she struggled and sobbed. In the minutes that seemed like hours, he was finally able to restrain her and whisper her to consciousness. Slowly her wild green-black eyes began to clear and lighten to meadow green as she collapsed in his arms.

'Ahhh baby.' He soothed and rubbed her back in rough circles until her heaving sobs subsided to weak whimpers. Only then did he push the mane of black hair, and hold her shattered face in his big strong hands.

His voice was whisper soft. 'Tell me. Tell me baby. What scared you?

Sioux finally saw him. Her rock, her love, her man, and stuttered into his loving dark eyes.

'I saw her. B-b-efore I only heard the screams. I always ran to save the child. Th-i-i-s time I saw her! The girl. She was sooo little. Why would that evil woman pretend to save her? Let that l-i-i-tle girl think she was going to saved.'

Sioux eyes stared through him as she witnessed the horror again and gulped. 'Then with her bare hands, she k-k-ill her?

'W-h-h-y?' Sioux sobbed into the safe harbor of his strong arms, as he held her, and rocked her tight, as she keened her grief.


'Come to Me' - Les Miserables

Cosette, it's turned so cold
Cosette, it's past your bedtime
You've played the day away
And soon it will be night.
Come to me, Cosette, the light is fading
Don't you see the evening star appearing?
Come to me, and rest against my shoulder
How fast the minutes fly away and every minute colder.
Hurry near, another day is dying
Don't you hear, the winter wind is crying?
There's a darkness which comes without a warning
But I will sing you lullabies and wake you in the morning.

[Valjean enters.]
Valjean
Oh, Fantine, our time is running out
But Fantine, I swear this on my life

Fantine
Look, M'sieur, where all the children play
Valjean
Be at peace, be at peace evermore.
Fantine
My Cosette...
Valjean
Shall live in my protection
Fantine
Take her now
Valjean
Your child will want for nothing
Fantine
Good M'sieur, you come from God in Heaven.
Valjean
And none will ever harm Cosette
As long as I am living.
Fantine
Take my hand,
The night grows ever colder.
Valjean
Then I will keep you warm.
Fantine
Take my child, I give her to your keeping.
Valjean
Take shelter from the storm
Fantine
For God's sake, please stay till I am sleeping
And tell Cosette I love her
And I'll see her when I wake...
[She dies with a smile]