AN: Sorry for the delay I have been super busy lately and haven't had a whole lot of inspiration for this story but I think I like the way this chapter turned out. This one is shorter so the next one I'm going to try to make a little longer and get some more meat into this story. It is about half way from done but I have the next couple of chapters roughly outlined. If there is anything you really want to see just let me know. If it is within reason I would be happy to give it a try! Enjoy and Review!
Music was playing, her eyes were closed but music echoed through the room she was in. It wasn't clear like she was used to; it was scratchy, and similar to the sounds of the records her aunt played in the sunroom of her house. Sophie could remember dancing to the classics as a child with Frank Sinatra's soothing voice filling her ears. It took her a moment to recognize the song; her eyes were still closed as she heard the familiar lull of Elvis Presley cooing 'Love me Tender'.
"Mommy!" Something soft ran into her side and her eyes flashed open. "Mommy, you're awake!" Sophie blinked to try and focus her eyes.
After a moment she was able to see clearly the little boy that had run into her side. His curly brown mop of hair with startling grey eyes caused her heart to break a little. It was her Samuel and she knew what that meant, every time she was able to see her son she was forced to watch him die. He looked about four and he was perfect. She looked for anything wrong with him, most children she met were cute but there was something wrong with them. She had come to believe that all children were cute to a point but as soon as they opened their mouths or picked up a toy it became clear that here was something wrong with them, something that could only be cured by growing up. But Samuel, Samuel, was perfect.
"You have been sleeping for a long time. Daddy doesn't like it when you read all night." Samuel picked up the book she had obviously been reading. "What's an anamatony?" He sounded out the word slowly.
"It's an anatomy, baby, it means your body." She moved over on the couch she was occupying. "Where is your father?" Sophie wanted to see him; she had never seen him in these dreams.
"He put the music on and then he went outside." Samuel cocked his head to the side. "In the war, was my daddy was a hero?" The words sounded like he had taken a lot of time to remember them, practiced in the mirror how he was going to ask them.
Sophie's mouth dropped. She didn't know what to say, was he a hero? He fought against the winning side, he fought against her existence, he was awful. But he wasn't, Sophie couldn't even convince herself of the words in her head, Jasper was kind and sweet and caring, he did what he thought was right. Did that make it worse? Was it worse that he thought bigotry was right, that he was actually fighting for a noble cause?
"History will not remember your father kindly but he is a good man. He will protect our family always, and he loves you more than I could ever describe, and because he loves us that makes him our hero. Do you understand?" Her voice was shaky and she felt like she might start crying.
"Yes, Mommy. I love Daddy, does that make me a hero?" Samuel asked.
"Of course Kiddo! You are my hero."
"Am I Daddy's hero?"
"Probably, you will have to ask him. Should we go find him?" She asked mostly to get up from the incredibly uncomfortable couch.
"But don't you want to listen to the music mommy? Daddy says you love the music." Samuel looked concerned.
"I do love this music, it reminds me of being young again." She stood up as she talked and looked down at the denim jeans and green flannel button down she was wearing. Her hands went to her hair and she felt at the sloppy braid that had all the signs that she had slept on it. "Do you think you can find me my shoes?"
Samuel nodded and trotted off while Sophie sat and looked at the book he had abandoned. It was an 1858 first edition Gray's Anatomy; it was the same book she had seen in her dreams before. It meant something, but she couldn't figure out what. Sophie ran her finger down the spine of the leather bound book feeling the gilded engravings.
"Boots, boots, boots!" Samuel muttered in a tune as he came back in the room. "Mommy I brought boots!"
"Thanks baby!" She smiled as she took the brown leather riding boots from him and set them on the ground. She wanted to treasure every moment they had together because she knew eventually she would have to watch him die. She just watched him as she put on her shoes, he was fascinating, he did everything with such purpose, he was serious just like his father. "Come on baby, let's go." Sophie held out her hand.
The two walked out of the room and eventually out of the house. Samuel stayed quiet by her side his attention focused on his surroundings. He seemed to realise that it was enough just to be with her, no talking, not pointless conversation that neither of them would care about, he just was and somehow he knew that was enough. The sun was shining and everything was so perfect that she thought maybe this wouldn't be like the other dreams, maybe this time he would live, this time she wouldn't wake up terrified and heartbroken.
There was a man out in the yard but he was too far away to see clearly. She couldn't be sure but she thought she saw him swinging an axe. Sophie rushed forward just to catch a glimpse of his honey blond hair and piercing grey eyes. The closer she got the more the man's form came into focus but instead of the blond she expected to see glint off the sunlight she say brown. Her footsteps halted and she felt Samuel bump into her.
"Go back inside, son." She commanded in a weak voice.
"But I want to see Daddy!" He complained until Sophie fixed him with a look that sent him packing.
Sophie approached with more caution, her muscles tense, prepared to fight off the stranger.
"Hello!" She called, silently cursing her trembling voice that commanded nothing.
"Well howdy, Sweet-cheeks!" The man waved at her, his voice was thick as molasses and coated in a syrupy southern accent. "Nice to see you up and awake, but I guess I can't blame you. You were the same way with Sammy. Our babies just like sleepin'." He laughed as he stepped forward and placed his hand on her stomach.
Sophie's mouth dropped open and she felt slimy. She wanted to step away but something rooted her to the spot.
"Who are you?" She finally stuttered out.
"Oh, Soph, don't act like that!" the man laughed. "Six years of marriage and a beautiful baby boy with another on the way and you act like you don't remember me? It's me, Rudy." The man smiled and tried to plant a kiss on her cheek but Sophie moved away before he could make contact.
"I don't know you! Where is Jasper?" She panicked looking around, nothing was familiar. "Jasper!" She called out helplessly.
"Come on baby, I know this pregnancy is hard on you but I thought we worked through this. Jasper died, he died a long time ago." His words were soft but they struck her to the core.
Tears tore a path down Sophie's face as she crumpled into the long dying grass. She understood the words but couldn't comprehend their meaning. 'He couldn't be dead, he just couldn't!' She folded in on herself fighting off Rudy's attempts to console her. She fought for him for what felt like hours before she felt him walk away. Only seconds after he disappeared she smelt it.
Smoke.
Twisting her head up she looked back at the house. Fire lit up every window smoke was rising from beneath the shingles. Terror struck through her again. Samuel. 'Need to save Samuel, must save him!' she repeated in her head again and again as she sprung from her crouch and rocketed towards the burning building. She flew through the front door.
"Samuel! Samuel!" she cried as she searched the unfamiliar house. "Baby, Mommy is coming!" Tears mixed with smoke and she coughed more than anything else. She heard a strangled cry from the room she had woken up in and as she entered the room was engulfed in flames. The record player was still playing Elvis and 'Love Me Tender' filled her ears. She looked around the room and was about to leave before she saw a pair of small feet sticking out from underneath a coffee table.
"Samuel!" She cried as she pulled at his feet. He was okay, he was breathing, she could still save him. They ran together, sprinting at a rate that was only possible in a dream. They made it to the grass before turning to watch the house burn.
Samuel sat in her lap crying.
"It's okay baby, were okay. It's okay, we are going to find your daddy and everything is going to be okay." Sophie comforted with a wavering voice.
Samuel looked at her through the tears and furrowed his brow.
"My daddy is dead, he died in the war, and my daddy is a hero." He recited as if he had memorised the phrase.
"What? No, no!" Panic rang through Sophie's voice again as flames seemingly sprung up from nowhere and consumed her son right before her.
"Mija." Came the withered sigh from behind her. "You are not fighting hard enough."
Sophie spun around and this time instead of happiness to see her grandmother she felt tremendous rage. It came as instinct to lunge at the elderly woman and throttle her. Hate burned in her eyes, a hate that Sophie almost couldn't explain. Somehow she was certain it was her grandmother's fault. She had killed them.
"They are all dead! Where is my Jasper? What have you done with him? Bring back my son! Save him! Save him now!" She roared as Sophie's grip on her grandmother's throat increased. "You bring back my family, Bruja!"
Her grandmother remained calm as she looked into Sophie's eyes.
"I have taken nothing away from you. You will still have your family if you fight for them. If you continue to let others dictate your life you will lose them." She explained.
Sophie's anger vanished almost as quickly as it appeared and she released her grandmother's neck.
"I don't know what that means. What can I do?" Sophie tried to squash her guilt at calling her grandmother a witch. It was pretty much the worst insult she could have thrown at her, dead or not, she knew she should be ashamed.
Her father would have beaten her silly he had heard her. There were just some lines you never crossed and that was definitely one of them. Even in her dream she could feel her grandmother's tone changing. Gone was the sympathetic gaze, it was replaced with a calm stone-like face. Pride stopped her from apologising.
"Get home, you do not belong here."
"How? I don't know how I got here and I don't know how to leave." Sophie argued even though she could feel the lie in the pit of her stomach.
Sure, no one had given her a map on how to get out of here but a part of her didn't care that she didn't know, she was content to stay. If she left she would lose him and she didn't know if her heart could handle it.
"You have to want it mija." The old woman looked at her with a look of disapproval. "But you already knew that."
"But I will lose him. How can you ask me to lose him?" Tears threatened to spill over again.
"This is not where he belongs either, you will find a place with him, but you must trust, and you must want it" her grandmother warned. Without warning she leaned forward and pulled Sophie's head close to her lips. "Wake up." She whispered before pushing her away.
With a jolt Sophie's eyes flew open.