Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.
It was the scream that woke Megane Alphine from her deep, peaceful slumber; a shrill, anguished scream completely different from the screams she had come to associate with her daughter. Not even taking a moment to contemplate it, the woman flew from her bed to her daughter's room, fully prepared to fight if Lutecia's life was in danger; her daughter was screaming as if her life had ended. She threw the door open, and it hit the wall with a mighty slam, flicking the light on.
Tangled in her sheets, Lutecia lay in a crumbled heap on the bedroom floor, panting and trembling, her eyes tightly closed. Slowly, Megane felt herself relax. She saw no sign of danger, no threat to the younger girl's wellbeing, and blew out a long breath, sagging against the side of the door. "Lutecia?"
The girl jerked and looked up at her, her eyes finally open; wide, dazed red eyes met her mother's gaze, and Lutecia thrashed weakly against the sheets tangled around her. This was a familiar scene for both of them over the past week or so; the seventeen-year-old summoner had been suffering from nightmares on a regular basis, always ending this way, with her on the floor and her mother in the doorway.
It was probably no surprise that neither of them had gotten much sleep this past week.
"I-I'm sorry, Mom." Finally, the teenager managed to kick free from her bed sheets and sat up, squirming uncomfortably. "I… I'm okay now. I didn't mean to wake you up." She forced a soft, shaky smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You can go back to sleep now."
This was another familiar scene, Megane mused; the aftermath of whatever had jerked her daughter out of sleep, whatever had made her scream. Always the girl would wake, come back to herself, and sheepishly apologize before telling her mother it was fine for her to go back to sleep.
Megane didn't know what had happened to Lutecia to trigger these nightmares; didn't know why her child always screamed as if her heart was being ripped out of her chest, why she fell out of her bed reaching for someone who wasn't there. The most Lutecia had ever told her was that someone she knew had died on a mission, and it had been painful. They'd been friends, she said. They'd occasionally worked together.
Megane only had to look into Lutecia's eyes to know she was being lied to somewhat, but she never questioned it, simply accepting what her daughter offered her. She knew she couldn't force the girl to talk about it until she was ready.
Lutecia shakily got to her feet, shaking her head; this was the part where Megane usually accepted what her daughter said, wished her a good night, and returned to her bedroom. This was the usual aftermath.
Not tonight.
On quiet feet, Megane crossed the bedroom and gently pulled her child into her arms, nuzzling her hair softly. "Come on," she said softly. "Sleep with me tonight, Lu. It might keep the nightmares away."
Lutecia was quiet for a moment; Megane was fully prepared for the girl to push her away, and sighed internally with relief when the younger woman crumbled into her arms slightly and clung to her. "Okay," she said softly, the word practically a sob.
Wordlessly, she guided her daughter back to her room, gently settled her into bed, and turned off the light before going to join her. The moment Megane slid under the covers Lutecia latched onto her tightly and buried her face into her neck, holding on to her as if she was ten years old again and afraid that her mother would disappear if she didn't hold on tightly enough.
"… Mom?"
"Yes, dear?"
"I'm sorry." Her voice was already drowsy; exhaustion was catching up with her. "I'm sorry I'm always waking you up." And with that Lutecia passed out, soothed by her mother's presence.
Her eyes softened, but Megane said nothing; instead, she simply drew Lutecia tighter into her arms and rested her cheek against her hair, closing her eyes. It didn't take long for the mother to follow her daughter into sleep.
They slept through the rest of the night and didn't wake until much later in the morning.
And now for some angst to break up your fluff and humor. You're welcome. Takes place about a week or so after Miranda's death in the Shadowverse timeline.