Prompt: 038 Nightmare
Character: Emily/Edward
Fingers gently touched Edward's shoulder. His hand quickly gripped the knife he'd hidden and he brought it up to the person's neck. He stopped as soon as he recognized Emily's blue eyes. He pulled the blade away and looked down to the blood that dripped from a small cut he'd made. Emily moved away and toward the exit without a word. Edward got up and followed her out. They walked in silence until Emily led them to an empty commons area. She sat down at a table and Edward sat down across from her.
Silence settled in the room, Edward watching Emily and the woman staring down at the table. Edward wouldn't speak until Emily did, as she'd been the one to bring them here. His hand reached out, finger gently running over the small cut. "You should have more control," Emily said. Edward frowned at her but his finger remained touching her neck. "I would think by now you wouldn't have to look at me to recognize me."
"I would, if I wasn't asleep," Edward defended. "I'll stop sooner next time." He dropped his hand and just watched her, waiting for more. The silence wasn't uncomfortable for the two of them, they could sit in silence just fine for hours, but this was different. It was the middle of the night, they had training tomorrow, and Emily had woken Edward and taken him all the way to the commons area.
It was a few minutes before Emily spoke again. "I had a nightmare." Edward didn't say anything, just waited for more information. "Have you ever had a family?"
"People don't just appear out of thin air. There has to be a genetic origin," Edward answered. "And contrary to what the others might say, I am not the grim reaper in a mortal form."
"Parents aren't the same as family," Emily argued. "Family cares about you, loves you. Parents aren't obligated to love you." Emily shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I had a nightmare about my family." Edward listened in silence, watching her closely. "They were all there and I kept trying to go to them…but they'd vanish. I could hear their voices, telling me that it wasn't fair I had survived. I shouted at them to stop, but they only seemed to talk louder until it was so loud." She looked down to her hand. Edward looked over as well and furrowed brow, confused by his own hand resting on hers. "Thank you."
Edward looked to his partner. His hand gently gripped hers. "It was just a dream," he assured her.
Emily shook her head. "Not for that," she said, shifting her hand to indicate his hand. "You were in my dream. When the noise was getting overwhelming you covered my ears and blocked it all out." Emily smiled slightly. "Thank you for stopping the noise."
Edward was quiet for a moment. "We're partners. Any time you need help, I'll be there." He looked back to his hand, watching it as though expecting it to move again without his instructions.
"I suppose we are. Our squad leader does always say we should be able to absolutely trust our partner." They just sat quietly for a moment, taking comfort in the silence. "Do you ever have nightmares, Edward?" Emily asked.
Edward still just watched his hand like a guard watching a prisoner. "I don't dream much," he finally answered. "What happened after I stopped the sound? Did the dream just end?"
Emily shook her head. "No, my family appeared again, like zombies. They moved to attack me, but you didn't leave." She stopped and looked away from him. "That was all."
Edward turned his gaze upward. His free hand moved up and guided her face so she was looking at him. "I don't like being lied to," he said quietly. He leaned in a bit closer to her. "What else happened?" Emily frowned, defiant, trying to stand her ground. Edward leaned in to only inches away from her. "Tell me."
"You want to know what happened?" she asked, relaxing a bit. Edward slowly nodded but said nothing. Emily suddenly leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. It took a fraction of a second for Edward to respond, opening his mouth to allow the kiss to deepen. They clung to each other as they competed for dominance. When they broke apart the two stared at each other, taking deep breaths. Emily suddenly stood up, and before Edward could react, she was gone.