Natasha slept in LaCroix's arms as they snuggled on the
couch. LaCroix had fallen asleep as well. He was sleeping in seeming peace.
Natasha, however, was not. As she slept, the nightmare she'd relived a
million times before played through her mind.
***Dream Sequence***
She was running away from the dark stranger who persued her. She turned, running in slow motion into a blind alley. A dead end!
The stranger reached for her, and she screamed.
From the shadows came a voice-- familiar, yet foreign
at same time. It was calling out to her in the darkness, searching for
her. The voice belonged to someone she used to know, someone she *should*
know still. He called her "Nat."
***End Dream Sequence***
Natasha awoke, screaming in the darkness. She struggled against the arms that held her tightly-- LaCroix's arms. He awoke at the sound of her screams and tried to calm her.
"Nata--" he almost called her 'Natalie.' Holding her more gently this time, he said, "Natasha... hush, child. I'm here... nothing will hurt you."
"M-make it stop! Make the dream stop!" she cried, her voice muffled against his chest.
LaCroix raised her to look at her face. "Tell me about this dream, my dear," he asked gently.
"No..." she mewed softly, denying him.
LaCroix thought about "persuading" her to tell him, but decided against it when he saw how upset she was. Instead, he allowed her to snuggle into his arms and cry until her eyes held no more tears.
He found himself wanting to protect her from the nightmares... the memories which haunted her dreams, yet eluded her conscious mind. Yet, to do so would mean he'd have to prevent her from ever regaining her memory. Then Natalie Lambert would be no more...
The thought troubled LaCroix. Could he take Natalie
away from Nicholas and keep Natasha for himself? Nicholas, he knew, would
never forgive him. Would he be able to forgive himself?