And I manage to squeak out a couple more chapters! ^_^;;; Sorry about that; Fade to Darkness has a tendency to grab my muse and run for it, while this one just seems to lurk in the back of my mind and wait. Once again, thanks for the lovely reviews everyone. Much appreciated. I hope these chapters meet your approval. Enjoy!
Chapter 6:Nightmare
A beautiful asian woman with hair pulled into twin buns touched his head and gave him a warm, gentle smile. The large dark-haired man next to her grinned and ruffled his hair. "We'll be back soon, kiddo."
"But I wanna go!" he protested.
"I'm sorry, Jason. We'll bring you a present, alright?" The woman's smile was sympathetic, her voice as soft and kind as her words. "Be good for your sister."
"Yes, Mama." he grumbled.
They faded away suddenly, and the memory sharpened into the truth of what had happened that night. "No!" he shouted, once again a teenager rather than the child he'd been at the time. "Don't go! Come back! Please!"
Amber appeared before him, hands on her hips as she shook her head. "You can't come with us Jason. Besides, you have other things to worry about." She disappeared as he reached for her.
"No!" he screamed. "Mama! Papa! Amby!"
Jason snapped awake abruptly, tears streaming down his cheeks. He laid still for a moment as his head cleared. He was in his bed, in his old house in Angel Grove. Amber had been in a coma for nearly a week now, and his life was falling apart.
Yeah, he was back to the land of the living.
Tommy skidded past the doorway, grabbing onto the doorframe and yanking himself inside the room. "What's wrong? I heard you scream." he demanded. His hair was disleveled from sleep, and he wore only his boxers. He'd volunteered to sleep on the couch a few nights ago, citing that Jason shouldn't be alone right now. He hadn't left yet, and Jason wasn't exactly complaining.
"Nightmare." Jason said shortly, not bothering to rise. It wasn't the first one, and he doubted it was going to be the last.
Tommy sat down on the floor beside the bed, leaning back against the wall. "You gonna tell me what it was about yet?"
He sighed deeply. "My parents." he mumbled at last.
Tommy remained silent, waiting. He knew prompting was more likely to shut Jason up than get anything out of him. His parents were an extremely sensitive subject to begin with. Now that Amber was comatose, Jason's sensitivity level had shot through the roof.
Jason's eyes closed as he recalled the dream. "It was a memory, of the last time I saw them. Papa told me they'd be back soon, and Mama told me they'd bring a present, and to be good for Amber. Then they just...faded away. I started yelling for them, and Amber appeared to tell me that I couldn't come with them, and I had other things to worry about."
Tommy winced in sympathy.
"Then I woke up." he finished sullenly. His mood had been atrocious as of late, particularly after one of his nightmares. When his senses finally returned, he would be appalled at how he'd treated Tommy. Their friendship was what kept Tommy beside him despite his attitude, long after others would have left him alone.
Tommy was silent for awhile, pondering exactly how to respond to this. "Did I get a chance to tell you what happened when we found the Cogs in the building?" he asked suddenly.
"No." Jason sighed, not really sure where this was going and not particularly caring.
"We found Amber, fighting."
"Fighting?" Jason echoed uncertainly. Amber never fought, physically anyway. She hadn't in years.
"Fighting." Tommy confirmed. "She was wearing a skirt and platform shoes, and she still managed to defend herself and the three people cowering behind her desk. Mostly she was throwing stuff at them," he admitted, "But she used a few familiar karate moves." A smile drifted across his face at the memory. "And she was yelling in Chinese."
Jason fought back a faint smile of his own. "She does that when she's really mad."
"The best part was what she was yelling." Tommy informed him. "According to my translator, it was something about 'no idiot wrapped in aluminum foil was going to get away with ruining all the files she'd just finished organizing, and she hadn't watched her little brother's karate tournaments for nothing'." He flushed slightly. "There was more language involved, but you get the idea."
Jason barked out a harsh laugh. "That's Amber for you. She's giving me too much credit, though. She learned martial arts from Mama, even if she stopped practicing when she died."
"You're kidding me. *Amber* took martial arts?"
"She was good at it, too. Made it to lower level black belt, actually. She was working on her second when the accident happened." He swallowed hard, blinking back tears abruptly. "It was like...she just lost her reason for it. Mama was the one who encouraged us to practice. She told us it was always good to know how to defend those who couldn't help themselves. When she died, Amber just stopped. She wouldn't even talk about it. For awhile she didn't want me to keep up, but I begged her for so long she gave in. Not that she approved, but she let me." He paused thoughtfully. "To be honest, I was always a little surprised she'd come to my tournaments. She stayed in the back of the room and left as soon as I finished, but she was there."
"Because she loves you." Tommy reminded him.
"Loved." Jason corrected, blinking more tears away.
Tommy shook his head vehemently. "She's *not* dead Jase. The doctors said there's a good chance she'll wake up soon."
"Then why hasn't she?" he shot back. He sat up, wrapping his arms around his knees and buring his face against them. "Amber is all I have, Tommy. I *know* I have you and the guys, but..." He shrugged helplessly. "Amber's been my mother for almost three years now. She's always been there. And now that she isn't, I..." He ran a hand through his hair. "I can't deal with this." he finished softly.
There was a moment of silence, and at last Tommy crawled up onto the bed, pulling Jason into a tight hug. He said nothing, only squeezed gently. Jason lost the battle against his tears and broke down at last, sobbing into his knees as Tommy held onto him. Tommy winced, but stayed where he was in silence, knowing Jason didn't want anything more.
They fell asleep that way at last, and even though they were both stiff in the morning, neither begrudged the other their presence.
Chapter 6:Nightmare
A beautiful asian woman with hair pulled into twin buns touched his head and gave him a warm, gentle smile. The large dark-haired man next to her grinned and ruffled his hair. "We'll be back soon, kiddo."
"But I wanna go!" he protested.
"I'm sorry, Jason. We'll bring you a present, alright?" The woman's smile was sympathetic, her voice as soft and kind as her words. "Be good for your sister."
"Yes, Mama." he grumbled.
They faded away suddenly, and the memory sharpened into the truth of what had happened that night. "No!" he shouted, once again a teenager rather than the child he'd been at the time. "Don't go! Come back! Please!"
Amber appeared before him, hands on her hips as she shook her head. "You can't come with us Jason. Besides, you have other things to worry about." She disappeared as he reached for her.
"No!" he screamed. "Mama! Papa! Amby!"
Jason snapped awake abruptly, tears streaming down his cheeks. He laid still for a moment as his head cleared. He was in his bed, in his old house in Angel Grove. Amber had been in a coma for nearly a week now, and his life was falling apart.
Yeah, he was back to the land of the living.
Tommy skidded past the doorway, grabbing onto the doorframe and yanking himself inside the room. "What's wrong? I heard you scream." he demanded. His hair was disleveled from sleep, and he wore only his boxers. He'd volunteered to sleep on the couch a few nights ago, citing that Jason shouldn't be alone right now. He hadn't left yet, and Jason wasn't exactly complaining.
"Nightmare." Jason said shortly, not bothering to rise. It wasn't the first one, and he doubted it was going to be the last.
Tommy sat down on the floor beside the bed, leaning back against the wall. "You gonna tell me what it was about yet?"
He sighed deeply. "My parents." he mumbled at last.
Tommy remained silent, waiting. He knew prompting was more likely to shut Jason up than get anything out of him. His parents were an extremely sensitive subject to begin with. Now that Amber was comatose, Jason's sensitivity level had shot through the roof.
Jason's eyes closed as he recalled the dream. "It was a memory, of the last time I saw them. Papa told me they'd be back soon, and Mama told me they'd bring a present, and to be good for Amber. Then they just...faded away. I started yelling for them, and Amber appeared to tell me that I couldn't come with them, and I had other things to worry about."
Tommy winced in sympathy.
"Then I woke up." he finished sullenly. His mood had been atrocious as of late, particularly after one of his nightmares. When his senses finally returned, he would be appalled at how he'd treated Tommy. Their friendship was what kept Tommy beside him despite his attitude, long after others would have left him alone.
Tommy was silent for awhile, pondering exactly how to respond to this. "Did I get a chance to tell you what happened when we found the Cogs in the building?" he asked suddenly.
"No." Jason sighed, not really sure where this was going and not particularly caring.
"We found Amber, fighting."
"Fighting?" Jason echoed uncertainly. Amber never fought, physically anyway. She hadn't in years.
"Fighting." Tommy confirmed. "She was wearing a skirt and platform shoes, and she still managed to defend herself and the three people cowering behind her desk. Mostly she was throwing stuff at them," he admitted, "But she used a few familiar karate moves." A smile drifted across his face at the memory. "And she was yelling in Chinese."
Jason fought back a faint smile of his own. "She does that when she's really mad."
"The best part was what she was yelling." Tommy informed him. "According to my translator, it was something about 'no idiot wrapped in aluminum foil was going to get away with ruining all the files she'd just finished organizing, and she hadn't watched her little brother's karate tournaments for nothing'." He flushed slightly. "There was more language involved, but you get the idea."
Jason barked out a harsh laugh. "That's Amber for you. She's giving me too much credit, though. She learned martial arts from Mama, even if she stopped practicing when she died."
"You're kidding me. *Amber* took martial arts?"
"She was good at it, too. Made it to lower level black belt, actually. She was working on her second when the accident happened." He swallowed hard, blinking back tears abruptly. "It was like...she just lost her reason for it. Mama was the one who encouraged us to practice. She told us it was always good to know how to defend those who couldn't help themselves. When she died, Amber just stopped. She wouldn't even talk about it. For awhile she didn't want me to keep up, but I begged her for so long she gave in. Not that she approved, but she let me." He paused thoughtfully. "To be honest, I was always a little surprised she'd come to my tournaments. She stayed in the back of the room and left as soon as I finished, but she was there."
"Because she loves you." Tommy reminded him.
"Loved." Jason corrected, blinking more tears away.
Tommy shook his head vehemently. "She's *not* dead Jase. The doctors said there's a good chance she'll wake up soon."
"Then why hasn't she?" he shot back. He sat up, wrapping his arms around his knees and buring his face against them. "Amber is all I have, Tommy. I *know* I have you and the guys, but..." He shrugged helplessly. "Amber's been my mother for almost three years now. She's always been there. And now that she isn't, I..." He ran a hand through his hair. "I can't deal with this." he finished softly.
There was a moment of silence, and at last Tommy crawled up onto the bed, pulling Jason into a tight hug. He said nothing, only squeezed gently. Jason lost the battle against his tears and broke down at last, sobbing into his knees as Tommy held onto him. Tommy winced, but stayed where he was in silence, knowing Jason didn't want anything more.
They fell asleep that way at last, and even though they were both stiff in the morning, neither begrudged the other their presence.