Xander captured the bodies of his wife and eldest daughter in his arms and
tried to support them. But found himself struggling even under their slight
weight. The three of them fell to the floor in a mass of limbs as Hermione
maintained her grip on her distraught daughter.
He managed to pull them both up into a seated position where Hope leaned against her mother's chest and Hermione kneeled on the floor. He didn't know what to do, Hope wasn't like this. She was calm and collected not cold, but not overly emotional. This was not the Hope who had gone to bed yesterday, this was someone else, someone who he didn't know.
Hermione was in shock, she couldn't believe that Hope was this upset whatever had happened in her dream must have severely spooked her, even as a child she had not been this afraid at her night mares. She continued to stroke Hope's hair and hold her as she cried, but she didn't know what to say, looking at Xander she could see that he to was shocked at their eldest daughter's behaviour.
"Mummy?"
Hermione looked at the doorway and saw her youngest daughter Briana standing wide eyed wearing her white cotton nightdress. She gave her a small smile, Xander stood up quickly when he was sure that Hermione could take all of Hope's weight and walked over to the door where Briana was standing and scooped her up in his arms giving Hermione a quick look before leaving the kitchen as they were leaving Hermione just heard her saying,
"Daddy, what's wrong with Hope?"
"Nothing Baby, Now come on let's go and see if Imala's up yet ok?"
Hermione was left alone with Hope; she didn't know what to do. So she waited patiently until Hope had finished crying before asking her again what was wrong. Hope sat up and brushed her tears away and just stared at her. They sat for minutes like that until Hope reached out a hand and started to trace lightly across Hermione's face in a feather like action not leaving the trance she had entered into until she said,
"It's really you isn't it?"
Hermione reached across and tucked a strand of Hope's hair which had come loose behind her ear before saying,
"Of course it's me, were you expecting someone else?"
Hope just continued to stare at her as if she had never seen her before,
"Come on Hope, what's going on? You're really beginning to scare me now."
Suddenly Hope pulled away and said,
"This isn't real, you're not real. I don't know what's going on but stay the hell away from me."
Hermione began to move towards Hope, tears beginning to form in the corners of her own eyes now. When suddenly someone else appeared in the doorway. Hope looked over her shoulder and saw,
"Faith!"
She jumped to her feet and rocketed into the very surprised woman's arms, clinging to her. Once she got over her surprise she wrapped her arms around the distraught form that was now clinging to her. She sent a curious look over Hope's head to Hermione who was still sitting on the floor.
Hope had felt so relieved when she saw a familiar face, she didn't understand what was happening, it was right. This wasn't the way things were meant to be. She looked up at Faith's face and gasped, along Faith's face from her forehead through her left and trailing off of her the slope of her cheek was a barely healed scar. Hope reached up and tried to touch her face but Faith turned away,
"What happened?"
She whispered softly, Faith just looked at her for a moment before saying.
"You know what happened, you were there remember?"
Hope began to shake her head back and forth falling to the floor whispering,
"No I wasn't, this is all wrong, I've never been here, I shouldn't be here."
Faith and Hermione just stared at her neither knowing what to say or do.
He managed to pull them both up into a seated position where Hope leaned against her mother's chest and Hermione kneeled on the floor. He didn't know what to do, Hope wasn't like this. She was calm and collected not cold, but not overly emotional. This was not the Hope who had gone to bed yesterday, this was someone else, someone who he didn't know.
Hermione was in shock, she couldn't believe that Hope was this upset whatever had happened in her dream must have severely spooked her, even as a child she had not been this afraid at her night mares. She continued to stroke Hope's hair and hold her as she cried, but she didn't know what to say, looking at Xander she could see that he to was shocked at their eldest daughter's behaviour.
"Mummy?"
Hermione looked at the doorway and saw her youngest daughter Briana standing wide eyed wearing her white cotton nightdress. She gave her a small smile, Xander stood up quickly when he was sure that Hermione could take all of Hope's weight and walked over to the door where Briana was standing and scooped her up in his arms giving Hermione a quick look before leaving the kitchen as they were leaving Hermione just heard her saying,
"Daddy, what's wrong with Hope?"
"Nothing Baby, Now come on let's go and see if Imala's up yet ok?"
Hermione was left alone with Hope; she didn't know what to do. So she waited patiently until Hope had finished crying before asking her again what was wrong. Hope sat up and brushed her tears away and just stared at her. They sat for minutes like that until Hope reached out a hand and started to trace lightly across Hermione's face in a feather like action not leaving the trance she had entered into until she said,
"It's really you isn't it?"
Hermione reached across and tucked a strand of Hope's hair which had come loose behind her ear before saying,
"Of course it's me, were you expecting someone else?"
Hope just continued to stare at her as if she had never seen her before,
"Come on Hope, what's going on? You're really beginning to scare me now."
Suddenly Hope pulled away and said,
"This isn't real, you're not real. I don't know what's going on but stay the hell away from me."
Hermione began to move towards Hope, tears beginning to form in the corners of her own eyes now. When suddenly someone else appeared in the doorway. Hope looked over her shoulder and saw,
"Faith!"
She jumped to her feet and rocketed into the very surprised woman's arms, clinging to her. Once she got over her surprise she wrapped her arms around the distraught form that was now clinging to her. She sent a curious look over Hope's head to Hermione who was still sitting on the floor.
Hope had felt so relieved when she saw a familiar face, she didn't understand what was happening, it was right. This wasn't the way things were meant to be. She looked up at Faith's face and gasped, along Faith's face from her forehead through her left and trailing off of her the slope of her cheek was a barely healed scar. Hope reached up and tried to touch her face but Faith turned away,
"What happened?"
She whispered softly, Faith just looked at her for a moment before saying.
"You know what happened, you were there remember?"
Hope began to shake her head back and forth falling to the floor whispering,
"No I wasn't, this is all wrong, I've never been here, I shouldn't be here."
Faith and Hermione just stared at her neither knowing what to say or do.