The next morning I awaken suddenly, feeling hot breath on my face. I sit
bolt upright with a loud cry of warning, making whoever was standing over
me step back in surprise. "Get away from me!" I scream, my eyes unfocused
and my mind still fogged with sleep. "You will never get to them!"
I let out a shuddering breath at the reassuring hand placed on my arm and blink away the cloud over my eyes. I meet the warm but concerned gaze of Virgil and fall back against the pillows, feeling as if I hadn't just slept deeper than the ocean is wide.
"Tin-Tin, are you all right?" He sits down on the bed and looks at me, expression dark and worried.
I nod and try to smile. "I just had a bit of a nightmare, that's all." I can tell he's not buying my excuse.
The truth is, I don't know why I yelled what I did. I don't even know if I did have a nightmare, as I told Virgil. Icy chills run down my spine as I bring up a mental image of the only thing I can remember from my dream.
A pair of narrow, yellow eyes.
I pull the pale covers up to my neck, not wanting him to see how badly I'm trembling. I glance around the medical bay, wishing I were in my own bed. After much protest on my part and at Brains' insistence, I had spent the night in the sick room.
"How are you feeling?" His voice brings me out of my thoughts and I concentrate on him again.
"Just fine. I was never feeling anything less."
"Then why did you pass out?"
I shrug, trying to be nonchalant about the whole subject. Inside, my thoughts are still in turmoil. No one knows the answer to that question, least of all me. It's driving me up the wall just thinking about it. But there is one thing I know for sure.
Those eyes are connected to it. Somehow. They're familiar, but I can't place them.
And that's what worries me.
"Tin-Tin?"
"Huh? Oh, Virgil, I'm sorry." I smile weakly, feeling faint as the picture of the eyes in the back of my mind fades away. "I'm just a bit tired, I guess," I lie quickly, not wanting him to question me any more.
He nods and rises to his feet. "I'll leave you to sleep then. Give me a shout if you need anything, okay?"
I look up at him gratefully. "I will. Thanks, Virgil."
He leans down and squeezes my hand before leaving the room. With a quiet sigh, I slide down beneath the sheets and stare at the ceiling until I fall asleep again. My last coherent thought was one wish: to have those eyes leave me alone and let me rest.
+++
That evening I leave the sick room and go back to my own to change for supper. What I find there surprises me. There is an open suitcase on my bed and someone in my closet.
"Virgil?" I call, recognizing the soft humming coming from inside as I approached it.
He pokes his head out and smiles. "Hi, Tin-Tin."
"What are you doing?"
"Packing."
"But why are you packing? And why are you putting my stuff in your bag?" I walk into the closet to see him pulling my favourite pair of slacks off their hanger.
"Because you don't have a suitcase large enough," he replies simply.
"Big enough for what?" I'm beginning to get exasperated with his vague answers and I know he can tell.
He forgets the slacks, tossing them out of the closet in the general direction of my bed and wraps an arm around my waist. "Remember that trip we talked about taking? Once everyone had found out about us?"
"Yeah, I remember. What about it?"
"Well, we're leaving for the mainland tomorrow." He grins widely and tilts my head up for a gentle kiss. "I think we both need a break."
I let out a blissful sigh, resting against him. "Sounds like a plan to me."
"Do you think you might have passed out like that from stress?" Virgil wonders, leaving my side to pull down a white sweater on a hanger near him.
I knew the topic would be broached again. I was just hoping it would be a long, long time before I had to face it again. "It's possible, I guess. But it's not like there's a lot of things to cause me stress around here."
He smiles again and folds the sweater, heading back out into my bedroom. "Maybe you just can't take it like us men."
I cross my arms, pretending to be offended. "And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Whatever you want it to."
"Virgil Tracy, what do you expect of me? To stay home and make jam until I'm a grandmother?" I tease, sitting down on my bed and watching him organize my suitcase. It's nice to have someone else doing my work for me, for once.
"You can make jam?"
"Virgil!" I look at him harshly, though my shining eyes give me away.
"Yes, Tin-Tin?" He chuckles at the look on my face and sits next to me, having finished packing the clothes I'd need for our short trip.
I shake my head lightly. "I bet I could do just as well on rescues as you."
He grins teasingly. "I'd like to see you try."
"I am a good distraction."
"What's that got to do with rescues?"
"A whole lot. I could distract your audience so you could do your job."
He kisses me again, holding me tightly against him. "You can distract me anytime," he murmurs.
"Like now?" I ask softly.
He smiles and finds my lips once more, answering my question without words. I slide my arms around his neck, deciding I'd much rather him pay attention to me than packing my overnight bag.
+++++++++++++++
I know, not a heck of a lot occurred in this chapter. . .it'll get better, I promise :)
Angelina
I let out a shuddering breath at the reassuring hand placed on my arm and blink away the cloud over my eyes. I meet the warm but concerned gaze of Virgil and fall back against the pillows, feeling as if I hadn't just slept deeper than the ocean is wide.
"Tin-Tin, are you all right?" He sits down on the bed and looks at me, expression dark and worried.
I nod and try to smile. "I just had a bit of a nightmare, that's all." I can tell he's not buying my excuse.
The truth is, I don't know why I yelled what I did. I don't even know if I did have a nightmare, as I told Virgil. Icy chills run down my spine as I bring up a mental image of the only thing I can remember from my dream.
A pair of narrow, yellow eyes.
I pull the pale covers up to my neck, not wanting him to see how badly I'm trembling. I glance around the medical bay, wishing I were in my own bed. After much protest on my part and at Brains' insistence, I had spent the night in the sick room.
"How are you feeling?" His voice brings me out of my thoughts and I concentrate on him again.
"Just fine. I was never feeling anything less."
"Then why did you pass out?"
I shrug, trying to be nonchalant about the whole subject. Inside, my thoughts are still in turmoil. No one knows the answer to that question, least of all me. It's driving me up the wall just thinking about it. But there is one thing I know for sure.
Those eyes are connected to it. Somehow. They're familiar, but I can't place them.
And that's what worries me.
"Tin-Tin?"
"Huh? Oh, Virgil, I'm sorry." I smile weakly, feeling faint as the picture of the eyes in the back of my mind fades away. "I'm just a bit tired, I guess," I lie quickly, not wanting him to question me any more.
He nods and rises to his feet. "I'll leave you to sleep then. Give me a shout if you need anything, okay?"
I look up at him gratefully. "I will. Thanks, Virgil."
He leans down and squeezes my hand before leaving the room. With a quiet sigh, I slide down beneath the sheets and stare at the ceiling until I fall asleep again. My last coherent thought was one wish: to have those eyes leave me alone and let me rest.
+++
That evening I leave the sick room and go back to my own to change for supper. What I find there surprises me. There is an open suitcase on my bed and someone in my closet.
"Virgil?" I call, recognizing the soft humming coming from inside as I approached it.
He pokes his head out and smiles. "Hi, Tin-Tin."
"What are you doing?"
"Packing."
"But why are you packing? And why are you putting my stuff in your bag?" I walk into the closet to see him pulling my favourite pair of slacks off their hanger.
"Because you don't have a suitcase large enough," he replies simply.
"Big enough for what?" I'm beginning to get exasperated with his vague answers and I know he can tell.
He forgets the slacks, tossing them out of the closet in the general direction of my bed and wraps an arm around my waist. "Remember that trip we talked about taking? Once everyone had found out about us?"
"Yeah, I remember. What about it?"
"Well, we're leaving for the mainland tomorrow." He grins widely and tilts my head up for a gentle kiss. "I think we both need a break."
I let out a blissful sigh, resting against him. "Sounds like a plan to me."
"Do you think you might have passed out like that from stress?" Virgil wonders, leaving my side to pull down a white sweater on a hanger near him.
I knew the topic would be broached again. I was just hoping it would be a long, long time before I had to face it again. "It's possible, I guess. But it's not like there's a lot of things to cause me stress around here."
He smiles again and folds the sweater, heading back out into my bedroom. "Maybe you just can't take it like us men."
I cross my arms, pretending to be offended. "And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Whatever you want it to."
"Virgil Tracy, what do you expect of me? To stay home and make jam until I'm a grandmother?" I tease, sitting down on my bed and watching him organize my suitcase. It's nice to have someone else doing my work for me, for once.
"You can make jam?"
"Virgil!" I look at him harshly, though my shining eyes give me away.
"Yes, Tin-Tin?" He chuckles at the look on my face and sits next to me, having finished packing the clothes I'd need for our short trip.
I shake my head lightly. "I bet I could do just as well on rescues as you."
He grins teasingly. "I'd like to see you try."
"I am a good distraction."
"What's that got to do with rescues?"
"A whole lot. I could distract your audience so you could do your job."
He kisses me again, holding me tightly against him. "You can distract me anytime," he murmurs.
"Like now?" I ask softly.
He smiles and finds my lips once more, answering my question without words. I slide my arms around his neck, deciding I'd much rather him pay attention to me than packing my overnight bag.
+++++++++++++++
I know, not a heck of a lot occurred in this chapter. . .it'll get better, I promise :)
Angelina