After the Dream, Before the Dawn

Jet awoke after the provocative dream with Virginia ended. He blushed; luckily things weren't too out of control. It was good fortune that he had woken up before the two ended up naked in the flower fields. The boy had never seen a woman without her shirt on, and didn't want to start now. He wasn't Gallows.

But when he looked at her, sleeping so peacefully, something came over Jet. His heart began to beat louder and louder, until it felt like it was going to burst. Jet walked over to her bedside, and took note of her appearance. Virginia had on a white satin nightgown with a low neckline and spaghetti straps instead of sleeves. Since her dream caused her to toss and turn in her sleep, the covers were strewn all about; giving Jet a view of the curves of her breasts. He almost passed out right there and then. Instead, he took note of her face, showing signs of pleasure in a strange way. For Ginny's dream got a little more out of hand, since it hadn't been broken off as early as his was. However, she seemed to be enjoying herself; whatever it was.

Just then, Virginia awoke; much more slowly and reluctantly than Jet. She'd really wanted to continue her dream, since she knew Jet wouldn't pay that attention to her in real life. Besides, since she was a good girl, she didn't act like that. It was a wonder to her that she even dreamt it. The only other dreams not suitable for young audiences she had were ones where she failed her comrades, and they all lay in pools of their own blood. She was usually either then killed by the enemy or raped and then killed if the guy was sick enough. Those were generated from deep fears about failing those who called her "leader" during these troubling times. She wondered why she had a dream like she had last night; and wondered even more why Jet was standing there above her. When her eyes met his, they both began blushing deeply. Then, in an effort to look away, she moved her gaze downward. No good, she found a very nice view of the young man's muscular torso. He was well built; and I'm speaking both figuratively and in reality as well.

"I had a strange dream," he admitted, "And you were in it." His own admittance of this dream gave Jet strange feelings. Why in the name of all the Guardians in the world did he tell her something like that? Any other time he had a strange dream, including his nightly meetings with Elliot, he never mentioned it. If Virginia asked him playfully, he would rudely refuse her and turn away. So why did he have to say it now?

"Me too, I was in a cave, all alone. At first, I thought it was one of my nightmares, but then you showed up. You were so gentle with me, I didn't think you had it in you," Virginia said. As she spoke, the girl felt her face getting hotter by the minute. She decided not to relate the details; it would confuse Jet to no end. He wouldn't get the concept of it all. But he was also the only one she would speak to about this. Gallows would want to know all the juicy bits, and Clive would probably not be interested in a sexual dream.

Jet exclaimed, "Me, gentile?! That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. The day I go soft is the day that Asgard comes back to life, falls into an underground stream, and ends up shrinking to the size of Gallows's brain. On second thought, nothing can shrink that small. The size of my thumb then." He gave her a look of utter disgust, and then blushed. What could she mean by gentile? He was always tough.

She looked at him, blushing even more. "Well then, what did you dream about? If you had a dream about the two of us, I want to know if it was similar to mine. Perhaps there is something more to these dreams than we think. If Beatrice was still alive, I could say her; but she's not. Since Hyadas is no longer running we don't have any means for other Dream Demons to come in. Maybe I'm just being silly now."

"I was in a laboratory," Jet began, "Just like the stupid dreams I have every night. I ran into my quote unquote father in one room, and he said he'd introduce me to a girl. I was lead out into the flower fields where I found you. But when Elliot left, you pounced on me and kissed me. Then I woke up."

"You woke up before something could happen then. After you came and kissed me, we got pretty intimate. I'll explain it all to you sometime later, you'd probably get confused if I told you," she replied. So their dreams were similar, just not the same. Jet did miss the juicy part of the dream; while Virginia had to watch herself have fun she had always said would be reserved for marriage. What was going on with her now? Why was she feeling like this? Suddenly, she found she could no longer take it. The young woman pulled Jet closer for a kiss.

Jet demanded, "Wh…what was that all about?! I do not need to be kissed like in my dream again." But he didn't mention how much he liked it, how he wanted it for so long. Ever since his completion five years ago, nearing six now, and his life as a Drifter that followed, Jet had never had anyone else care like this about him. If a woman saw him, she tended to be afraid; his tough face gave the impression of a thug who enjoyed nothing more than hurting others. But Virginia was never scared; she only saw a boy in pain, a boy needing help.

She looked at him, blushing. "I dunno. For some strange reason, I needed to do this. Something tells me that I wanted it all along. Having that dream has got me thinking as well about what I really want."

"What in the name of whoever is appropriate to call upon in this situation do you mean?" Jet asked of her, "You've been thinking about what you want? Why in the world would you want a kiss from a guy like me? After all, I certainly don't want a kiss from any woman, and you are not an exception to my thoughts."

"Well, as I said before, I don't think the dream was just that. I think it was something more than Gallows's perverted influence getting to me. Could what I dreamt be my hidden desires coming out? They say we all want something that we will never mention. If I'm right, then I wanted to be with you all along. Can you help me Jet, help me to find out if I'm right or not," she asked, innocence filling up her big eyes.

Jet wondered, 'Hidden desires, eh? Can a machine even have them? Wait a minute Jet, you told yourself that you were going to be more than a machine. You were going to live as a human if only to spite those on the Council of Seven that thought of you only as such. So perhaps you can have them. I think you should try to find out if Virginia's right about herself and you. Even if this leads to total humiliation.'

Virginia looked at Jet; she'd never seen him so deep in thought. "Hey, Jet. So what do you say? Will you help me out? This could be something good for you as well, if you find out how you feel too."

"Whatever you say," he told her, "I could care less. But you and I know that you're not going to shut that big trap of yours unless I give you a hand, so I guess I have no choice in the matter. I'll help." Yes, he didn't tell her that he wanted to do it. This is Jet we're talking about. He can be cold, even in times when he wants to open up. The boy never wanted to lose his image, even if he had to deny all his feelings.

- - - -

Teefa's Last Words…

I'll leave you all to think about what they do until morning comes. After all, there is a double meaning of Virginia asking Jet to help her find out what she feels. Does she mean to just spend time together or do something more intimate? And now I'm going to go and sing Evanescence's "Before the Dawn" just because the title appeared in the chapter title. Also, because I'm weird.