Eri: Silvan Arrow wishes to thank all of you awesome readers and reviewers for your continued support of this story! That means we OCs get to keep our jobs!

Michelle: Speaking of whom, where IS Silvan Arrow?

Tammy: Beats me. -turns to Clara and Amy- Girls? Any ideas?

Clara and Amy: Uhhhhh…nope.

Eri: Oh great, I'll bet she did this on purpose. Looks like someone else is gonna have to do the disclaimer. I've already done it.

Tammy: Don't look at me. I've done it too. What about one of you two?

Clara: -sigh- Might as well get it over with. Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She just owns her OCs, like me. She also does not own Michelle.

Silvan Arrow: -comes running up- Hey, wait! Don't start without me!

Amy: You're too late. Clara already did the disclaimer.

Silvan Arrow: Oh, well, thanks a bunch! Just to let you readers know, this chapter will have a good deal of angst and drama, not to mention some blood. The humor will return next time, I promise! Here's chapter 7!

Chapter 6: A Night of Fears and Doubts

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Bit beast mind-chatting with master

Dream Sequence

'No…I can't be here again,' Tammy thought frantically as two cloaked guards led her roughly by the arms through familiar underground stone halls, halls that she knew all too well. The walls reeked of blood and agonizing pain. Her heart sank deeper and deeper into the cold depths of dread with each forced step. At the end of the dark, torch-lit hallway was a gray stone door. As if on cue, the door swung open on its own accord, with a haunting creak, revealing a small, square-shaped room with gray stone walls. However, this room held Tammy's worst fears and memories. She tried to suppress the rising lump in her throat upon seeing the scarlet red stains covering the walls.

This was a punishment chamber.

"Tammy, so good of you to come," an icy feminine voice stated from her right. Tammy whirled her head to see a middle-aged woman step out from the shadows, carrying a torch in one hand and a whip in the other. The firelight from the torch lit up underneath her face, making the woman look even more frightening. She had been Tammy's instructor ever since coming to this Abbey in the United States, and she was just as cruel as Boris, perhaps even more. The firelight also reflected off the numerous small blades that were attached to the leather whip. Tammy cringed against the guards' grip, knowing full-well what was coming next. "You know the consequences of failure, my dear. You failed to complete your mission. Tala is still alive when he should be dead. Now someone else must die in his place."

Tammy's eyes widened in horror. "Y-you can't…"

"Don't you dare talk back to me, you worthless child!" the woman snapped, smacking her across the face with the butt of her whip. "Boris gave you strict orders and you failed miserably! Now you will pay for your failure with your life!" (A/N: This is a reference to O Sister, Where Art Thou. Boris ordered Tammy to kill Tala, but she didn't succeed.) The woman nodded to the guards. "Leave us," she ordered curtly. The guards released Tammy and exited the room, locking the door behind them before she could find a chance to flee. The woman turned cold eyes onto Tammy. "Now…where were we?" she asked with a wicked grin.

Tammy backed as far away from the woman as possible, but she lashed out with her whip,coiling it around Tammy's ankle. A quick snap of her wristjerked Tammy to the ground with a sickening thud. As she jerked the whip away, Tammy could feel the blades on the leather lacerate the sensitive skin around her ankle. She struggled not to cry out. She would not give this cruel woman the pleasure of hearing her scream. Over and over she lashed out with the whip, each strike burning like fire and slicing through Tammy's clothing and skin like a hot knife through butter. Finally the pain was too much to keep bottled inside, and Tammy let out an agonized scream. The woman laughed wickedly as she continued to beat Tammy with a sickening pleasure.

After what felt like an eternity, the torture stopped. The woman pulled her now blood-soaked whip away and coiled it up. "Now stay there until you die," she ground out through gritted teeth. She left the room and left Tammy to her inevitable fate, broken and bleeding on the floor.

Tammy could feel her strength and her very life slipping away with each passing second. She gasped raggedly for precious breath as the cold from the stone floor threatened to constrict her lungs like an iron fist. It wouldn't be long before she was finally free of all this pain. 'I'm…sorry, Tala. I only wish I could get to know you again…to be a family again.' Tammy's thoughts traveled to Bryan next. "Bryan…you were the only other person I ever truly cared about. Thank you…for trying to bring me back. Good-bye…" She closed her eyes and waited for her life to slip away completely…

"…Tammy? Tammy, wake up!" a frantic voice broke into Tammy's panic-stricken nightmare.

Tammy jerked away to find herself wrapped in Bryan's firm embrace. He was sitting on the edge of the bed holding her. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern. Tammy was still shaking, and her face was drenched in a cold sweat.

"I…I'm okay," Tammy replied shakily. "It was just a dream."

"It sounded more like a terrible nightmare," Bryan said. "You were tossing and turning and screaming. Maybe you would feel better if you told me about it."

"I…don't know," Tammy replied hesitantly. "I don't want to relive those awful memories."

"It was about your past, wasn't it?" Bryan prodded gently as he pulled her closer for reassurance. Tammy nodded into his shoulder and buried her face in the crook of his neck. That dream had mixed the pain of her past with her worst fears: if she had gone back to the Abbey, her fate would have most certainly been death. At least it was no longer in operation, with its workers all in jail, including that horrible woman. Bryan, like the rest of the team, knew that she had grown up in another Biovolt Abbey in the United States. He could only imagine the kind of abuse she had endured, especially if it was anything like what Boris had put him and his teammates through. Bryan held her close and rocked back and forth gently. He wouldn't push her to talk unless she wanted to. Right now she just needed someone to be here.

Tammy finally broke the silence. "I hated it at that Abbey," she murmured as tears started to stream down her face. Bryan could feel her hot tears soaking through his shirt and onto his skin. "They made me forget everything. My family…my friends…the people I loved…even my emotions. I never want to suffer like that again." She wanted to say more but couldn't find her voice. She broke down into sobs and held onto Bryan tightly.

Bryan rubbed her back soothingly and sat with her as she cried. He had never seen her so distraught before. She was always so strong and confident, even if she did sometimes have a problem with keeping her anger in check. But now…she looked so vulnerable. Simply seeing her tears made Bryan want to protect her from all the evils of this world so no one could ever hurt her again. "I know, Tammy. I can understand your pain. I went through the same thing in Russia. I didn't know anything except hate. You're safe now, Tammy. I'll protect you. I promise."

Tammy waited until her tears had run dry and pulled away slightly to give Bryan a warm smile. "Thank you, Bryan. That means a lot." Her eyelids started to droop, so Bryan eased her back down into her bed and pulled the covers over her before returning to his own bed.

For the next few minutes, Bryan lay awake listening for Tammy to fall asleep. However, she just kept tossing and turning. He asked quietly, "Can you not sleep?"

Tammy rolled over so she faced Bryan and shook her head. "I just can't get that dream out of my head. It felt so real." She looked down and asked hesitantly, "Um…Bryan…if it's not too much trouble…could you…?"

Bryan got up and sat on the edge of her bed. He ran his fingers through her soft red hair and said, "I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

"I…don't want to be alone anymore."

"You don't have to be," Bryan whispered. He crawled under the covers and pulled Tammy into his arms. He lay on his back and let her rest her head on his chest. "You don't have to be alone, Tammy. I'll be here for you."

Tammy sighed in contentment and closed her eyes. "You're such a good friend, Bryan. I don't know what I'd do without you." She felt safe nestled in his arms, and she snuggled closer to him before drifting off into a deep sleep.

As he watched Tammy fall asleep, Bryan couldn't get her words out of his head. "You're such a good friend, Bryan…"

'Is that all she thinks of me? As a friend only?' he thought. Maybe he didn't have a chance after all… He felt a tendril of concern from Falborg, but Bryan just blocked his bit beast from his mind. He didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. He felt Tammy wrap an arm around his waist, and he couldn't help but smile. 'As long as she's happy, that's enough for me.' Bryan pushed his doubts out of his mind and managed to drift off into a light sleep.

Meanwhile…in Tala and Eri's room…

Tala jerked away at the same instant as Tammy and sat up. A cold feeling of dread in his heart told him that something was wrong. "Tammy…" he whispered to no one in particular.

"Mmm…Tala?" Eri asked groggily from the other bed. Tala looked over at his girlfriend as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "What's wrong? Why are you awake?"

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep," Tala replied.

"Too late for that," Eri stated as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed, now fully awake. "I can tell when you're lying, and I know something's bothering you."

Tala sighed in defeat. Eri knew him too well. Now he had to tell her something. "It's about Tammy. I know she grew up in an Abbey like the one in Russia, but she never talks about it. Who knows what kind of torture she went through? I'm just afraid of what might happen if she keeps all of that inside. Even now, I can just feel that she's in pain."

Eri was silent for a moment as she conversed mentally with Pyrix. "Umbra is telling Pyrix that Tammy had a terrible nightmare. She dreamed about what would have happened if she had gone back to the U.S. Abbey after failing to take us out." Eri almost didn't want to relay this last part. "She…would have been killed."

Tala looked down at his clenched hands and tried to comprehend what he had just heard. "Why didn't she say something?" he whispered. "She hardly ever talks to me, and I can't help her if I don't know what's bothering her." He sighed miserably. "I've failed her as a brother." He got up and started for the door.

"Where are you going?" Eri asked.

"It's time I took some action. I'm going to see if I can do anything for Tammy."

"That won't be necessary this time." Tala turned around and gave Eri a bewildered look. She gave him a knowing smile and added, "Bryan's with her now. He'll look after her." She got up as well and walked over to him, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. "Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Just knowing that you're here means more to Tammy than you realize."

Tala's gaze softened at Eri's comforting words, and he pulled her into his arms. She always knew just what to say when he was feeling down. They completed each other. 'I hope you're right, Eri,' he thought.

Later that morning…

Tammy tried to act as if nothing was amiss, and her act fooled most of the other bladers. All except Tala, Bryan, and Eri. Kai and Michelle had their own suspicions, but they chose to keep quiet and not ask questions.

"I'm not making this up!" Tyson exclaimed to the others gathered in the living room. "I swore I heard someone screaming last night!"

"Tyson, you're the heaviest sleeper I've ever met," Hilary objected. "If no one else heard it, then you must have imagined it."

"Yeah, maybe he was the one screaming because he got attacked by a giant cheeseburger in his sleep," Clara joked, eliciting a round of laughs from the other girls. Tyson crossed his arms and looked away with a pout.

Tammy didn't want to be reminded of her dream right now, so she decided to get away from the others for a while. Bryan managed to catch her eye on the way out and gave her a suspicious look that seemed to ask, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Tammy paused briefly and gave Bryan a small smile. "I'm okay, Bryan. Really," she said quietly so only he could hear. With that, she turned and left the room without another word or a glance backward.

'You can't fool me, Tammy,' Bryan thought. 'You can't possibly be okay keeping all your painful memories locked away.'

Don't worry, Bryan, Falborg reassured him. She'll open up to you when she's ready.

I just hope that happens before it's too late, Bryan replied grimly.

End chapter 6

Author's Note: Yes, I know this chapter was much darker than the previous ones. I actually meant for that whole nighttime diversion to be shorter, but once I got started I just couldn't stop. But at least you got to read some cute BryanxTammy fluff! I promise the next chapter will get back to the humor. I just wanted to give you guys a glimpse into Tammy's past and her fears. Please review and tell me what you thought!