He had always had nightmares. She would wake up to him tossing and turning and be able to talk soothingly to him and he'd wake up, and she'd be there, or he'd settle and go back to sleep. But this time when she woke up, he was face down, head smothered into his pillow, sobbing.
She had only dealt with a sobbing jack once before, on what was supposed to be her wedding night, so long ago. It scared her then, and it scared her even more now.
Shaking his shoulder lightly, she whispered, "Jack… Jack, what's wrong?"
His head tilted slightly to the left, towards her, and she saw his eyes still closed in sleep, his broken whisper, "No, no Charlie, not Sam. Please, Sam, don't leave me."
She gasped at this, not knowing what to do. She was used to dreams of Charlie. Used to waking up to him screaming his dead son's name. She was also used to dreams of her dying. Being hit by a staff blast was the most common, but she also had dreams of him dying, that wasn't strange.
But him pleading with Charlie to leave her, she didn't know what to make of it. She was brought out of her thoughts by more whispers.
"Why would you do this to me? Why Charlie? Please don't take her. I love her. You left already, don't let her leave me, please."
She was going to leave him? She had thought they had passed this insecurity a long time ago. Was he not sure of her anymore? Why would she leave him?
"No, Charlie, I just wanted to talk to her. About the baby, yes, the baby. Oh Charlie, I lost another son. How can this hurt so much?" His voice was now normal. It was as if she looked around she would see Charlie standing there talking to him. But he was facing her. Eyelids still shut tight, eyes frantic behind them…he was still obviously sleeping, although not sobbing anymore.
"Another son, my second son, no, no, no, it hurts so much, and she isn't there. No, Charlie, she's there, but she isn't. I can't talk to her about it. Oh, God, Charlie, another son."
Her emotions welled up on her, as they had so often since that day on Thor's ship. She clamped down tight on them, not letting them surface. She was stronger than that, and Jack had said so. She could get through anything, even this. She would not crumble.
"Don't go Charlie, you're the only one who will talk to me, please Charlie. No, CHARLIE!"
He shot up straight in bed to find his wife with watery eyes, and the same determined look on her face he'd gotten to know over the past three months. The detached look of emotional abandonment.
A/N A- is for Angst, B- is for bed, C- is for the crazy thoughts dancing through my head...
Can I still heart Thor even if he isn't IN this chapter? He is mentioned...
Would love to hear what you think about it all... I can't believe it's still going. Will it ever end?