A/N: Weee! I can't believe how fast I updated this story! (Well, I know people who are WAY faster than me, but for me this is fast.) And I wrote this whole chapter in two days! Wow, I really must have been inspired. Took me week to write the last one.
Also, thank you to all who reviewed! And no flames! ^___^ I know there'll be more in the future, though. -_____-
And I'd like to give a special note to Maran Zelde for one of the best reviews I've ever gotten. You made me feel SO much more comfortable and less-ridiculous with the rating of this story. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!! You're such a nice person!! Oh, and if you want, come check out the Finding Nemo board some time. Just e-mail or IM me for the link. Just look in my bio on here for my address and AOL screename.
Oy! This is in Dory's POV!!!
Disclaimer: See chapter 1
Chapter 4 – "Memories Long Since Forgotten: Part II"Marlin had insisted that he stay with me for a while in my tunnel. I told him he didn't have to, but he wouldn't listen. I could tell he was deeply concerned for me, and that knowledge made me feel so much better. It had been so long since someone cared for me this much, and it felt so wonderful.
Before we left, we waited for Nemo to come back from his friend's, which he did sometime around noon. I didn't know exactly what time; I could barely keep my eyes open, let alone keep track of the time. When he arrived back to the anemone, he had a big smile on his face (which made me even more sad because I knew his good mood would be spoiled when Marlin told him the news).
But Marlin didn't tell Nemo what happened. He had just said that he needed to stay with me, so he would be staying with Gill. So we swam Nemo to Gill's cave, where he – as I expected – was delighted to have Nemo stay with him.
"I'd be more than happy to watch Sharkbait," he had saud happily. I smiled but I saw Marlin scowl a bit at the name. I didn't know why Marlin had to be so paranoid; it was just a silly nickname after all. It was nothing to get upset over. But, unless it was just my imagination, I suspected that Marlin really didn't like Gill anyway. It just seemed that from the start, he had a strong dislike for him. But at least he didn't let that get in the way of what Nemo would want, and let him stay with Gill.
After we said goodbye to Nemo, Marlin and I headed back to my tunnel. It was quiet, except for Marlin constantly asking if I was feeling alright. I kept assuring him that I felt fine, but he was still worried.
When we finally arrived, I felt like I was bound to fall asleep if I stood still at all. It seemed like I hadn't slept at all in weeks, even though it had only been one night. But still, that was way too long in my book, so I quickly swam down the opening that was my 'room.' Marlin chased after me as I lied against the wall, the soft sand cushioning me. He swam over to me. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked. I smiled at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just very –," I stopped to yawn. " – very tired."
Marlin smiled warmly and patted my fin. "Fine then," he said. "Get some sleep." Then he started to swim to the other side of the room, where he usually slept when he stayed here.
"Wait," I called to him. He stopped and turned around. "Could you, uh… sleep next to me this time?" I asked nervously. He looked surprised at first, but then his expression softened into a smile. He swam back over to me and gently laid himself against me. And as he did so, I felt my heart pounding in my chest. A new, overwhelming sensation came over me just then, and I felt my stomach leap in tune with my heart. It was something I knew I had felt once before with Marlin, but I couldn't remember when.
… I wonder if Marlin's feeling the same thing…
That was my last thought before falling asleep.
…Darkness… swimming through darkness… somehow, this was oddly familiar. Then, the darkness around me faded into open ocean. I looked around, and saw only two fish in the distance: two regal blue tangs. I called out to them, but they acted as if I wasn't there. As I drew closer to them, I noticed that one was a boy and one was a girl, talking to each other.
"For God's sake, just let me go!" the female screamed. The male tang was holding her by her fin. I noticed that she had quite a few bruises, and her eyes were streaming with tears.
I watched him smack her harshly. "You better learn to control that attitude of yours!" he snapped. She fell silent except for a few whimpers. He started swimming, dragging her along behind him, and I followed.
"W-what else do you want from me, Alan?"
Whoa… wait… not I know I've heard that name before! Ugh… where, where, where?! I thought as hard as I could for goodness knows how long. Then, it finally came to me. I remembered my first dream like this, but about things that happened right before this… and this was the night that Alan raped, then killed my sister, Luna. And judging by her condition, I would say that he already did the first part.
"Shut up, you stupid girl. Stop acting as if you didn't do this to yourself," he said, his voice dripping with acid. I was confused, and it looked like Luna was too. "What do you mean?" she asked.
Alan's face had a look of pure disgust upon it. "I know you've been with someone else behind my back."
"Wha—?"
"Don't play innocent!" he shouted, turning harshly around to face her. "I saw you with that damn butterfly fish the other day!" Luna's eyes widened. "Yeah! Looks like you remember now!" Luna averted her eyes back down. Alan snorted distastefully.
"How dare you betray me," he hissed. "And with another species… no fish can go any lower than that."
Alan began swimming again, Luna dragging behind him. She opened her mouth to speak. "Alan, I –,"
"No," he interrupted. "It's too late for your apologies now. You had this coming."
Luna's eyes suddenly filled with fear. "What are you going to do?" she asked, her voice shaking a bit. I felt a sense of foreboding come to me as I saw Alan's scowl turn into an evil smile. He quietly laughed and said, "I'm gonna give you what you deserve."
Alan stopped swimming when they were in front of a very large cave. For a while, neither of them moved.
"Get out here, Spyke!" Alan yelled into the cave. I looked to Luna, who was paralyzed with fear. Then I heard a male's voice come from inside the cave, "I'm coming, I'm coming!"
A few moments passed before whoever it was in the cave came out. And when he did, I let out a scream no one could hear.
A great white shark came out into the open.
Luna looked like she was about to faint. Alan noticed this and chuckled. "Luna, meet Spyke," Alan said, gesturing to the shark. "Spyke, meet Luna."
Spyke grinned, flashing his razor-sharp teeth. "Nice to meet you, Luna," he said in a lustrous voice. I didn't trust that voice at all, and neither did Luna, because she backed up a little.
"Now, Luna, don't be rude," Alan said in a mock-fatherly tone. He then forcefully shoved Luna right in front of the shark. Her eyes were wider than ever. "Why don't we all go into my cave? It's much nicer in there to ea – I mean, talk," Spyke suggested.
I could tell that Luna knew that there was no way she was going to get away. So she went into the cave quietly. "Good girl, Luna," Alan said. "No fussing… I'm glad you see there's no hope of escaping."
She just remained silent, staring at the ground as they went further and further into the cave. I followed as fear took over my whole body. It was a short swim before they stopped.
"Okay, Spyke, as promised. Go ahead and kill her," Alan said.
Luna just merely looked at the shark which was about to seal her fate. Alan patted her on the back and told her, "Don't worry. It'll all be over in five seconds." Luna just nodded, and I felt my heart sink at the fact that she wasn't even trying to get away.
I felt tears forming in my eyes as Luna swam closer and closer to the shark. That was when I heard her whisper, "Forgive me, Dory… I should have listened to you."
That was the last thing I could take. I swam out of the cave as fast as I could. I was crying my eyes out because of what I had seen. I was very glad that I left when I did.
Then I realized that everything around me was dark again. I was finally waking from this nightmare! I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, I saw that I was back in my tunnel. Marlin was awake now, looking at me with both confusion and concern. I felt something slide down my cheek, and realized I actually had been crying.
I moved to wipe the tear away, but Marlin beat me too it. He reached out and brushed it off my cheek. I quivered a bit at his touch, but the feeling soon passed. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.
I paused for a few moments. "It was just a nightmare," I replied. I didn't want to tell him about it but I wasn't able to hold it in. So, as my tears kept flowing from my eyes, the story flowed from my mouth. I told him about the first dream I had, and how Alan was the one responsible for my sister's death. I found it a bit strange when Marlin told me that Alan's name sounded very familiar to him.
"… I just didn't wanna see it happen, so I left the cave," I told him. "And then I woke up."
Marlin just started at me, speechless. "Dory, I… I'm so sorry…" he whispered, mainly out of shock. I just nodded silently, tears still managing to escape me. "Oh dory, don't cry," he said comfortingly. He then swam closer to me and hugged me. This made me feel a lot better, even though my stomach jumped again. I jugged him back and smiled.
I suddenly felt very high-spirited. I knew that no matter what tragedy hit me, or whatever what would happen in my life, Marlin would always stay by my side, and I would always stay by his… forever.
