A/N: My apologies for posting this later than usual. I had an exam that I needed to take. In this chapter (which happens in season 6), Sharon has to deal with the issues that she put on the back burner.

As always, I thank blossom-of-snow for editing this story.

Sharon nursed a cup of tea as she stood on the balcony and watched the inky sky on the brink of sunrise. After a night of nearly uninterrupted nightmares, she gave up on sleep around 4:30 a.m. and found refuge in staring into the murky dawn. As she inhaled the herbal scent of her beverage, Sharon could still hear the dragging of heavy feet behind her, the unintelligible scream of rage, and the shattering of glass from her nightmare. Over the last decade, Sharon had experienced similar nightmares on rare occasions, but never had they been so vivid, so intense, so terrifying, and so constant.

She surmised that these short nightmares were fragments of memories from her childhood. Some nights she was jolted awake, her hair and shirt soaked with sweat, wondering if she was going insane. Her reactions to the more violent, lengthy dreams woke Andy up, and she felt guilty for robbing him of his sleep.

Tonight, her nightmares had been more disturbing than usual, drawing on events that Sharon wasn't sure were real or figments of her imagination. One dream was more vivid than the others. Sharon sighed at the haunting memory of her dream, where she had been locked for hours in a dark closet in the attic of her childhood home. Ever since, Sharon had feared going into that attic, even after her parents passed away, and she had to clean the attic before selling the house. In her dream, she was a young child, so if it was a memory, it could explain her lifelong fear of the attic.

Sharon tried to remember if her father had ever been violent with her in her childhood. There may have been a few instances when he shook her, but what she remembered were verbal threats that had caused her persistent stuttering and bedwetting until she was almost ten. For some reason, most of it was buried so deep in her subconscious that Sharon could not draw one clear incident from start to finish.

Taking a sip of her cooling tea, Sharon closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. Whether these were memories, delusions, or visual expressions of her fears, she knew that it wouldn't be easy to differentiate.

After finishing her tea, Sharon went back inside and curled on the couch in the living room. She pulled a throw blanket over her head and shut her eyes, feeling cocooned and sheltered under the wool cover.

"Nothing can hurt you in here." She repeated the mantra in her head over and over again, until her lethargic mind gave in and began sinking into a shallow slumber.

Her sleep was interrupted a couple of hours later when Andy placed his palm on her shoulder and gently shook her awake.

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

Sharon reluctantly peered out from under the blanket.

Noticing the dark circles under her eyes, Andy took a seat at the end of the couch and put her feet in his lap. "Were you too excited to sleep?"

Sharon looked at him with confusion.

"Trying on dresses," he clarified.

Sharon completely forgot that Andrea and Rainie were coming with her to look for a wedding dress, and they had an appointment at a bridal salon.

"Oh, um, yeah. Very exciting."

"Are you okay? You seem a bit off this morning," Andy said.

Sharon eased his concerns by using her lack of sleep as an excuse, and to her surprise, Andy bought it. She lounged on the couch as he went about his morning routine, and eventually, she joined him at the dining table for a light breakfast.

"You're not eating." Andy looked at her oddly after she only took one bite of her toast.

Whether it was a thickly shrouded excitement or the remnants of the night's disturbances, Sharon felt nauseous. "My stomach is a bit off."

Andy offered his boyish smile. "Butterflies?"

"Something like that," Sharon said, with much less enthusiasm than what Andy probably expected from her.

"I can't wait to see you as a bride." Andy's eyes sparkled as he envisioned Sharon in a white wedding dress. "No matter which dress you choose, I am sure you will look beautiful."

Sharon didn't realize Andy could still make her blush at this stage of their relationship. "You make me want to elope."

"It is a tempting idea," Andy said. "But I think the preparation is part of the fun. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Me neither," Sharon agreed.

After they finished eating, Sharon went to wake Rainie up and get ready for the day. She chose a chiffon floral dress that she matched with her favorite midnight blue suede pumps that she planned to wear at the wedding as her 'something blue.' As recommended by countless bridal magazines, she pinned half of her hair up in a similar hairdo to the one she wanted for her wedding.

Andrea picked them up shortly after they finished getting ready, and they headed to the salon. Sharon was not sure what to expect. She hadn't shopped for a wedding dress since her early twenties. Her taste was not as refined then as it was now, and she had a more limited budget for her first wedding.

Plus, it was the 80s.

Her first wedding dress had puffy shoulders and sleeves, and a wide lace skirt with an endless train. To save money, she had rented it for the night of the wedding, and she remembered the gown's uncomfortable restriction. Having learned from that experience, she was seeking a comfortable dress that would be elegant and classy. The rest was up for discussion.

They chatted idly as they walked into the salon. It was a well-lit baroque-style showroom that gave Sharon a luxurious feeling. Adam, her bridal consultant, was in his late thirties who somewhat reminded Sharon of Gavin in the way he dressed and his gentle but proud mannerism. He led them to a private room as he asked about the venue, the wedding style, and her entourage, and they began looking at dresses.

As they walked between the racks of dresses in all shades of white, Adam inquired about her budget and the style of dress she was envisioning. He gave Sharon a moment to look through the dresses and noticed her eyeing a particular dress.

"This is a Stella York dress." Adam took the dress off the rack and showed it to her. "It has off the shoulder lace straps, a sweetheart neckline and a medium train. What do you think?"

Sharon examined the dress. It matched quite well to the image she had in her head, and she decided to try it on.

When she looked at her reflection in the mirror, Sharon almost didn't recognize herself.

"Wow," she gasped. The dress had a dipped lace back that Sharon liked. It looked a bit different than what she thought, but it was a step in the right direction.

"What do you think?" Adam asked when she stepped out of the fitting room.

"The lace is unique, and the low neckline is also nice. It's a good option." Sharon said as she walked towards the room where Rainie and Andrea waited. Adam directed Sharon towards a small stage that would allow them to see the dress from every glorious angle.

With one hand on her hip, Sharon modeled the dress to Rainie and Andrea. "What do you think?"

"I like the neckline, but I'm not too keen on the lace," Andrea said.

"The train is a bit too long," Rainie added. "But you look amazing."

"Yeah, it looks great, but it's not the one," Sharon said.

"I think we can do a bit better," Adam agreed with them. "So, we want less lace and a similar neckline, right?"

"Yes. Let's try something else," Sharon said.

Adam offered her another dress, but neither she nor Andrea and Rainie like it. Sharon had tried on two more dresses that were both nice but did not excite her.

"You know what? I think I have something exceptional for you," Adam said. He hurried out of the room and returned a moment later, carrying another dress. "Normally, this dress would be way out of your price range, but it's from a couple of seasons ago, so it's sold for much cheaper than its original retail price." He showed Sharon the dress. It had a V-neck crepe going down its front, with sheer lace sleeves and a thin, delicate belt. "It's Alexander McQueen."

Sharon hesitated. She did not want to fall in love with a dress that she could not afford to buy. "Alexander McQueen is probably way above my budget, even with a discount."

"Believe it or not, it's only fifty dollars above your budget. And I know that it would be the perfect dress for you."

Sharon tried the dress on in the fitting room, and as soon as she turned to look in the mirror, she knew which dress to choose. The dress Adam convinced her to try on was everything Sharon wanted in her dress. It was classy, elegant, with just the right amount of lace and beads. Its neckline exposed just enough of her cleavage to avoid looking demure but did not reveal anything Sharon wasn't comfortable with.

"Sharon, you're beautiful," Andrea said as Adam adjusted the veil in Sharon's hair.

"This is your dress, Mom. You won't find anything better than this," Rainie said.

"I feel like this dress was made especially for me," Sharon admitted as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. "It's perfect."

After letting Adam take her measurements, putting down the deposit for the dress and veil, and scheduling an appointment for another fitting, Sharon, Rainie and Andrea went out for lunch.

"I'm glad that you found your dress so quickly," Andrea said and took a sip of her espresso. "And it looked so good. I nearly cried."

"You never cry," Sharon teased her friend.

"I do, when the occasion is worth it," Andrea replied.

Sharon thanked her for coming. Patrice was not able to join them today, and regardless, Sharon and Patrice had very different tastes when it came to clothes.

"Do you have any idea what you want to do for the bridesmaid's dresses?" Rainie interjected.

"I think you can all be in deep purple, but we'll have to schedule another appointment at the salon for all of you together."

The sound of shattering glass behind them drew Sharon away from the happiness of the day and sent a shiver down her spine. Ever since she was old enough to connect the sound of breaking glass with her father's ungovernable drunken crazes, she feared it. Most times it merely startled her, but with her recent night terrors still fresh in her mind, it made her duck and cover her head with her hands.

A dangerous grumble began developing in her ears, engulfing her and filling with her with dread. Realistically, Sharon knew that this was an internal sound, but at the same time, she dreaded lifting her head and opening her eyes.

"Sharon." Through the thundering in her ears, she heard her name being called. "Hey, Sharon! Snap out of it!"

It's not real. It's not real. She repeated the mantra in her head, forcing herself to straighten and open her eyes. The bright sunlight hurt her eyes, and she blinked several times at the sight of an alarmed Rainie and confused Andrea.

Rainie offered her water, and Sharon took it gladly. She sipped the icy liquid and let it cool down the tingling under her skin and the splitting headache that began forming behind her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Andrea asked as she motioned for the waiter to bring their check.

"I haven't slept tonight from the excitement," Sharon said. "I think the adrenaline rush gave me a headache." There's no harm in a white lie.

Though unconvinced, Andrea nodded as if Sharon's explanation made sense. "You're right. It's been a long and exciting day, and we should probably get you home and make sure you rest."

Andrea handed the waiter a bill to cover their entire meal on the table and pushed her chair back, prompting Rainie and Sharon to do the same.

The ride home was quiet, which gave Sharon an excuse to stare out of the window. It appeared that the sudden change in her mood affected the other two women, and each of them seemed to be lost in her thoughts.

Once Andrea parked her car in front of Sharon's building, she looked at Rainie in the rearview mirror and cocked her head ever so slightly toward the building entrance. Taking the cue, Rainie left the car and headed without her mother.

Andrea vetted Sharon with her eyes for a moment before finding the right words. "You know that I'm here for you if you want to share with me what really happened earlier at the café."

Sharon bit her bottom lip, unsure what to say.

"Sharon, are the wedding preparations causing you anxiety?"

"It's not the wedding." Sharon paused, watching Rainie enter the building safely. "I've been having nightmares in the last couple of months. Things that feel real, but aren't. Sounds that take me to experiences I'd rather forget."

"Nightmares about what?"

Sharon told Andrea about the nightmares, and her lifelong fear of the attic, which could suggest that the nightmares were not entirely fictional.

"I'm sorry this is happening to you," Andrea said. "Did you consider talking to anyone about this?"

"Andy has been pushing me to see a therapist," Sharon replied.

"Why don't you?"

"The truth? I'm scared of what might happen if I do. I'm not sure if I can handle these memories."

"It's your choice, but knowing you, I think you have more strength than you give yourself credit for," Andrea said.

Sharon hummed noncommittedly and squeezed Andrea's hand. "I'm so happy to have a friend like you."

Andrea smiled at Sharon. "What kind of bridesmaid would I be if I didn't support you?"

"I'm still shocked that you agreed to be my bridesmaid."

"I'm only planning to do this once, so don't read too much into it," Andrea teased.

Sharon smiled. "Don't worry. I'll never get married again."

They hugged before Sharon left the car.

"Oh, and Sharon?" Andrea called after her. "You will be the most stunning bride there has ever been in that Alexander McQueen dress. Andy does not know what's coming for him."

Thinking about Andy's reaction to her in the dress made Sharon's lips curve up in a sly smile. Despite her nightmares, lack of sleep, and emotional turmoil, Sharon's mood brightened. Everything would be alright.

-TBC-