Author's Note: This is based on/loosely AU-ing the episode Perchance to Dream.


011. Hope

She counted her breaths for the seventh time, desperately trying to slow down her thoughts so the doctors observing her could get their diagnosis. The sooner she got the treatment and everything was back to normal, the better.

But she couldn't.

She never slept well in a new place for the first time, and the reason she was here was unsettling in itself: the dreams were only becoming more and more vivid… and more and more inappropriate.

Bunching the blanket up between her legs, she started the breathing pattern once more, muttering under her it, "Stay away tonight boys. Please."

012. Memories

"He's going to kill me, Darien. I know it." Her breathing was shallow, her fingernails digging sharp into his hand.

"We'll get him, Claire. We're not going to let him get near you, I promise."

She closed her eyes, trembling. "I wish I could believe you. But every time I close my eyes…" She opened them again, fiercely bloodshot. "He's everywhere, Darien."

"He's just a man, Claire. A man that we're going to get." He took both her hands in his, resting his chin on their joined fists. "We will."

Her voice held no hope. "Not before he gets me."

013. Future

Bobby strolled into the lab, optimistic that this next lead would be it, but the air to whistle cheerfully was taken right out of his lungs by the sound of Claire crying.

Hanging back, he saw Darien, his arm around her shoulder.

"But how can you be so sure of something that hasn't happened yet?"

"I don't know!" She shrieked, struggling against her bonds. She gave up quickly, dropping her head. She spoke barely above a broken whisper. "I don't know."

"Shhhh," Darien said, stroking her hair. "It's okay. It's okay."

But from where Bobby was standing, nothing looked okay.

014. Daring

"Claire," Darien took her face in his hands, forcing her to look right at him. "It's going to be okay. Trust me."

When she opened her mouth to argue again, something snapped. He had to show her that it would be okay, so he leaned forward and did the only thing he knew how when there weren't words: he kissed her.

About twenty million thoughts clamored for attention, ranging from wow, soft lips to aww, crap, company pier to wow… really soft lips.

Of course, the one thing he hadn't thought to freak out about was what won the battle.

015. Panic

He made a valiant attempt at pretending that hadn't just happened, something Bobby Hobbes normally excelled at, but today it was nothing doing.

"I was just, you know," he said gestured back at the door, "leaving. Not that I was here. To see anything. Everything looks in order to me, so I'll just be on my way." He turned and did just that, walking out so fast he slammed his knee into the door, cursing. Ignoring Darien and Claire calling after him, he just kept right on walking all the way to the van, started it, and drove, drove, drove.

016. Loss

"Not right," he muttered, "Not right not right not right." He couldn't stop thinking about them, hands tangled in each other's hair, Darien starting to sidle up the chair like he was going to—no, not right. And with the lips, the closeness, the heavy breathing—

"Dammit, Fawkes! We're supposed to be partners," He said, banging his hand on the steering wheel.

A few minutes later, he squinted his eyes and shot his right hand out, stopped short by contact with an ice-cold invisible barrier that was coincidentally Darien-shaped.

The flakes of quicksilver sparkled off him, "But we are partners."

017. Pet names

"Invisible bastard," Bobby said, punctuating each word with a stab of his finger on Darien's chest. "You sneaky invisible lying bastard."

"C'mon Hobbes," Darien said, his usual shit-eating grin struggling to form. "You never told me the partner rule book said that kissing a girl broke the deal."

"That was no girl, Fawkes."

"Oh, no, she's definitely a—"

"Fawkes!"

"I mean, uh—what were we talking about? That vein throbbing on your forehead is distracting me."

Bobby screeched the van to a halt.

"Now who's being distracting, huh?" He said as Darien peeled his face off the window, smirking.

018. Letters

"Look," Darien said, rubbing his cheek. "Just tell me what's wrong before I actually start obeying the seat belt law, okay?"

"What, I have to spell it out for you?"

"Hmmm." Darien looked thoughtful for a second. "Yeah, I think you do, my Hobbes-crazy-talk-translator isn't working today."

Bobby gave a martyred sigh. "We're partners, Fawkes. P-A-R-T-N-E-R-S. You've been—you and—" the vein throbbed more prominently, "I wouldn't expect the Keep to tell me, but you're my partner, man. I tell you everything, and this is how—"

"Whoa, boy," Darien said, grinning for real. "You've got it all wrong."

019. Calling

"You saying Bobby Hobbes is liar? I may be many things, my friend—all of them highly overqualified for this job, I might add—but a liar is not one of them."

"That makes two of us." Darien ran a hand through his hair. "What I've been trying to tell you is that what you saw was all there was to see."

"Then you two haven't…? You know," Bobby said, waggling his eyebrows and raising his hands to make what Darien guessed would be obscene gestures, so he spoke quickly.

"Exactly."

"No fishing from—"

"None. Totally unplanned."

"Ooooooooh."

"…exactly."

020. Compromise

"So…"

"One hundred percent unplanned."

"You don't even know—"

"Of course I did. And yes, I've seen her naked."

"You—"

"Without her knowledge, of course. I followed her—long story."

"So why—"

"Emotionally trying circumstances. Makes people act crazy."

"Would you just let me—"

"No."

"Why no—"

"Because you want to know why you can't kiss her, too. And the answer is no."

"You got to," Bobby grumbled, shooting him a look.

"True." Darien considered. When they stopped for a red light, he grabbed Hobbes by the shoulders and kissed him, fast and fierce.

"Better?"