Sorry guys I've been on holiday the last few weeks hence the gap and also got a little stuck during my plan, I was too eager to get to the middle part; something I'm sure every author has felt at some point! Any way I'm not sure I like the next couple of chapters but I guess they're bridging chapters so enjoy them for what they are and I hope you will like what follows! X
Chapter 6 – Nightmares
Grace smiled at the thought of the man she had left in bed fast asleep, clearly exhausted after the last week; he had been drained lately. Hopefully the reunion with his friends would help with everything; he struggled she could see that, he had that constant headache as well. She worried about that all the time, her mind whizzing through possible causes which ranged from lack of sleep to a brain tumor. She had laughed it off of course she couldn't just jump to such conclusions without the slightest evidence, especially when brain tumor's had other symptoms like disorientation or fits or, or… She shook her head there was no reason to panic otherwise she would end up wrapping him in bubble wrap just to keep him safe; there was no use in thinking the worst when it wasn't logical. It was probably just the fact that he hadn't been sleeping lately.
She filled the coffee machine ready for when he woke up, not that it seemed to help; he was always so tired. It was amazing to actually be up before him and she was sure that he didn't sleep at all some nights.
Grace pulled a cup from the cupboard and filled it with apple juice from the fridge and then made her way over to the wide patio doors. The sun was bright and warm heralding another nice day and Tommy's garden was quiet, no longer filled with training teenagers.
She sighed. He sat late into the night sometimes he did nothing; just sat and thought, other times he would watch old movies of his friends and look through hundreds of photographs as though he had forgotten what his friends looked like. When he did sleep he fidgeted constantly, twisting this way and that with the occasional mutter, clearly his dreams were not peaceful.
Pain ripped through her chest and had her clutching at the door frame desperately gasping for breath, what was happening? Her panicked mind raced and she fumbled for her necklace, she remembered taking it off…she stumbled against the small table and chairs that sat on the patio; the glass of juice dropping from her hand and shattering on the floor. She struggled for some form of control. It would be okay, it would. She was just having a dizzy spell, she was too young for a heart attack, she was just panicking over nothing, this really wasn't that bad…the pain eased slightly and her mind cleared a little more. It was okay, she had defeated a scary thorny monster this was nothing in the grand scheme of things, whatever this was it had no hold over her.
Grace stood breathless, the pain was gone and so was the panic. She tried to slow the frantic beating of her heart and kept her hold on the door frame as though she were afraid to let go. It was only the frantic yell that came from upstairs that made her let go and use her unsteady legs. The sound was terrible; it sounded pained but worse than that Tommy sounded frightened.
"Tommy!" Grace yelled his name as she ran through the lounge, tripping over the sofa on her shaky legs. "Tommy!"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Tommy! Tommy, I have chosen you!" Laughter ringing in his ears; his or was it Rita's…the pain was astounding but Tommy was so sure he was still asleep. He had been asleep hadn't he? It couldn't be a dream though; it was too real, and too painful. The darkness was suffocating like that transformation, those sticky green cobwebs that cocooned him and the dull flickering of Rita's candles and that unending laughter, his laughter.
"I have the coin and the power, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" His voice, except that it wasn't it…it had to be someone else's.
The cobwebs were tightening, suffocating him. He yelled, this couldn't be happening it had to be a dream; that had been a long time ago, it was done and forgotten it was over.
"Tommy!" No, that voice again, he struggled to be free; his own voice frightened him. There were hands pulling at him, he struggled to get away and felt the cobwebs loosening, he had to be free…
The hard jolt sent pain through his body, he was tensed like a bow and his hand was wrapped around the throat of someone. The anger and fear coursed through him and he was all but blinded by it, but the hands and the cobwebs were gone.
"Tommy." The voice was a hoarse gasp and hands scrabbled at his wrist. "Tommy!"
His vision cleared and he was left staring up at Grace, her eyes were huge in her pale face. They lay on the floor beside the bed, the covers twisted around him and Grace was sprawled half on top of him.
"Tommy." She gasped his name again. "Tommy…I can't….Tommy." her hands pulled at his wrist, he stared in horror as he saw his hand wrapped around her throat, the cords in his arm standing out as he squeezed.
Tommy swore letting go with such force that she was pushed backwards to fall against the side of the bed until she ended up on her back on the floor, coughing and rubbing her throat.
Tommy struggled to control his breathing, he felt clammy; the sweat on his body beginning to dry. What had he done? He summoned the courage and pulled his shaky body towards Grace, she still lay on the floor her hands covering her face.
"Grace?" His voice wobbled, he had to take a deep breath to stop the tears he could feel prickling his eyelids. The only reply was a stifled sob which stabbed him in the region of his heart.
With great daring he lifted her and pulled her into his arms. To his relief she let him and curled into him, hiding her face in his chest where he could feel the dampness of her tears. "You wouldn't wake up," She sniffed through her tears. "I tried to…I tried."
Tommy hushed her and held her closer. "I'm so sorry Grace, I'm so sorry." She simply curled further into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Tommy lost track of how long they say there together on the floor.
A/N There we are another chapter. Please tell me what you think as I hate bridging chapters, they always just seem so crap to me, it does however lead the way to some more interesting developments which you will see later… As always read and review!! Oh and quotes are from the first series of Power Rangers and the introduction of Tommy (copyright etc)