A/N: Hi everyone thank you for the support of this story, hope you continue to enjoy! -Cat

Chapter Eleven

As the elevator descended to the lobby Victoria prayed she wouldn't run into anyone else. She needed air. She needed to be alone to collect herself. She had never had anything like this happen to her before. She wasn't really much of a dreamer to begin with, only fractured images or the most ridiculous nonsense that dreams are supposed to be filled with, not….. that.

She swallowed as the doors opened to the lobby. Victoria took off like a runner from the starting block. As the lobby sprawled out in front of her, she heard the familiar engine's rumbling coming closer. It made her stomach swoop even more.

She looked up through the window-like wall leading out to the entrance of the hotel. She watched as Pogue's bright yellow Ducati pulled into one of the loading zone parking spots. She stopped dead in the middle of the lobby as she watched him get off his bike, kick down the kickstand and stride into the lobby.

She couldn't move.

He took off his helmet as he strode into the lobby, shaking out his hair, looking around the lobby. Victoria took a deep breath, no big deal, just same old Pogue. No need for him to know that she had a sex dream about him. Actually she could probably make it into a hilarious anecdote, but then...

It wasn't just a sex dream, it had been way more than that. The intimacy she felt, the emotions that had flooded her body when she had looked at him, it was like nothing she had ever felt in her entire life. She didn't even know a person could feel like that about another person.

Watching him walk into the lobby, Victoria seemed to feel it all over again, it was like the song the 'Laid' by James was playing through loud speakers in her own head.

In an instant, Victoria decided she had to pretend nothing had happened, it was the path of least resistance, and humiliation. It would pass, just one dream? But in that same instant Pogue's eyes fell on her and he stopped dead. And the way he looked at her…. in that moment she knew, somehow he knew about the dream.

"Oh my god," Victoria dashed across the lobby and grabbed Pogue's arm, pulling him outside again to avoid Caleb and Sarah if they were on their way to the restaurant. Besides, now she had to find a damn Starbucks. She persevered to ignore the electric rush that went through her hand when she grabbed him 'Goddamnit! Even through the racing jacket?' she couldn't help but think to herself.

"Victoria," He said her name softly and she was irritated it sent shivers down her spine.

She turned on her heel to glare at him, "How do you know?"

By his expression she knew she didn't have to explain that she was talking about her dream. "I-" He stopped, looked down at the ground a hand going to the back of his neck before he looked back up at her, "I know you had that dream, because I had it too."

Victoria's brow snapped together, "What?! What the hell are you talking about?" She shook her head as she spoke.

Pogue took a deep breath before looking her in the eye, "Jack and Sabine's wedding night? In the new cabin he built. I-" His jaw flexed at the slip up, "He was worried the stove would go out and-" He looked at her like he wanted to say 'you' but instead he said with effort, "She would get cold."

"OH MY GOD!" Victoria took a step back from Pogue. He had the exact same dream as her, she looked up at him, "Did you know I was gonna have that dream?" She asked looking up at him.

He shook his head, his eyes looking intense, "No. Not until I saw you in the lobby. I knew for sure as soon as I saw you."

Victoria stared at him. She took a deep breath shaking her head, "Ok, come on. We are gonna talk this out. I have to find a Starbucks." He raised an eyebrow, "I don't wanna get into that now. Come on." She took off at a brisk walk, crossing her arms over her chest. It was a little brisker than she assumed and she wished she had grabbed Reid's hoody that had been on his bag. Pretty much as soon as she thought that, Pogue's jacket dropped onto her shoulders. She jumped and looked from the enormous leather jacket to him. Victoria took a deep breath, it was still Pogue she reminded herself. Some dream wasn't going to change that. "Thanks," She said.

He didn't respond, simply putting his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a black tank top and Victoria looked at his arms and found herself thinking about Jack's arms and how identical they were. She shook her head. No, that was not the goal, the goal was to forget and move past!

"Ok, so just a dream. Not a big deal, little awkwardness. We can move through it…." She babbled hopefully letting the statement dangle into nothingness.

Pogue looked at her raising an eyebrow. "Really, just a dream?" His tone implied he thought it was anything other than a regular dream.

Victoria swallowed, he was right. She looked at him as they walked into Salem's downtown core. "How did we have the same dream? Like exactly the same dream, I mean that doesn't happen."

Pogue shrugged shaking his head, "I have no idea." He was watching the pavement travel under their feet.

"I mean, is this like a," Victoria looked quickly around them to make sure there was no one close, "Power thing? Right?"

Pogue shrugged, "It has to be. I mean it's not like a normal dream. Besides I had my first one after I ascended and then last night for you-"

"Wait." Victoria stopped dead.

Pogue stumbled to a halt and turned back to look at her, "What?"

Victoria narrowed her eyes, "You said you had your first one after you ascended?"

Pogue shrugged, "Yeah,"

Victoria blinked, "You mean last night wasn't your first dream like that?" The implication of what he had said seemed to hit him, he opened his mouth to explain but Victoria cut him off, "OHMYGOD POGUE!" She marched up to him and pushed him hard on the chest, again a flashed to laying on a bed, him on top of her, her palms resting on his bare chest. They both seemed to flinch ever so slightly at the suppressed image bombarding their minds eye. Victoria did not need to guess he had the same flash, "How could you be having these dreams and not say something!?"

Pogue glared at her, "Say what Victoria? You weren't even here when I had the first one, you were still in London and I had no idea what was going on!"

She shook her head, "No, you should have said something, to I dunno, Caleb-"

It was Pogue's turn to scoff, "Oh yeah, right. 'Hey Caleb, I just had the most intense dream about your sister of all people, you'll never guess what we did'." He glared at her, raising both his eyebrows this time.

Victoria shook her head, "Fine but why didn't you say something when I got home?"

Pogue shook his head, "I don't know, you just showed up, it wasn't like I had time to think about it too much. And again, how was the conversation gonna go? 'Victoria I haven't seen you in two years but I dream about you every night and I think I might either be losing my mind or becoming obsessed with you'?"

Victoria blinked the wind leaving the sails of her rant, "Every night?" She asked, worried about the implications of what that meant.

Pogue looked at her, his expression softened, he leaned back on his heel. "Well, it's not every night..." But from the tone of his voice Victoria was willing to bet it was more often than not.

Victoria shook her head and kept walking. Pogue fell into step beside her. She soon could see the green and white Siren of her favourite coffee house. She glanced at him, "Is it always the same like that?"

He shook his head, once again studying the pavement, "No, there are others. Different times, different names. But..." He looked up at her his green eyes as intense as they had been in the dream, "But it's always you, Victoria."

A deafening ringing started in her ears. "Oh," Was all she managed.

They entered the coffee house and the smell of coffee made her heart settle it's racing. Victoria swallowed, she had never been this uncomfortable around Pogue before. She ordered and suddenly his behaviour last night came into focus. She looked over at him as he hovered by the sugar and cream station while Victoria waited for the drinks to come up. He did look tired. She thought the lack of sleep was an excuse but he definitely had dark circles under his eyes. She knew she felt exhausted, like she hadn't even slept. She couldn't imagine how he felt after five months of that?

She grabbed the drinks when the barista called her name and made a b-line for the exit. Pogue fell into step beside her and they went back out onto the street. Victoria sipped her Mocha ignoring the scalding heat. She glanced at Pogue, "Pogue?" She asked gently. He looked at her, she already had a question in mind but when his green eyes turned on her she found she couldn't ask it, or rather wasn't ready to, so instead she changed tacks, "Didn't you stay at the hotel last night?" It was random, but she thought of him arriving on his bike and wondered. Reid and Victoria had lost track of the rest of their group when Reid whisked her away to show her the suite. God, it felt like a lifetime ago.

He shook his head looking away from her, "Naw, I went home, stayed in my old room. Didn't figure I needed a big hotel room for just me."

Victoria watched him, "What brought you in so early?" She felt like she already knew the answer but was wondering if she was right, "I mean we were supposed to meet for brunch but that isn't for like another hour."

Pogue stopped and Victoria stumbled to a stop as well, looking up at him. He didn't look at her but his eyes were intense, focused on a spot on the sidewalk in front of him. "When I woke..." He glanced at her, "I just wondered if, after last night, when you ascended..." He shrugged starting to walk again, Victoria again stumbled to keep up, suddenly completely absorbed in what he was saying and what he was going to say. He stopped again this time, just inside the doors of the hotel lobby and looked at her, "I just remember the night after I ascended and I had the first dream, I didn't know what happened and I still don't know what they mean. But I just thought... if you had... I just wanted to be there for you." He shrugged, "I dunno."

Pogue moved to start walking again but Victoria put a hand on his arm, stopping him. "Thank you," She said to him. His eyes met hers. She thought of how they had looked in the glow of the fire place, and felt her stomach drop. "We'll figure this out," She said to him her voice cracking slightly.

Suddenly he took a step towards her, Victoria could only look up into his eyes, his expression was like a fire storm of emotion. "Victoria, I-"

"Look who the cat dragged in!" They sprung apart as Reid's voice echoed around the lobby.

Victoria turned taking a deep breath to see Reid walking towards her smiling. Caleb was right behind him, Sarah beside him, holding his hand. And Tyler and his date Amanda bringing up the rear.

Victoria opened her mouth to say something but found she couldn't talk. It was like switching gears to fast. She wasn't ready to be done talking to Pogue in private and suddenly she wished they hadn't come back to the hotel. She shook her head, what a ridiculous thing to think, where else would they go?

Reid threw an arm around her neck, something he did practically everyday, something that normally felt amazing to her, made her feel like she belonged and she loved it. But this morning, it felt completely alien. And she hated herself for feeling like that at all. She looked up to see Pogue's eyes resting on Reid's hand dangling casually off her shoulder with an unreadable expression, "Where did you get lost to last night?" Reid asked Pogue.

He blinked and looked up at one of his oldest, closest friends. Victoria didn't hear his response as Caleb put a hand on the arm that wasn't tight against Reid's body. She looked up at her big brother.

He smiled at her, "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" She stammered.

Caleb gave her a funny expression, "Last night was intense Tori. A lot happened. It's ok if you're a little messed up from it all."

Victoria took his hand, "Trust me Caleb, the one, just has a learning curve, I'll survive. And as for the other," Caleb knew she was talking about the revelation of who her mother actually was, "Aside from a few unanswered questions, I think we can both agree that this is better than what it was. No matter the fall out."

Caleb nodded. "Well, I'm here, like always." He met her eyes with new intensity, "And no matter what, I am your brother."

Victoria smiled at him, feeling tears sting the back of her eyes, "I know, Caleb."