These Dreams – Chapter 5
"Please forgive me of my horrible manners for not properly introducing myself."
Eris pulled away from him, and wiped the remaining moisture from her face, as he continued, "My name is Richard Alpert, and the reason why I hadn't thought to ask for your name is because as soon as your plane crashed, we gathered information on all of the passengers of Oceanic 815. After I ran into you in the jungle, I retrieved your file and brought it here after I had tended to your wounds."
Richard gestured to the desk, where a manila folder had been placed, "I read through it while you were asleep. I wanted to know more about you..."
-He thought of how she had responded to him in the jungle. The way how she had looked at him... Her eyes, her face, she had looked relieved.-
"...since it seemed that the Island had intended for us to meet."
There it was again. Her muscles had started to tighten again when he began to explain, as if she was bracing herself, and when he mentioned that he knew that they were supposed to meet, she relaxed. Just by the tiniest bit, but nevertheless, it calmed her for him to regard their meeting as something that wasn't happenstance.
She knew him. If she was able to dream of future events, it was possible that she had dreamt of him before. But how did she know him? What had her dreams shown her about him?
Richard was curious. So very curious about the young woman in his lap.
When he had pulled her into his lap, he had turned her so that she could comfortably sit between his legs with hers thrown over his left thigh at an angle so that he could hold her against him, and so that she could face him if she wanted to.
Because she was so petite, the position was not uncomfortable.
Not uncomfortable at all...
When he had first seen her, despite the dirt and blood, and the way her hair had been in general disorder, he could see that she wasn't unattractive.
And when he had brought her to his home, and had started to clean away the grime off of her face, the after effect had been a pleasant surprise. Her hair was still in need of a thorough washing, but his initial review of her had been correct. She was lovely, not in a way that would turn heads, but coupled with the appropriate clothing would make some men look twice.
Her breasts weren't too full or too small, and her waist wasn't muscled or toned, but she was curvy enough for her petite size, and when she had bent-
Richard Alpert willed his inappropriate thoughts to order with a quickness. This was not the time for him to be thinking about what sex would be like with Eris Blake.
He tried to ignore the way she licked her bottom lip and forced himself to focus on what she was saying.
"Do you really believe that we were intended to meet?" she asked, trying to gauge his sincerity.
He nodded and spoke very seriously, making sure his thoughts wouldn't wander, "Yes, Eris, this Island is very special. It is unique, and so are you. If Jacob told you where to find me, our meeting was inevitable."
Eris took this in carefully. He called her 'unique.' Did he know about her dreams? How?
Eris' brows snapped together, "Did my file tell you that I was 'unique'?"
"Yes," he said, "Of course."
Eris leaned away from him a inch and started piecing together what 'a file' meant. Obviously, it had to be the same kind of files that the government kept. Which meant, it contained her hospital records.
Anger simmered within her at the invasion to her privacy and fueled by it she said, distrust evident in her voice, "So because my file told you that my father institutionalized me, you think I'm unique? Do you really believe I can see things that have not happened yet in my dreams?"
Eris almost didn't want him to answer. It had hurt when her father had not believed her. It had hurt when every doctor she had told her dreams to had not believed her. It hurt because their disbelief labeled her a liar in their eyes. And what hurt the most, was never forgetting that look. Because they never looked at her the same, ever again.
She had spent too many nights dreaming of this man, and right now, he was the only thing that mattered. She had just tumbled down the rabbit hole, and Richard, in his own way, was her Cheshire cat; the only thing she could anchor herself to.
If her dreams were true, and Jacob was right, and Richard was meant for her, there was no way that could ever be if he didn't believe her. And who ever would? If her own father didn't believe her, why would some stranger who had never met her?
Her gut clenched. It was wonderful and frightening to know that her fantasy man was real. The possibilities were definitely food for thought. And the fact that this Island she had dreamt of all of her life had appointed them soul mates or whatever, was amazing, but...he was real. And people in the real world were...unpredictable.
What if they weren't meant to be? She knew almost nothing about him! He didn't know who she was. It wasn't as if she could snap her fingers and voilà, instant soul mate.
"Eris Blake," he said, "Of course I believe you. You wouldn't have run halfway across this Island on sheer whim. You dreamt that we would meet, and of course, it happened. As it was meant to happen.
"People are not all born of the same mold. The same ingredients, yes, but just as your DNA is different from mine, we are all diverse. Some people are unique. And you Eris Blake are here because you are different. I know that you were brought here because you belong here."
Eris couldn't believe this was happening.
"Now, I don't know why," he explained, gesturing with his hands, "Or for what purposes, but you are more than welcome to stay."
Because I don't want you to leave.
The unconscious thought had popped into his mind before his consciousness could pretend that it hadn't, and he was at a loss for what could have contributed to it.
Richard could read that the expression on her face was a new one. In it he could see that she was at a loss for words. It bothered him that she was surprised that he believed her. Hadn't anyone else?
Eris closed her eyes, and dispelled her surprise. She needed to think. His last words had triggered a memory of a dream.
"You say that I'm welcome to stay," Eris said slowly, "But we both know that no one ever leaves. Isn't that right?"
Richard grimaced, "I was hoping to avoid that small detail until you were more familiar with the Island. The concept is quite bothersome for most at first."
Eris shook her head, "No. I'm not bothered by it."
He didn't realize that his eyebrow had risen until her emerald eyes glanced at them.
Her tears were now gone, and she looked much calmer in his lap as her skin relaxed from the flush of tears to her natural color.
She smiled and looked at the window, and spoke in a way that was almost poignant, "I've seen this Island in my dreams since as far back as I can remember... It... I thought it was my subconscious' way of finding an escape... I'd always reasoned that that was why I dreamt of it as often as I did. But now..."
Eris folded her hands delicately in her lap, and shrugged her shoulders, "If my subconscious was using this Island as an escape, as a way to help preserve and calm me, I don't think I should leave. If this Island really wants me to be here. Well..."
She laughed gently, "It's not like I have a home to go back to. I don't have any real reason to leave."
Eris Blake taught something new to Richard Alpert.
It dawned on him then, that in all of his long years, he had never known what it was like to not have a home.
His hazel eyes turned to Eris in quiet contemplation.
It dawned on him also, that he didn't want Eris Wren Blake to continue, or to ever feel again that she didn't have a home.
Why?
He felt responsible for her. Jacob had essentially placed her in his care.
--"He said...that I could trust you...and that we need each other."--
His eyes roved over her frail form and her face, which she was carefully keeping devoid of emotion. Eris was a good person, it radiated off of her like warmth from the sun, and ironically enough, she was as alone as the moon in night sky. The world had left its mark on her, and instinctively Richard Alpert wanted to clear it away, clear it away and make sure it never came back.
"Eris Blake, I'm going to share something with you."
His statement caught her off guard, and she turned her full attention to him.
Her breath caught. He was really looking at her. So far their conversation had been a calculated give and take of information, but the look he was giving her now implied that his next words were going to be said without premeditation.
She had only seen this kind of intensity from him in her dreams. The urgent way he had of looking at her had always made her feel the object of his world, and now that she was experiencing it firsthand, she was mildly awed.
"As complex as I may seem, I am surprisingly simple. I understand the importance of rationality and emotion. Of morality and the lesser of evils, of instinct and intuition. But most of all, I understand that everyone feels a basic need, a hardwired want, to feel belonged.
"And a far as I'm concerned, I belong here. This Island is my home. And as far as I'm concerned about you; I know a good person when I see one, Eris. Of all the years I've lived, I've become an excellent judge of character . I know that I can trust you. If the Island wanted us to meet, if Jacob says that we need one another, then I see it in our best interests if you stay as close to me as possible. We won't have to worry about Ben if he knows I've taken you in."
Eris wasn't sure how to respond. Her lips parted, but nothing came out.
Richard continued, unabashed, "This room is yours, but unfortunately there's only one bathroom, which connects our rooms together. However, your privacy will not be an issue with me, and I will only come in your room when invited. We have plenty of supplies and almost everything you could want we have.
"I already took the liberty of having Juliet pick up some essentials and a spare change of clothes. Everything you need to take a shower and the like is already in the bathroom. I figured that you would like to tend to yourself before I explain why we're all secluded here and introduce you to everyone."
Another flicker of a memory passed through her, a forgotten dream. Was Jacob doing this?
"Don't feel guilty for not telling me everything right now. You do later, and I know that I don't feel terribly upset. I take it pretty well," Eris said, shrugging her shoulders as the information effortlessly came to her.
Richard appeared pleasantly awe-struck and amused at her admission. His voice sounded lighter as he replied to her, "I do hope that after we're more comfortable with each other that you'll tell me more about your gift. It's fascinating."
The look on his face, triggered another memory of a dream.
--She was lying on a bed, waiting for him as she lounged on the propped pillows.
The door to the bedroom opened, revealing Richard in its open frame. She felt her lips turn into a shy smile as he let his messenger bag fall to the floor, suddenly uninterested in it, as he zeroed in on her with quick strides to the bed.
As he stepped quickly closer, her fingers popped open the snap buttons of his shirt she was wearing, and she parted the material with one hand while the other beckoned him with a finger and a blush as she bared herself to his gaze, the cool hair making goose pimples on her flesh since his shirt and her panties had been the only thing she had been wearing.
Her actions rewarded her with an amused, and pleasantly awe-struck facial expression as he dipped down towards her slightly parted mouth, his hand smoothly pushing his shirt off of her bare shoulder as he palmed her exposed flesh while he kissed her hungrily.--
"Yes, I suppose you're right," Eris said tightly as a spark of arousal flared within her, the memory a little too much to handle while in such close proximity to him, "It is fascinating."
A/N: Yay! Chapter 5 complete!
Thank you so much Winged Seraph! I'm glad my OC interesting and that my writing isn't completely horrible. Richard is so hard to write about because he's so...mysterious! We need more Richard in LOST!
Briony Tallis – I love it when people offer me insight to what little parts amused them and the like! Thanks for the tid bit! ^_^
Beth Elia – I'm glad that chapter 4 was satisfactory! And yeah, the emotional breakdown was a must. I mean, surviving a plane crash. Scary. I'm sure mostly everyone would have realistically peed their pants or had a heart attack, luckily, I didn't see it necessary to include those reactions. . lol
JenCarpeDiem – Thanks for adding my story to your alert list and leaving a review! I hope this story continues well. VERY WELL. ; D
THANKS EVERYONE FOR REVIEWING! I appreciate the feedback! Since Richard is somewhat difficult to write, I feel loads better when I get responses from my readers! You guys rock!