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She was running. Was she running from something, or to? Marissa didn’t know, all she knew was that she had to keep running, something depended on it. There was mist all around her, not only did it muffle the sound of her running, it seemed to block all sound from her. Finally after what felt like hours she burst through the branches of a group of trees. The house rose in front of her, white and beautiful, the embodiment of everything that was dear to her.
Without another thought she burst through the glistening front door into the strongest and most comforting arms she would ever know.
“They are coming!” The words spilled from her lips. Wait, who’s coming, what am I talking about? Despite her lack of knowledge the words didn’t stop. “They are coming, and they are coming here. You have to go.”
The look on Jason’s face would have been comical if everything didn’t have a feeling of urgency and finality.
“What do you mean? Love, slow down and tell me what has you so upset.” Love? What?
“Miss Mari sent me to warn you. They know you are here, they are coming for you. There is no time to loose, get your mother and father and go. I don’t know how much time you have, Miss Mari couldn’t tell.”
Realization flooded Jason’s face, at least one of us knows what I’m saying. He stopped, a look of pure horror froze the beautiful face I knew as well as my own. Wait, when did I start thinking in the third person?
The commotion I’d made on my entrance must have gone farther than the entry room, Wyatt and Shira appeared from the parlor. “Niccolett, what is the matter dear?” Shira asked coming in closer.
“They know, and they are coming here. You have to go and soon.”
Shira caught on quicker than Jason; I wish someone would tell me, I seem to be the only one who doesn’t understand what I am saying, her hand shot out and clutched at her husband’s had, a rare sign of affection. “Wyatt.” Shira’s voice was a horse whisper.
“I will get everything we need for travel, you take care of the luggage.” They were gone faster than they had appeared.
“You need to help them.” Marissa’s voice was horse, When did I start crying, why am I crying?
“No.” Jason’s voice was final.
“Did you not understand me? We don’t know how much time you have, it could only be hours.”
“I am not leaving without you.” Jason held onto Marissa’s hands as if they were a life line. Marissa looked down at his hands on her’s, Wait, those aren’t my hands, they’re too small, and holly cow where did I get that ring? It was then that Marissa realized that things were not as they should be. The light in the room was too warm and too dim, as if lit by candles and lamps, her usual jeans were in fact a full-length dress and the bodice was uncomfortably tight. Jason and her appeared to be in some kind period costumes.
“I have only just found you,” Jason’s words snapped her out of her musings on the odd settings. “I am not leaving you behind. If they know about us, they will know about you. If it is not safe for us, then neither is it safe for you.”
“Jason,” Marissa’s hand reached up on it’s own and traced his cheek. My voice isn’t that low, and why am I touching him like this? “It is not safe for me to go with you. You and your parents can move swifter and more easily without me burdening you.”
“I am not leaving you behind,” Jason repeated himself.
Marissa’s hands cupped his face, “You will not have to, I am leaving too, just not with you. When it is safe, when I am no longer being watched, I will find you.”
He seemed to understand what Marissa was saying, “No, I cannot ask you to do this. You cannot put yourself in danger.”
“No, you cannot ask me to, but I can offer. It is the only thing I can offer. Do not deny me this, do not deny me the only thing I can do to keep you safe.” Marissa’s pleading words appeared to have some effect.
“When it is safe.”
“Yes, when it is safe I will come to you.”
“How will you find us?”
“How can a body not find its heart?” That brought a small smile to his lips. “You are my heart, I will move heaven and earth, I will defy hell, to find you when it is safe.”
They stood there for some time, neither willing to pull away. Eventually Shira appeared behind Jason. “Everything is ready, it is time.”
They walked silently out of the house to where Wyatt had three horses saddled and ready, the weight of what was happening slowing their steps. Wyatt assisted Shira into the saddle and mounted his own horse. “Jason?”
“I will be right behind you.” With a nod, Wyatt and Shira rode off down the dark road.
“Nikki, I-” Her finger at his lips stopped Jason’s words.
“Shhh, I know.” She rested her hand over his heart. “Keep my heart safe.”
Jason mounted, he looked down at her, his eyes speaking the words his lips could not form. With a final touch to her hair he turned his horse and fled down the lane as if the fires of hell were at his heals.
Marissa stood watching until her eyes could see nothing him, still she stood minutes longer. Finally her strength gone, she crumpled to the ground and wept.
*******
Jason sat in shocked silence. Marissa had become restless in her sleep, thinking it was another one of her nightmares starting he had attempted to sooth her by sitting by her and stroking her hair. As soon as he had touched her, his mind was flooded by the dream. Only it wasn’t a dream, it was a memory, Nicolett’s memory of the night that had torn their lives apart.
Jason was too shaken by the flood of emotion to do anything but let Marissa ride out the dream. Nikki had known the whole time. She had known when she said goodbye that night that she would never see him again. She had known that they would never stop watching her, that it would never be safe to find him. She had done the only thing she could do to keep him safe; she had stayed away. And he had known, deep down he had known, but had still let her.
He was pulled from his painful revelation by the sound of Marissa crying. Remembering that he was here and now, and not there and then, Jason vowed not to let this change be stolen by someone sacrificing themselves for him again.
Gently he began stroking her hair again, and murmuring words to pull her from the grasp of the dream-memory. Her eyes shot open and she lay, unseeing, for a few moments, then her eyes focused on Jason and an instant later he found himself nearly knocked over by the force of Marissa launching herself into him.
“Dank gawd! Ah thought ya’d left!” Her arms were wrapped around his neck and her face was buried in his chest so her words were muffled but he understood.
It took him a moment but in the end her returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her hair. “This is one mistake I will not make again. I am not going anywhere, I am exactly where I should be.”
When the effect of the emotional rollercoaster wore off, Marissa found herself more than a little embarrassed by her position. She tried to pull away, but to her surprise, found that Jason’s arms were firmly in place around her waist.
Marissa cleared her throat, “That wasn’t my usual kind of nightmare you can let go of me. I’m fine.”
“But I am not.” Jason admitted. As if he had heard her unspoken question he continued. “When I tried to wake you I saw what you saw I…” Jason stopped before he finished with ‘I lived it all over again.’
Marissa saw surprised that he was as effected as her, if not more so.
Eventually, Jason loosened his grip and eased himself far enough back so he could see her face. Carefully, one hand burshed away the tear-streaks on her face. “How did you know?” Marissa found herself asking. A whisper was all she could manage once she saw the anguish still lingering in his eyes.
“I could hear you.” What he didn’t saw was that he had been sitting in the lounge chair near the windows long before her dream had started.
After the night of being trapped with her in the cellar, watching her sleep, it had become a habit of his. He had discovered that it was remarkably soothing to be near and watch her sleep listening to her even breathing made him feel almost at peace. In fact, he was often in that chair on nights he did not sleep, which was not nights.
“Thank you again.”
“Any time.” Jason studied her face carefully. “Will you be able to sleep?”
“I think so, will you?” His eyes still held traces of grief, as if it had been more than a dream.
“I will be fine.” He stood and walked to the door to the deck and stood waiting until she lay back down. “Sleep well.”
“You too,” Marissa whispered as the glass door closed softly behind him.
She was running. Was she running from something, or to? Marissa didn’t know, all she knew was that she had to keep running, something depended on it. There was mist all around her, not only did it muffle the sound of her running, it seemed to block all sound from her. Finally after what felt like hours she burst through the branches of a group of trees. The house rose in front of her, white and beautiful, the embodiment of everything that was dear to her.
Without another thought she burst through the glistening front door into the strongest and most comforting arms she would ever know.
“They are coming!” The words spilled from her lips. Wait, who’s coming, what am I talking about? Despite her lack of knowledge the words didn’t stop. “They are coming, and they are coming here. You have to go.”
The look on Jason’s face would have been comical if everything didn’t have a feeling of urgency and finality.
“What do you mean? Love, slow down and tell me what has you so upset.” Love? What?
“Miss Mari sent me to warn you. They know you are here, they are coming for you. There is no time to loose, get your mother and father and go. I don’t know how much time you have, Miss Mari couldn’t tell.”
Realization flooded Jason’s face, at least one of us knows what I’m saying. He stopped, a look of pure horror froze the beautiful face I knew as well as my own. Wait, when did I start thinking in the third person?
The commotion I’d made on my entrance must have gone farther than the entry room, Wyatt and Shira appeared from the parlor. “Niccolett, what is the matter dear?” Shira asked coming in closer.
“They know, and they are coming here. You have to go and soon.”
Shira caught on quicker than Jason; I wish someone would tell me, I seem to be the only one who doesn’t understand what I am saying, her hand shot out and clutched at her husband’s had, a rare sign of affection. “Wyatt.” Shira’s voice was a horse whisper.
“I will get everything we need for travel, you take care of the luggage.” They were gone faster than they had appeared.
“You need to help them.” Marissa’s voice was horse, When did I start crying, why am I crying?
“No.” Jason’s voice was final.
“Did you not understand me? We don’t know how much time you have, it could only be hours.”
“I am not leaving without you.” Jason held onto Marissa’s hands as if they were a life line. Marissa looked down at his hands on her’s, Wait, those aren’t my hands, they’re too small, and holly cow where did I get that ring? It was then that Marissa realized that things were not as they should be. The light in the room was too warm and too dim, as if lit by candles and lamps, her usual jeans were in fact a full-length dress and the bodice was uncomfortably tight. Jason and her appeared to be in some kind period costumes.
“I have only just found you,” Jason’s words snapped her out of her musings on the odd settings. “I am not leaving you behind. If they know about us, they will know about you. If it is not safe for us, then neither is it safe for you.”
“Jason,” Marissa’s hand reached up on it’s own and traced his cheek. My voice isn’t that low, and why am I touching him like this? “It is not safe for me to go with you. You and your parents can move swifter and more easily without me burdening you.”
“I am not leaving you behind,” Jason repeated himself.
Marissa’s hands cupped his face, “You will not have to, I am leaving too, just not with you. When it is safe, when I am no longer being watched, I will find you.”
He seemed to understand what Marissa was saying, “No, I cannot ask you to do this. You cannot put yourself in danger.”
“No, you cannot ask me to, but I can offer. It is the only thing I can offer. Do not deny me this, do not deny me the only thing I can do to keep you safe.” Marissa’s pleading words appeared to have some effect.
“When it is safe.”
“Yes, when it is safe I will come to you.”
“How will you find us?”
“How can a body not find its heart?” That brought a small smile to his lips. “You are my heart, I will move heaven and earth, I will defy hell, to find you when it is safe.”
They stood there for some time, neither willing to pull away. Eventually Shira appeared behind Jason. “Everything is ready, it is time.”
They walked silently out of the house to where Wyatt had three horses saddled and ready, the weight of what was happening slowing their steps. Wyatt assisted Shira into the saddle and mounted his own horse. “Jason?”
“I will be right behind you.” With a nod, Wyatt and Shira rode off down the dark road.
“Nikki, I-” Her finger at his lips stopped Jason’s words.
“Shhh, I know.” She rested her hand over his heart. “Keep my heart safe.”
Jason mounted, he looked down at her, his eyes speaking the words his lips could not form. With a final touch to her hair he turned his horse and fled down the lane as if the fires of hell were at his heals.
Marissa stood watching until her eyes could see nothing him, still she stood minutes longer. Finally her strength gone, she crumpled to the ground and wept.
*******
Jason sat in shocked silence. Marissa had become restless in her sleep, thinking it was another one of her nightmares starting he had attempted to sooth her by sitting by her and stroking her hair. As soon as he had touched her, his mind was flooded by the dream. Only it wasn’t a dream, it was a memory, Nicolett’s memory of the night that had torn their lives apart.
Jason was too shaken by the flood of emotion to do anything but let Marissa ride out the dream. Nikki had known the whole time. She had known when she said goodbye that night that she would never see him again. She had known that they would never stop watching her, that it would never be safe to find him. She had done the only thing she could do to keep him safe; she had stayed away. And he had known, deep down he had known, but had still let her.
He was pulled from his painful revelation by the sound of Marissa crying. Remembering that he was here and now, and not there and then, Jason vowed not to let this change be stolen by someone sacrificing themselves for him again.
Gently he began stroking her hair again, and murmuring words to pull her from the grasp of the dream-memory. Her eyes shot open and she lay, unseeing, for a few moments, then her eyes focused on Jason and an instant later he found himself nearly knocked over by the force of Marissa launching herself into him.
“Dank gawd! Ah thought ya’d left!” Her arms were wrapped around his neck and her face was buried in his chest so her words were muffled but he understood.
It took him a moment but in the end her returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her hair. “This is one mistake I will not make again. I am not going anywhere, I am exactly where I should be.”
When the effect of the emotional rollercoaster wore off, Marissa found herself more than a little embarrassed by her position. She tried to pull away, but to her surprise, found that Jason’s arms were firmly in place around her waist.
Marissa cleared her throat, “That wasn’t my usual kind of nightmare you can let go of me. I’m fine.”
“But I am not.” Jason admitted. As if he had heard her unspoken question he continued. “When I tried to wake you I saw what you saw I…” Jason stopped before he finished with ‘I lived it all over again.’
Marissa saw surprised that he was as effected as her, if not more so.
Eventually, Jason loosened his grip and eased himself far enough back so he could see her face. Carefully, one hand burshed away the tear-streaks on her face. “How did you know?” Marissa found herself asking. A whisper was all she could manage once she saw the anguish still lingering in his eyes.
“I could hear you.” What he didn’t saw was that he had been sitting in the lounge chair near the windows long before her dream had started.
After the night of being trapped with her in the cellar, watching her sleep, it had become a habit of his. He had discovered that it was remarkably soothing to be near and watch her sleep listening to her even breathing made him feel almost at peace. In fact, he was often in that chair on nights he did not sleep, which was not nights.
“Thank you again.”
“Any time.” Jason studied her face carefully. “Will you be able to sleep?”
“I think so, will you?” His eyes still held traces of grief, as if it had been more than a dream.
“I will be fine.” He stood and walked to the door to the deck and stood waiting until she lay back down. “Sleep well.”
“You too,” Marissa whispered as the glass door closed softly behind him.