Nightmares

[AmazonBabe]

:: Another day slipped through the cracks of night as the sun set and the moon rose. After her Council duties, AB had spent the afternoon with Morgan, as they so often did, even though sometimes their duties kept them seperated for long periods of time. But now with the voting for the new Council done, and Morgan being on the Council as well as herself, she'd see more of him... even if it meant just being in the same room on opposite sides. ::

:: This particular evening hadn't been too terribly different from others. Dinner at Yog's with the usual, or rather unusual, surprises that only Yog's bar & grill could attract. A stroll through the garden as the sun dipped behind the horizon, bathing the greenery in gold. And then back to the Temple, with good night kisses exchanged, before each going to their respective rooms for sleep. ::

:: It was a simple life for the most part, when one wasn't being called upon for a mission of diplomacy or peace... and AB had no complaints. As far as she was concerned, all was well. ::

:: After changing into her night gown, she settled herself into her bed. Within moments she was asleep. ::

~*~

A quiet meal... The entrance of a mad man... the grin ecompassing the entire face of white... the grin moves in for the kill... An interuption... Relief... Annoyance... To the point... The grin disappears...

~*~

A note delivered by a dead man... The signature... Uncertainty...

~*~

A blissful stroll... With company... An interruption... the grin reappears... Uncomfortable... Annoyed... Happy as a loone as the grin moves in for the kill for a second time... Very much to the point... Flying grin... Thankful... with a feeling of uncertainty...

~*~

Laughter... lots of laughter... the grin appears, larger this time... it grows and grows, becomig larger and larger, all the while laughing manically... encompassing all thoughts, pushing all thoughts away...

The grin swallows AB whole.

~*~

:: AB sits up with a jolt, suddenly very much awake. She sits in bed for awhile, wiping a hand slowly across her forehead. ::

:: Nightmares weren't something she normally had, and being a Master, she could keep her mind locked up pretty tight from outside influence. And it wasn't so much the flashbacks that had frightened her, but the ending "scene". She didn't know why she'd think something like that. ::

:: And then her thoughts began to take a different track. Perhaps she hadn't thought them. Perhaps they had been placed there. And she could could of only one individual who would do such a thing and gain something from it. ::

:: Standing, she threw a robe on, and exited her room. Her feet quietly padded against the carpeted hallway as she made her way to a room a few doors down and to the left. ::

:: Stopping before it, she knocked on Morgan's door. ::

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan was having difficulty sleeping. This in itself was odd. It wasn't anything distinct keeping him awake. Drift off... shift, roll over, pause, repeat.

He had nearly tried everything short of getting out of bed. Too hot, too cold, frell it. The covers and pillow lay in a heap at the foot of the bed.

Someone was walking in the halls. Curiousity hit Morgan, and he started to sit up. But it fled almost as quickly as it came. I need to get some sleep. He frowned, and dropped back into the mattress.

A quiet knock, and he focused on who was outside his door. Morgan already knew it was Rie, and she was upset. He opened the door and hugged her.

"Whats wrong?"

[AmazonBabe]

:: She was grateful for the welcoming hug, and stepped inside Morgan's room once he had released her. She moved over to the bed, stepping over the pile of sheets, and sat on the corner. ::

:: She sat there for a moment, gathering her thoughts, before speaking. ::

I know you don't remember some of your past, and with help from myself and others, you've been remembering some things.

:: She looked up at him, favoring him with a lobsided grin. ::

You've actually come a long way.

:: The smile faded. ::

But there is one piece of your past that you need to know about. It involves me more than you, but you could be affected by it.

:: She was starting to ramble. Shaking her head, she continued... or rather began. ::

Not to long before your disappearance, I met a rather strange man.

As a matter of fact, you've encountered him recently. Do you remember the interuption we had a few weeks ago while taking a walk in the garden? Purple coat... white face... all-encompassing grin?

[Morgan Evanar]

"Aye, I do." Morgan frowned. Every fiber in his being screamed that the pale face was the enemy when he had showed up during their walk.

There was a gap there. While he could be very instinctual, this distaste went beyond that. Morgan knew there was history here. Whatever was troubling Rie was important, and related to the grinner. Times like this were frustrating for him: if he could remember, he could cope with this properly. But he had valid emtion without a reason. It was so confusing, it was worrisome, and it was made worse by the fact that Rie seemed to be genuinely upset. Normally she was mountain-steady.

Morgan sighed, and gave Rie's hand a gentle squeez.

"Whatever it is, we'll face it together."

[AmazonBabe]

:: She squeezed his hand back. ::

I know. And knowing you're here for me is very reassuring and more important to me than you could ever know.

:: She sighed. ::

But the story must be told.

:: She went into detail about the first time she'd met Mr. Happy at the B&G and how Morgan had intervened when it was needed most. She also explained how during his disapearance, she had received a rather disturbing note from the grinning maniac, not directly hand-delivered by him, but by a very distatseful means of a dead naked man. She didn't have to tell Morgan of the third encounter, which he had been at, and again dispatched of the nuisance quite efficiently. ::

:: She then came to the part that was beginning to worry her considerably. ::

In the fews weeks after the third encounter, I've been having... disturbing dreams. Nightmares.

They've all been the same up to this point... basically just flashbacks of the various encounters. Those weren't so much the nightmares... save for the one I had tonight where an extra "scene" had been added.

:: She closed her eyes, remembering, as the dream was beginning to fade rapidly when she needed to remember it most. ::

At the end of the flashbacks, there was a... grin. It pushed all other thoughts out of my mind, almost deliberately, making it all I could see or think. It was laughing manically and growing at the same time. It grew and grew and grew... all the while just laughing.

And then it... ate me.

:: It was weird. It sounded weird even to her as she explained, almost to the point of making her feel silly. And now, when she tried to push the dream away and forget it, it remained solid, as though it had just occured. It was as if, when she tried to remember it, it would skip away and fade... but when she tried to forget about it and move on, it would dance back and taunt her. ::

:: AB wasn't one to be easily swayed into negative emotions, but she was feeling very frusterated and very disturbed... and perhaps just a bit vulnerable. ::

[Morgan Evanar]

"Ate you." Morgan frowned. He had been hanging onto her every word. Rie didn't normally have nightmares, and if Mr. Happy was force sensitive, it was possible he was able to affect dreams, even those of a Jedi Master.

That was an unnerving thought.

"I think we should probably talk to the other members of the Council in the morning. I couldn't sleep, which might be my subconcious protecting me."

Rie nodded in agreement.

"I really don't know what to make of this, or how to deal with it. " He was also frustrated. It wasn't a physical problem, or even something social. The purely mental realm was probably his weakness."

Morning. Morgan was going to wait for morning. Maybe it was a bad day. Then again, it could be exactly what they needed. He decided that no pale-faced freak was going to interfere with his plans for the day.

"Rie..." Morgan got up, and pulled something out of his desk. Something he had been working on for months. He kneeled, and took one of her hands into his.

http://panic.hopto.org/swf/morg/rie-saber.jpg

"Lady Mystt, will you marry me?"

[AmazonBabe]

:: AB was starting to feel tired after having told Morgan about the nightmares. She'd nodded her head slowly at his suggestion to inform the Council. The fact that Mr. Happy could be Force sensitive enough to invade a carefully blocked Jedi Master's mind was something that needed to be discussed. ::

:: She was deciding on bidding Morgan goodnight before she fell dead asleep right where she sat, when he suddenly stood and crossed to the other side of the room where his desk was. There, he pulled something out, and hid it behind his back as he came back to where she was. Curiousity had woken her up a bit. But it was when he knelt down on one knee, taking her hand, that she came fully awake. ::

:: It was then he presented the beautifully crafted handle of a lightsaber that looked as though it had sprung from the rich soil of the lands of Ithor. ::

"Lady Mystt, will you marry me?"

:: Her eyes moved from the lightsaber to his, speachless. She'd heard his words, but she was having trouble forming her thoughts in her head. She was very surprised to say the least, and suddenly very joyful... and all other worries melted away in the blink of an eye. ::

:: She moved her free hand to rest on his cheek, a wonderfully bright smile on her face. ::

Yes, Morgan, I will marry you.

:: She then leaned in and kissed him. ::

[Morgan Evanar]

For Morgan, it was the most sincere, passionate moment in his life. He lifted her up, his new fiance.

When they finally stopped kissing, he started to purr.

"Rie!" Morgan twirled around the room, Rie held close. He stopped and grinned chesire cat wide. Rie's gown wasn't very thick, which he hadn't noticed before: he had been too busy worrying about her problems. But now he found himself getting lost in her curves. A single, distracted finger ran down from her neck down to her outer thigh. Morgan's purr deepened to a low rumble, and found himself drawn to her lips.

[AmazonBabe]

:: She was happier than she'd ever felt in her life. Her smile lit up the entire room as Morgan twirled her around. When he'd set her down, she pecked his lips again, pulling back to smile at him. ::

:: It was about this time that the tone of his purr had changed, and he started to trace her feminine curves with his finger. Something new and unexpected exploded in her mind, and before she could gather her suddenly scattered thoughts, he kissed her again... passionately. ::

:: She melted into the embrace, feeding off of his emotions. She lost herself in his arms for what seemed an eternity. At some point they'd moved to where his bed was, one of the shoulder straps of her night gown having slipped off her shoulder. They were lying on the bed now, all time having come to a stand still, when something scraped against the window outside the room. The high pitch sound the scrape made was enough to make both of them pause and look at the window. ::

:: Morgan got up and moved slowly towards it, looking through and then opening the window quickly. The left shutter crunched against something and he looked over in the direction of the sound. There, hanging tightly to the outter wall, was a fully blooming snake vine, with very bright red flowers. AB had stood and was standing beside the bed, waiting for Morgan to report what the sound had been. At the window, Morgan's gaze followed the vine down to it's trunk and then over the garden below. His eyes widened. ::

"Uh... wow."

:: AB moved towards the window at his quiet exclaimation. ::

What? What is it?

:: When she came to the winow to look out, the entire garden, from back to front wall, was in full bloom... in the middle of the night. All flowering plants and trees were brimming with brightly colored flowers, some shimmering dimmly in the city lights. Even those that lay dormant during this time of year were alive and showing off their colors. She merely blinked, confused at first, and then her cheeks suddenly grew very warm. ::

:: Her sudden burst of pleasure had stimulated every growing plant outside into blooming, even while some were dormant. She looked at her subconcious work, rubbing the back of her neck, feeling a wee bit embarassed. ::

Well, um, there's something that doesn't happen every day.

:: She was smiling sheepishly. ::

[Morgan Evanar]

"Tis true." Morgan's eyes went back to feline form, and he graced Rie with a toothy smile before carefully pouncing her back into the bed.

They were a wonderful tangle of giggly limbs, Morgan tickling Rie mercilessly. He laughed because she laughed. It was musical, and as natural as the flora event wasn't. After about ten minutes of laughing, he settled into cuddling.

Then Rie turned the tables.

"Agh! Hahehahheee stop!" Morgan picked her up off of him, but her long fingers were persistant, and she was flexible. She paused, putting on a quizical, contemplative look. He gasped for breath, finally getting wind again.
"No." Rie grinned, getting him in the armpits. Morgan capitulated, lowering her down. She finally did stop, and they just... stared: that was enough, two pairs of eyes consumed. A million things were communicated but didn't need to be said.

My fiance.

Morgan closed his eyes, and drifted off.

[AmazonBabe]

:: The tickling fest left her feeling very light hearted and happy... not to mention exhausted. ::

:: After both had had their fills of "torturing" the other, they lay there, happy to be in each others arms. Within moments, Morgan's breathing took on an even rythm, letting Rie know he'd fallen asleep. She stroked his head gently and kissed his forehead softly so as not to wake him. Soon she began to feel sleepy, and cuddled beside him. Soon she was fast asleep, wih pleasant dreams and no more nightmares. ::

[Morgan Evanar]

He woke slowly, comfortably warm. Morgan rolled his head over slightly, staring at Rie for a minute. She lay, breathing slowly, completely serene. He knew they both had overslept by the light filtering in through the window, and judged it was about half past eight.

"Rie." He intoned softly, and mussed the redhead's hair a bit.

"mmmm."

Morgan leaned over a few more inches and kissed her softly.

[AmazonBabe]

:: AB usualy awoke naturally when the sun rose, but this time, she had overslept quite a bit from that time. And her wake-up call was probably the nicest she had ever received. She slowly opened her eyes, smiling, and stretched. ::

Good morning, Master Evanar. Did you sleep well?

:: She stretched again, and looked at the window at the rays peeking through. Curious as to the time, she looked at the chrono Morgan had sitting on a small table next to the bed: 0830 hours. She blinked and turned her head back towards Morgan. ::

Good thing there weren't any Council meetings this morning. Walking in late together would have looked veeeeeeerrrrrrryyyyyy suspicious.

:: She winked and chuckled. ::

[Morgan Evanar]

" Good thing there weren't any Council meetings this morning. Walking in late together would have looked veeeeeeerrrrrrryyyyyy suspicious."

Morgan grinned, and got up off the bed. He stretched his arms wide and yawned.

He flashed her with a teasing grin. "We've been dating for about a year now. I think there will be some eyebrows raised if we don't show up late one of these days."

"I'm going to hop in the shower..."

[AmazonBabe]

"I'm going to hop in the shower..."

:: AB lay on the bed, one arm propping up her head. ::

Don't take all the hot water.

:: Of course, if she hopped in the shower with him, there wouldn't be any need to worry if there'd be enough hot water. She blinked. There's a thought that hadn't crossed her mind before... until now. ::

:: Sighing, she scootched off the bed as Morgan made his way towards the bathroom, and walked to the window, opening it. Outside the sun was beginning to break through the mist, throwing bits of rays here and there on the garden below. The plants themselves still had their blooms for the most part, but they weren't as brilliant as they had been last night. Frowning, she made it a point to work on a technique to silence or block her feelings from the plants. A repeat of last nights sudden burst of growth, while beautiful, would be too much of an advertisement. Something AB wanted to avoid. No need to let the whole world know. ::

[Morgan Evanar]

He stepped into the shower, hit by cold water that quickly warmed to a more pleasant temperature. With a bar of soap in hand, he started to scrub, and to think.

Morgan was only a little dissapointed. After all, Rie had always drawn the line pretty far from sex. It was frustrating, but he knew where the line was, and he didn't cross it. But he really, really wanted to. After all, his last squeeze was Catherine, and the party in her bedroom was near-perpetual. That was four years ago though, and unlike that relationship, this one was working well.

He hadn't thought about Catherine at all lately. Despite her stubborness to adhere to the Dark Side, he wished her well and still hoped she found some light in her life.

Now he had Rie. Morgan adored her completely. He had waited for her for over a year, a few more months wasn't going to hurt. We can make up for it later!

With a wide grin, he smacked the shower control to off, and toweled himself off.

Five minutes.

"I saved plenty of hot water for you."

[AmazonBabe]

:: AB had been lounging on the bed on her stomach, kicking her legs lazily in the air, when Morgan emerged... in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. She allowed herself a few seconds of enjoying the view, keeping her head propped on her hands. ::

:: Morgan came and sat on the bed next to where her head was. ::

"I saved plenty of hot water for you."

:: She smiled up at him, raising herself to her knees and snaking her arms around his bare shoulders and chest. Squeezing him gently, she kissed his ear and spoke into it. ::

Thank you, darling. I won't be but a few minutes... maybe about ten.

:: She stood off the bed, and turned to place another kiss on Morgans head, only to be followed by a ruffling of his still damp hair. Then she disappeared into the bathroom. ::

*****

:: About ten minutes later, she emerged, her red hair still wet and slicked back, causing it to look much darker than it really was. She was wearing the robe she'd been wearing last night, with her night gown draped over her arm. ::

:: She looked at Morgan who was already dressed. ::

I don't think I could get any happier than I feel right now.

[Morgan Evanar]

A wide smile was all he could say for a moment, waiting for his mind to engage.

"Aye, Lady Mystt." Morgan suddenly looked very thoughtful. "How are we going to tell everyone?"

[AmazonBabe]

:: She'd been toweling her hair when Morgan asked a very good question. She stopped the toweling, thinking. ::

Well... only way I see of announcing it is by out right telling them.

:: She looked at him. ::

Maybe during our general Council meetings? Or do you think that would that be inappropriate?