Battle Scars {An Iron Man FanFic}

Chapter 14: Nightmares

A/N: hey everyone! How's it going? Dedicated to @SarcasticNeonTaco for being awesome!! :D

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Chapter 14: Nightmares

Andy

                I grit my teeth as the nightmares overcame me. Even though I hadn't had this nightmare since the day my house burnt down, it was still horridly vivid. As the flames consumed my dad, the red eyes behind him glowed ominously bright. In seconds, my vision was filled with a bright light and the heat of surrounding flames. As I blinked, the red formed into a flying figure in the midst of a battle. I saw the Crimson Dynamo grab the Iron Man suit and grip him tightly between large white hands and an even larger white body. I heard a slow bending noise and then a sickening crack. Tony's suit had somehow come off in the fog of my dream and he was lying on the floor, his spine broken, sending him off at an unnatural angle.

                I thought I heard myself scream but looked over to my left to see Pepper running towards Tony's body. I tried to call out for her, tried to move to stop her, but it was impossible. I knew it was before I tried. Pepper ran with lightning speed to Tony's side and she grabbed his hand tightly in hers. Tears dripped off her face and down her nose, her soft but mangled cries filling the air. A steady crackle of electricity came out of nowhere and Pepper and I both looked up to see the Living Laser floating above us. He didn't speak, just grinned once and sent a wave of blue and white electricity down to the pair on the floor. Pepper stuck her arms out protectively over Tony and the light blinded out their bodies.

                I tried to rub my eyes clear but could only feel a heavy body weighing over me. I screamed loudly, knowing who it was, and tried to kick my way free. My body wasn't cooperating though and I saw his face, hidden slightly by shadows. I felt tears pour down my face and I grabbed his hair to pull him off. He only laugh maliciously and tossed me to a wall with unnatural strength. I felt him on me again, pulling at my clothes, nipping at my neck. I screamed once more, my body frozen, and then felt a warm hand on my shoulder. He started to shake me violently and I could only cry harder, my body stiff beyond belief.

"Andy!" I heard someone call out and opened my eyes to a light gray fabric. I only had to look past it to see the empty couch and cream colored walls of my hospital room. I felt someone's eyes down on me and looked up to see Luke filled with worry. I imagined a low flame appearing where his hand rested on my shoulder and bit my lip roughly, trying not to cry.

"Shh, you're gunna be fine" was all he said as he rubbed my arm, spreading the fire. I tried to move my hand that rest on his chest but only managed to thump it down half an inch. He used his free hand to grab my hand and held it close to him. He repeated his words, but I could only panic now as there were two forces keeping me still. I tried to lift up my head but his steady pressure on my arm made it nearly impossible.

"My hand" I finally managed to say through trembling lips as I weakly yanked it from his grasp. He looked at me questioningly before somehow realizing what was wrong. He mumbled his apology before slowly working my hand open, massaging the fingers loose and then the center of my palm. By the time my hand was free, I had control over my body,  stretching it out of the tight ball it had formed.

"You know, your brain remembers the most terrifying moments with the most detail because of the fear present. See, when you're afraid, it's because you're mind thinks you're in danger. So by remembering the exact details of that moment, it will cause that same reaction to something remotely familiar, to keep you safe" he said in a low voice. I looked up to him with a questioning glance, wondering how he knew that.

"Don't go off thinking I read a book or something, I was watching Brain Games when you dozed off. I would have tried to wake you up earlier but I didn't know you were having a nightmare. Why do you think you froze up like that?"

"I don't know," I murmured, turning my head back down on to his chest, "I just know that I hated it. Usually when I have a nightmare, I move around a lot... and scream. But I couldn't do anything at all this time... it just made it worse. Maybe, maybe it's the medication?" I asked.

"Well that would suck because it's meant to help you sleep not keep you locked in nightmares." He switched off the TV and played with some loose strands of hair clinging to my back. After a long silence, I sighed aloud and he kissed my head. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Pepper came barging through the door.

"Andy guess what, I-" she stopped her excited talk as she saw Luke lying in the small hospital bed with me. He whispered "That's my cue" before rolling off the bed and grabbing his backpack form the floor.

"See you tomorrow" he said before kissing my lips lightly. He passed by Pepper hurriedly, bidding a loud good night for us both. I closed my eyes, trying to soak in the warmth of his lips on mine and was fearful to open them. Because once I did, I knew Pepper's eyes weren't going to be anywhere near the happiness they were. After a moment passed, I opened them reluctantly to see her standing with one hand on her hip and giving me an amused face.

"Um, what the hell was that?" she asked, her voice not harsh... just, sharp.

"Nothing" I told her, using the remote on the side of the bed to tilt myself forward.

"Andy, who was that?" she said, her voice rising slightly.

"His name is Luke" I said quietly because she knew who he was.

"Luke? As in 'Stand By and Laugh" Luke?" she asked, still standing near my bed.

"Yeah, but he's different now. Trust me, ever since the party..."

"The party? Wait was he the one who-"

"Saved me, yes" I finished for her, worrying if she was going to assume the wrong thing. She stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating something before sighing loudly and sitting beside me on the bed.

"This seems a little sudden though, don't you think?" she asked, looking down at me. I stared down at her hand and started to draw on my own with my finger.

"Well, he kissed me last night. And, well, he was only lying down with me to watch some TV. But then I fell asleep and... I had a nightmare" I whispered the last part, knowing it would worry her.

"Are you okay?" she asked me immediately and I wondered if she had bat ears.

"Yeah, it was just really... bad. The sleep medicine they put me on just made it worse, it kept me under for a lot longer than it should have."

"Sleep medication, shouldn't they be weaning that stuff off of you already. Honestly, it's not good to grow to reliant on it" she said in a motherly tone.

"They just put me on more because these nightmares have been keeping me up all night, now they keep me frozen so I have to live through them over and over again" I sigh and roll over to my side, away from Pepper. She placed a hand on my arm and rubbed it, as Luke had before, but this time it didn't feel like a fire. It felt cool and soothing, and I didn't want her to pull it away.

"Well, I just want to tell you to be careful"

"What do you mean?" I asked, half regretting my decision.

"Boys can be ...very complicated. Just... don't put all our eggs into one basket." I had no idea what she was trying to imply so I just nodded my head and closed my eyes.

"I came in wanting to tell you that the doctor told me only a few more days locked up here. You should be out before Thursday" she said in a cheery voice.

"Yay" I said as enthusiastically as possible and hoped she just thought I was tired. I didn't want to leave the hospital. That meant I would have to go back to school, I probably couldn't spend my nights with Luke; that I would have to stay at home and do nothing but homework. But most importantly, it meant that people wouldn't be watching over me. I could have a heart attack at any moment and no one would be able to save me. I could die in seconds, and no one would be home to cry over me.

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Editted November 6, 2013. Remember to vote and comment! Let me know what you think! :D

(( So Andy is paranoid! She doesn't think anyone will be there to save her :O! Leave me a comment about what you liked most in the chapter :P  ))

-Ela