Nightmares and Confessions

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Scene Title	Nightmares and Confessions
Synopsis	Elisabeth awakes with Nightmares and decides to put some demons to rest.
Date	November 28, 2008/November 29, 2008

Elisabeth's Apartment at Dorchester Towers

It's night, the hospital is but a memory, the explosion that happened in the last few days starting to fade. Trask made sure Elisabeth got to bed, and then campped out on her couch, He is just settling into sleep as the clock strikes 13, what most people would call 1am.

The witching hours. It's what most people call those darkest hours of the night between 1 and 4 am. In spite of the fact that she's on painkillers, they don't stop the dreams, and Elisabeth is not sleeping well. At first, it's merely a frown on her face. A soft, pained grunt as she moves in her bed. The whimpers begin slowly and softly as well. And then there's the glass-shattering shriek. The scream that literally breaks every mirror and piece of glass in her bedroom and bathroom. Luckily enough, she's not experienced enough with resonance frequencies (or awake enough) to have it do more than crack the bedroom and bathroom windows. But it's still… perhaps 'startling' is not quite adequate.

Trask sits up at the scream and goes running, he has a piece in his hand as he breaks into the room, his presence suddenly removing the super natural portion of the scream as he scans for intruders…a crack in the window makes him move the way, to see who was trying to break in.

That's probably the best thing that could have happened. Liz is struggling to get upright and pinned down by the fact that she can't get her broken arm loose from the sling that tapes it to her arm. She's sweat-soaked and shuddering when Norton comes flying in, gasping for air. "Oh…. Oh God!"

Trask checks to make sure the window is secure, then falls back to Liz herself. "Is everything ok…did you see someone…." He reaches out to try to settle her down, before she hurts the arm more.

Sucking in air as she realizes she's not pinned, the building is not falling, the kids are already dead…. Elisabeth shakes her head and fights him to get herself upright. Sitting in the middle of the bed, shaking, she chokes out, "Shit. Just….. *shit*. I keep seeing them, Norton. Every time I close my eyes. The kids running toward me, the ceiling collapsing… they were terrified." She runs a hand through her hair.

Trask sighs and nods, he reaches for the glass of water he left by your bed, only to find…its a puddle of water and glass shards. "Let me get you something to drink. It's going to be ok…it's post tramatic stress….not that that makes it any better.

Blowing out a breath, Liz sort of smirks. "Thanks, Captain Obvious," she says softly. If only because humor is a method of coping. "There … was a guy there. Someone I didn't recognize." She frowns, the image not remotely clear. "Asian?"

Trask frowns, softly, "Asian….I am unfamiliar with an asian operative. I will look into it…" He sits on the edge of your bed, offering you a glass of water upon his return, "I hate to play doctor…but you need some sleep."

Elisabeth reaches out with her good hand to take the water, the aforementioned hand trembling. "I didn't…. see him too clearly. My head was reeling. But he was there. Right behind Simon for just a minute. And then he was gone. I'm sure….. almost sure…. that he wasn't supposed to be on the school grounds. He isn't someone I knew." She moves to sip from the water. "Yeah, I know. Sleep would be good. But I hate those damn pills."

"Is there anything I can do to help? I could stand guard and shoot the night mares when they try to sneak in through the window."

There's a pause and Liz eyes him narrowly. "Sarcasm does not become you, Norton."

Trask smiles back, "Sorry…trying to lighten the mood…I just…feel a little powerless.

Shaking her head, Elisabeth says quietly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm feeling pretty damn powerless myself just now. I'm going to the school tomorrow. I … have to see it. You know?"

"I understand…do you want me there?" He smiles softly."

Elisabeth considers the offer and then says, "No…. it's okay. I think….. I think I need to see the school alone." She looks at him and says quietly, "I just need to rewalk the scene, you know?"

"I know….I…." He looks down, "I'm sorry I couldn't be there…for you….

She looks startled. "What, you're psychic now too?" Elisabeth reaches out and puts a hand on his arm. "Seriously… don't. It's not like you could have known. Just… find them." She looks at him seriously. "I want them put away. And then…. let's figure out where to go from here. Because…. I wasn't kidding in the hospital. I'm not sitting out anymore."

"I'll find them…one way or another they won't hurt anyone else like this. I'll hunt them down…I know where to stary.

Nodding, Liz replies softly, "I'm counting on it." She sighs heavily. "Tell me something, Norton…" She moves to lay back down on the bed, scooting a little bit to let him lay with her if he'd like. "How did you manage to get hooked in with people like PARIAH?"

Trask does lie back if only to stay on eye level with her. "I…" He smiles and shakes his head, "I knew a guy, who was inolved with them. He's dead now, he was a good friends, who found out he was evolved, and…some bad things happened to him. He was very angry…but he was also one of those who thought the government deserved his anger…not civilians, and not children. He was a student of history, specifically the holocaust…."

There's a slow nod as she settles in to listen to his words. Elisabeth asked the question for a lot of reasons… the primary one being the explanation, but also because she wanted him to stay. She doens't want to sleep quite yet, although the need to is dragging at her. "Do you ….. are you involved with them, or do you just have contacts?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know, but now she's going to ask him straight out.

"I am not envolved with Pariah. I have a few contacts inside the organization, but I am not working with them. I… have worked with them in the past, but not for some time, not since well before the church incendent.

"All right," Liz replies finally. "Well…. I'm reasonably sure you're looking for an Asian guy. I only saw him for a minute and I couldn't give you a description."

"Asian guy, got it. Thank god for racial profiling." He smiles

"Well, I *was* a little busy getting chopped to hamburger by imploding windows and smashed by collapsing ceilings, you know. It wasn't like I saw him for more than a moment." Elisabeth grimaces. "Sorry. He's just sticking out in my head as someone out of place. And it's not like I really remember much — I have a concussion from where I hit something… maybe the door jamb… when the last blast threw me into the fire door and out into the courtyard."

Trask puts his hands around her, he pulls her head down, into his chest, and just holds her for a few moments, "It's ok….at least you came back to me…..that enough for me."

Elisabeth settles against his chest, her face buried there for a moment, then turns her head to rest there where she can listen to his heartbeat. While she lays there, she says softly, finally, "How much time do you have off?"

"3 more days…but I could take more…if you need me too. Or I could go back early, if you want to get rid of me."

"No…. three days is fine," Liz replies softly with a smile. "It'll give me time to get my head on straight, and then I'll be able to …. " She shrugs her good arm once. "I don't know. I won't get past it." He knows better than that — just like with 9/11 and with the Bomb, it's not 'getting past it'… it's about surviving it.

Trask strokes her hair, "You'll move on….and I'll be here to help you too…i won't promise everything will be ok Liz…but…we will survive.

"Just how involved in all this *are* you?" Elisabeth finalyl asks softly. She doesn't raise her head, but she's asking — in this place, in the dark, where they can just talk without fear — for him to be honest with her.

Trask closes his eyes, "Are you sure you want that answer? it could be more then you want to know.

Elisabeth's answer is quiet, but firm. "It could be. But better you tell me now than that I find out later. I've never asked what you do when you're not hanging with me — it was your own business. And even when I suspected you had contacts that were less than savory… what cop doesn't? But this? You've already told me more in the past ten minutes than you've told me in two years, Norton. So lay it all on the table," she says softly. "Because if I find out after tonight, I'm going to treat it like you've lied to me. You don't have to tell me your classified information. But beyond that which you keep secret to protect other people's identities like you'd protect mine…. this is the dealbreaker."

Trask closes his eyes, and there is a long pause, then he says slowly, "My Friend, Cameron…the one who was a student of history…he was the founder of Pariah. I helped him out some, with information…helped some of the…evolved who were being persecuted into the underground railroad. I even went on a job or two…including breaking into a secret government holding facility where they experiment on mutants whose powers are off the chart. When he was murdered…the organization split, between those who wanted vilence and vengance, and those who wanted freedom and justice. I am still in regular contact with the later…with pheonix. Few in either organization even know that I am a police officer.

There's a slow nod against his chest. "All right," Elisabeth says quietly. And really… that's it. She doesn't push him further. She just moves her head a little to rest in the hollow of his shoulder. Silent acceptance.

Trask just holds her, humming softly, he rocks her a little, and strokes her hair till she sleeps.