Nightmares of Bliss (PP&F Luke)

[Alliana Porter]

Ally had been fighting her flu for about a week, staying reclusive and sleeping most of the day. The flu virus was rather resilient and the medical officer lacked in finding a faster cure. She just had to deal the old fashioned way. Luke and Anna had been in and out checking up on her. They were continually joking about it because she had managed ti catch it right after the nanovirus had hit. After taking her meds and watching a few movies in her bunk, her head began to swim. It was probably high time for another nap. She flopped back into her bed, muscles achy again, and snuggled into her blankets pathetically. Her deep grey eyes fluttered closed and she blurred into a deep sleep.

Sunlight cascaded though through a window peering out at her through half opened blinds. She moaned a little, and opened her eyes slowly. This made no sense. Adjusting to the light, she managed to look through the window and watched waves...crashing on a shore? More interesting yet, this was a house, possibly a home. There were a few pictures that blurred from her focus, a dresser drawer, closets and every other indication that this was not a hotel, but very much a place of permanent residence. It was absolutely beautiful whoever it belonged to. Something shifted next to her and wrapped a tight arm around her waist. She felt fabric shift, so whoever she was next to, she had not made love to. For some reason, her head wasn't swimming and she felt rather well rested. In fact, it didn't feel like she had been sick at all. This had to be a dream, but..it felt...so unnaturally real. She could feel hot breath on her back shoulder, the sun was way too bright and someone's warmth was not the product of a fever. Ally craned her neck ever so slightly and about choked on her breath alone at the face. Luke? What on earth had she fell into?

[Luke Martin]

It was weird having Ally out with the flu. It had been a shame to see her get sick so soon after the nanovirus, but at least her illness wasn't fatal, it just made her feel like crap for a few days, nothing that a few days in bed, medicine and regular visits from her loved ones wouldn't cure. When he wasn't able to drag himself away from his post, Anna went and visited instead, using any excuse she could to get out of work. It was easier for her because she was a chief of staff, but the crew pretty much depended on Luke to fly the ship. It was a little frustrating that he couldn't touch her either, for fear of him catching the same thing. It would be stupid for her to get better, only to have him fall ill. And, to be honest, after the nanovirus, he didn't feel up to becoming ill again so soon.

He crashed into his quarters after an excrutiatingly long twelve hour shift, falling onto the bed, pulling his pillow up and over his head. It was the first long shift he'd done in a couple of weeks, and it had wrecked him, he was so out of shape. He really needed to get back to the gym soon and sort himself out, but for now, he only had one thing on his mind: sleep. It came soon enough.

Luke stirred, scrunching his eyes tightly closed as a bright light attempted to pierce through his eye lids. He didn't remember it being that bright in his room, it was like the lights were permanently set to 'dim' in there. Then he felt someone move beside him, and silky material beneath his hand. What the...? Openly his eyes, he was blinded for a moment, blinking heavily in order to clear his vision. When everything came into focus, he frowned. Where was he? Was that the ocean outside? And who was next to him? His eyes flickered to the person in his arms only to find Ally staring at him with wide gray eyes. She looked as confused as he felt. "Hey," he said, trying to lighten the frown on his face, at least he hadn't woken up next to someone else. "What happened?" he asked.

[Alliana Porter]

This was all so confusing. Ally opened her mouth speak, but the words failed to pour out. She shifted back a little, pulling his arm away from her waist. This was the Luke in her dreams, and she suddenly felt like she couldn't trust him. After all, she was in a strange home with him, the waves crashing just like she had always dreamt about. It seemed to good to be true and she couldn't handle it. I...I...don't know." She finally stuttered, furrowing her brow in disbelief.

Upon studying him further, he seemed just as confused as she. By the state of the bed, it seemed like they were legitimately sleeping together. Something they hardly did in beds. Her grey eyes searched him frantically for some sort of reason, but she came to no such conclusion. Where were they, and why were they here? Didn't they have a mission to take care of on Venia? Why were they sleeping in some house by the ocean? "I...I really don't know Luke."

[Luke Martin]

Ally moved out of the bed cautiously, pushing his arm away from her. She was eyeing him with suspicion, and he wasn't entirely sure why. He naturally trusted her, despite all that they'd been through. Should he be suspicious of her in the same way? It was like he'd automatically assumed that the Ally standing before him was the real one, and not a dream. If this was a dream. He couldn't imagine what else it could be.

Sighing slightly as she shook her head and told him she had no idea, he frowned again, feeling something weird on his finger. Slowly, he lifted his hand from underneath the bed covers and his eyes settled on a platinum ring on the third finger of his left hand. "Um, Ally," he said, wiggling his finger at her to bring her attention to what was there. He cast a glance down at her hand, and confirmed that she was wearing an identical ring fitted to her own hand. "We're married?"

[Alliana Porter]

Ally's eyes grey wide as he brought the news. Sure she had thought about becoming his wife once or twice, but she wasn't sure if they were ready for such a commitment. Slowly, she rose her hand to meet her eyes, and she studied the band intently. It was beautiful. She rose her gaze to Luke again, swallowing hard. This must've been awkward for him as well. This dream was far to real for her liking, and as perfect as it seemed, it just felt...off.

"But...how? When? I...don't understand." she asked, shaking her head in disbelief. She wasn't sure how much she wanted to be his wife right now. The thought sounded horrible echoing in her mind, but she just wasn't ready. They had a job, a mission. But the way this weird dream was playing off, it was as if nothing else mattered, as if it had been gone and done. The world seemed to stop here and now, supposedly where they were married, but she never remembered speaking the hallowed words 'I do', nor the romantic moment he proposed, or better yet, their wedding night.

'Luke.." she half smirked, still trying to gain hold of what was happening. "I think we missed our own wedding."

[Luke Martin]

"Search me," Luke said, holding up his hands. This was all completely surreal. A dream where they seemed to be both aware of what was up? Normally, everyone else in the dream just went along with it, because they were only a figment of their imagination. But Ally seemed to be just as perplexed by this, like it was her dream, not his. Were they both having the same dream? Surely that wasn't possible.

He looked round at her and smirked at what she said next. "Bet you never thought you'd ever say that," he said. He wasn't particularly ready for marriage either. It was way too early in their relationship. She hadn't even been home with him yet - mostly because it would be complete madness if he ever brought a girl home, something he'd never done before.

Luke decided to take a closer look around the room. There were pictures on the cabinet behind him, and he picked one up, showing it to Ally. "Look at this." It was a picture of Anna and Ben and a little red-headed girl all pulling ridiculously cheesy grins at the camera. The girl must have been at least a couple of years old, and Anna looked like she could possibly be pregnant again as well. "Well isn't that adorable."

[Alliana Porter]

"Not yet, anyway." she breathed low, walking over to him. Despite the awkwardness of the dream, she was still drawn to him and felt her arms wrap themselves around his waist. It was as as if they had a mind of their own and cared little about the experience that had just taken place. She still loved him.

Ally craned her neck around his arm to see the picture he had picked up and her jaw fell slightly. This definitely had to be a future, because as far as she knew, Anna hadn't even slept with ben yet, and now here she was with a child, and possibly another on the way. "Oh...my God..that is the cutest thing. She looks just like Anna. They look so happy together." A tear of happiness welled a little in her eyes. It warmed her heart to know Anna had such a brilliant, happy future. Somedays, Anna seemed a bit haunted, broken at times. That darkness wasn't present in Anna's eyes in the picture. "I wonder how we happened." She asked, mainly to herself.

[Luke Martin]

As Ally's hands found his waist, he placed an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. He was fairly sure she was real and not part of his dream, but it didn't matter. Either way, she was still the woman he loved, in or out of the dream. And now apparently they were married. Well, this dream was certainly interesting, that he could say without a doubt.

Luke loved the look on Ally's face when she saw the photo and her reaction in general. It was nice to know that at least some of the crew seemed to have a happy future... if this wasn't just a dream that was. He still wasn't entirely sure. But Ben and Anna looked perfect for each other, and Ally was right, the girl looked exactly like her mother. "They do," he agreed, kissing the side of her head as her eyes sparkled at the photo. There were other ones littered around the room as well, all happy.

Ally's question was a good one, "let's see if we can't find out," he said, letting go of her to go rummage through the book shelves. When he didn't find anything, he motioned for her to follow him out of the room, and headed downstairs to explore the rest of the house.

[Alliana Porter]

Ally smiled as he pulled her in. Dream or not, the affections towards one another were real. She closed her eyes briefly as he kissed the side of her head, his hot breath on her forehead. If marrying him meant moments like that everyday of her life, she damn well might approve. She gave him one tight squeeze to know she appreciated the gesture and let him pull away.

She folded her arms, stepping back as he rummaged through 'their' things. She had no idea where to start, and apparently it was their own home. The bedroom was absolutely beautiful. Black and white, throughly modern, with splashes of blue around the room. Not to mention, the bed itself, was plenty big. Luke pulled out letters, bills, and random papers that had info scrawled in them. Names, addresses, signatures. Every thing in this home so far, screamed louder than Luke and Ally had thoroughly tied the not, and not recently either.

When Luke suggested going downstairs, Ally wasn't one to protest. She would take any chance she could get at exploring the place. Rubbing the back of her next, she trodded down slowly, observing the few pictures on the wall. Pictures of his sisters she couldn't remember meeting, his family and then she stopped. Dead in her tracks. "Luke..." she started softly, voice a tad shaky. "Look at this." She swallowed again, staring at their wedding picture.

[Luke Martin]

As Luke explored the house more and more, it became clearer that this really was their home. All the little things around the place which made it comfortable and homely, things which Luke had obviously brought over from his parents house, photos in their original frames, some of his old belongings, mostly books littered about the shelves. His collection had expanded a lot in comparison to what he had now. They'd obviously been settled a while now. It was amazing, and reassuring. If this was the future, he liked knowing that there was the possibility of him settling down with Ally.

He heard her voice strain and looked round, she was holding up a wedding photo and he quickly whacked a hand across his eyes, "no! Don't show me. I'm not supposed to know what you look like in your dress before the day." This was partly teasing to lighten the mood but also true to him. He was quite traditional in that sense, and although he'd seen her dress in the future, he, himself, hadn't seen it, and he didn't want to break that tradition. "I'd like something about the future to remain a surprise." Again, if this was the future.

There was a loud bark and a big golden labrador bounded in from the kitchen, immediately licking Luke's hand looking for food. Luke hadn't expected a dog of all things, but patted it on the head all the same, crouching down, running his thumbs across its ears. "Hello there," he said to the dog, without worrying what Ally would think, "what's your name?" He reached for the tag, taking a peek and chuckled. "Sandy. Figures."

[Alliana Porter]

Ally stared at the frame, running her hands along her form. She hardly recognized herself in white, and with such a huge smile as Luke had his arms wrapped around her waist. Their foreheads touched gently, and she had to break herself away from the image or she would remember it when..if she woke up. She shook her head for a moment and tussled her curls comfortably about her shoulders as she made her way down to Luke.

The house was a mix of modern and antiqued classic, than made it feel rather homely and comfortable. Sure there were technological advances she had yet to explore, but for the most part, it remained tied to the human element. Books, pictures, knick knacks of all sorts. It was all too wonderful and she wanted to wake up from spoiling herself for what might come to pass.

Ally clung to the banister with her right hand and slid down to the last step. Ally looked at Luke with wide eyes and a small surprised laugh escaped her lips. "We got a dog?" The lab turned at her voice and barked, smiling in it's own doggish ways. "i've always wanted one, but I don't remember telling you. I guess I finally did." Ally turned her hand a bit, rolling the ring off of her finger to stare at it's utter perfection. "Other than the dog, did you find anything?'

[Luke Martin]

Continuing to rub Sandy's head affectionately, Luke looked round at Ally as she clung to the railing at the bottom stair. She seemed to be overwhelmed by everything, he could see it in her eyes, in her face. "Sandy," he said, "guess we know where he likes to play," he pointed his thumb towards the patio door and the beach beyond it. "If you hadn't told me, I probably would have bought one anyway," he said with a grin, looking back at the dog who was loving all the attention it was receiving.

"Not yet," he said in reply to her other question, "I was interrupted before I could get very far." Rising back onto his feet, he began to poke around a little more, looking at the books in the book shelves before going on through to the kitchen. It was stylish and modern, fairly new, probably something that Luke had installed himself for his own benefit. There were dishes in the drainer, and some of the ingredients from the previous night's dinner were still out on the counter top, as well as a half eaten tray of brownies. Curious, he walked over and picked one up, taking a bite. He let out an involuntary, mmm. They were delicious and tasted so real.

Casting his eyes over to the window he noticed a row of cards on the window sill. Thinking they were probably just birthday cards, he wandered over and picked one up, looking on the inside. It said something about condolences. Frowning, he looked at the front of the card and it read "Sorry to hear about your baby." They'd lost a child? Luke felt like someone had sucker punched him in the gut. "Jesus," he muttered, reading the card again to check that he wasn't seeing things - the card was from his parents. Placing the card down flat, he put his face in his hand taking a deep breath. Some future this was.

[Alliana Porter]

Ally released the air she had apparently been holding in her lungs, releasing it slowly throw puffed out lips. While luke headed towards the kitchen, she made her own adventure into the living room. Her eyes fell upon a rather large flat screen TV, best quality. Well, they certainly weren't poor, that was for sure. It was a relief to know that they were at least financially secure. The coffee table was littered with various papers, magazines and shuffled bills. Nothing of grand importance, at least not now. The bills would eventually have to be paid. She thought to herself with a small chuckled.

She rolled up the sleeves to the Luke's oversized button down. she hadn't noticed that's what she had been wearing to sleep. But then again, she wasn't used to her sleeping habits, especially with someone else. Ally rubbed the back of her neck, as she continued to survey the room. A few cards lingered on a bookshelf and she slolwy made her way over to one in particular. Her breath left her lungs as she reached out to touch it. "Blessings for your loss." Wait...what...loss? She bit her lip nervously, creaking open the card. "God be with you on your miscarriage.

Ally immediately slunk to the floor, eyes beginning to water. They had lost a baby together. That would explain why they didn't have little ones all over like Anna and Ben. She turned around, tears clinging to her eyes, as Luke cursed from the kitchen. "Luke...you...you alight?" She sucked herself up, trying to push the emotion behind her. This wasn't supposed to be like this.

[Luke Martin]

Luke didn't know why this was so upsetting. It was supposed to be a dream, but it all felt so real. He wasn't ready for marriage, not yet, so he wasn't ready for kids either, but knowing that they'd lost one? What did that mean? Could they not have kids? Or was this a one time thing? Would they be more lucky in the future? Further in the future. His mind was buzzing with questions, but Ally's voice broke through it. She was stuttering, her voice cracked with emotion.

Immediately he went back through to see where she was and found her slumped on the floor, tears shining in her eyes. He saw that there were more cards on the bookshelf and let out a sigh, dropping down onto his knees beside her. He wasn't quite sure what to say, so he ran a hand into her hair, stroking her cheek with his thumb before kissing her on the forehead. "It doesn't mean anything," he said, trying to reassure her, "it's just one miscarriage. We're..."

Luke trailed off, his eyebrows forming a frown as he could have sworn he heard a giggle, and it certainly hadn't come from Ally. Confused, he didn't have to wait long as he heard footsteps bounding down the stairs, then there was a great cry of "DADDY!" before a ball of dark curls dived into his arms as he rose back onto his feet. Relief hit him like a tidal wave, and he actually let out a laugh, the little girl in his arms staring at him with her big gray eyes. "Boo," he managed, finding it strange and yet comforting having his daughter in his arms.

[Alliana Porter]

Addy broke down into his arms as he embraced her. First, they were married and now this? Thank God this was only a dream. It was a future that hurt too much, cut too deep. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare, and cry herself mad. Luke kissed her forehead and wiped the tears from her cheek. 'It...doesn't make it hurt any less." she choked, trying not to fall apart.

He held her for a bit, while she recovered from the emotional roller coaster, and then suddenly a voice broke through the silence. A small laugh, giggle, and the bright voice of a child ran to embrace Luke with that magical word. Daddy. So they could have kids, just a very painful bump along the way.

Ally looked into the eyes of their future child. A daughter, full of life, excitement, and wonder. She was beautiful, and she was theirs. She wiped her tears away withe he blunt of her palm, rising to her knees to the toddlers level. She couldn't be more than 2 or 3. "Why is mommy crying?" the girl asked, a slight bit of young Australian accent emerging She wasn't familiar with her name yet, wasn't expecting a child in the first place really. "It's nothing babe, no worries hun." Ally smirked, sniffling a bit as she reached to hug the girl. It was almost like a fantasy really, feeling the small heartbeat, and soft dark curls along her cheek. This was a future she could look forward to...when she was ready for it.