Wheelsy AU ~ Bad nights

[noteasytobepink]

The scream was probably a little unsettling. Ringing out sudden and piercing in the night. The walls of the house and blankets over her head did little muffle it as she thrashed. Nightmares. She had them most nights but she usually managed to bite her tongue...

...today had been bad though. She'd started physical therapy for her arm, wore herself out, couldn't wake up as easily as she tended to. How she hated being broken and weak. It was bad for her mental state and brought on more nightmares.

"No NO NO NO NO NO!" Each word was accompanied by the thick thump of her fists on the bed as she worked to tear herself free from the past and finally ended up tossing herself straight off the bed with a firm 'thunk'. The jarring of her shoulder helped yank her free of sleep until finally, gasping, she was awake and shaking, nearly in shock.

Coffee. Caffeine. Something to keep her awake. She was NOT going back to sleep again after that.

That decided she stumbled down the hall to slump, shaking and exhausted, at the table. "Hell..." she muttered, thunking her forehead on the cool surface.

Comments

[noteasytobepink]

"Popular opinion, by that I mean Morph introduced us as such, we were the Exiles. Not something I ever agreed to." She was fine being nameless really.

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"The Exiles?"

Bill mulls that over, then gives half a shrug.

"Not too bad. I guess it fits, with the jumpin' around you talked about doin'."

[noteasytobepink]

"Yeah, well, it sounded a little permanent for my tastes." She shrugged and cuddled deeper into her blankets. "Fitting though, and Morph got a kick out of it. He was always one for jokes."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

He can hear what sounds like a fond note in her voice.

Reaching down, he helped tug the blanket a little higher over her.

"The two of you close?"

[noteasytobepink]

"Morph ended up in the 'team' same time I did. Only one of us that hasn't switched out or gone home yet besides myself. He's like...everyone's little brother. Shapeshifting cornball comedian who won't take 'bad day' for an answer."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

Bill gave a small smile and nodded.

"Sometimes y'need that wise guy around."

Yeah, there were the times you wanted to ring their neck, but then there were the times when they were the only ones keeping it together.

[noteasytobepink]

"Yeah, he always managed to get people to smile, even if he had to fall back on bad humor to do it." Really bad humor. As in changing into a hammer to nail badguys humor. "I worry about him though. He needed to get home just as much as the rest. His real team needed him to."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Y'always worry as a leader."

And worry more, when it's someone you care about.

"I'm sure him an' the rest are alright. Sounds like y'all have been at this for awhile. If you two were the last ones left for so long, maybe his turn was comin' up for a ticket home."

Bill, every trying to be optimistic for everyone else.

[noteasytobepink]

"That or he got stuck with the Talus when it got ripped off me," she countered with a dark chuckle. "But I hope so Bill. I hope so. The new players...not so sure they'd step up well." Worry worry worry.

She was good at it, despite her bubbly exterior.

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Well if he did, you know they'll be in good hands."

Smoothing the blanket, he patted her shoulder.

"They'll make out alright. People with a job t'do always seem t'find a way."

[noteasytobepink]

"Yeah, there is that." Morph, leader of the Exiles. She could see him posing now.

Dear gods help them all.

"I know."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Y'know," he said quietly, taking his hand back and resting it on his thigh. "my mom has a sayin' about worry. Likes t'tell me, worry never did no one but the devil any good."

Sometimes you can't help it, but sometimes it was good being reminded that you couldn't change things by worrying on them.

[noteasytobepink]

"I'm pretty sure that the Devil has better things to do than smirk over some displaced souls." Much more. She was sure Mr. Creed had kicked the Devil's ass at some point too.

"But it passes the time in the night you know? Thinking and worrying."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Not in a good way."

He knew all about the thinking and worrying, and the way those things cut into sleep.

"It's one of those things you start, then run yourself into the ground 'cause you can't stop."

[noteasytobepink]

"Yeah, I know. But hey, some nights it's best not to get back to sleep." She chuckled softly and patted his knee. "Tonight being an exception. I'm getting back to sleep despite my better judgement and under weak protest. Honest."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Sleep is supposed to be good for you," he reminded her, even though he knew some about it not being the greatest.

"Should I be quiet now to help you get there?"

[noteasytobepink]

"Nah, keep talking. Hearing someone else nearby is nice." That was the honest truth. "Never did much...alone...growing up. Everyone stayed close. It was safer."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Ok."

Shifting on the bed just a bit, he leaned back to rest on his palms.

"When I was small I was alone quite a bit. Just me an my friend would spend time together. Later on, as I moved up through grade school I started hangin' out with more kids. I guess that was about the time I started playin' peewee football."

[noteasytobepink]

"Mmmm, uh-oh...the dream is born.." she chuckled softly, letting the pain pill truly sweep through her system now. Nice, but...terrifying too. "The football touched your hands and..."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"More'n likely I dropped it," he chuckled. "But we were six of seven, so everyone was droppin' it."

That's what you get when you suit up a bunch of little kids and send them out onto the field.

"But it was fun, an' me bein' at practice made things a little easier on my mom."

[noteasytobepink]

"Children do that. It doesn't make it any less dream inspiring." She grinned and cracked an eye open to look at him. "You loved it. Your mom got rest from the little hellion you no doubt were, and you got to tackle people."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"I was not a hellion."

Just so they were clear.

"My mom worked a lot, though, an' football helped her not t'have to pay a sitter. An' yes, I did get t'tackle people."

[noteasytobepink]

"Ever child is a hellion, even the quiet, good ones." She poked his knee gently. "It's the energy. The sheer amount of energy." Ah, children.

"Mr. Creed used to end up almost crying at night, after he had a five year old me attached to him all day."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"I was an angel," he said, in a way with a grin that said she was absolutely right.

"I was better'n some, at least. My mom did a good job keepin' me in line."

[noteasytobepink]

"Sure you were Bill, just like you're an angel now. Just not one accustomed to heaven." She chuckled. "Mr. Creed kept me in line too, and my adopted brother, as much as he could. Wild Child was...not well when we found him."