ALEX'S BAD DREAMS
Disclaimer: I don't own either The Mummy or TMR. They are soul property of Universal Studios and Stephen Sommers.
Chapter 2: Friends and secrets
The next day was busy for everyone. It was a Tuesday, and generally Alex would be in school, but Rick and Evelyn decided he needed the rest, and let him stay home. For Evelyn, it was a trip to the Museum. Evidently the Bembridge Scholars had been sending many letters to her, while they were away, and wanted her to fill the posision of the Curator, which was now open. Jonathan had made calls early in the morning, to find a buyer for his diamond, and was also out, seeing
who he could get to buy it for the best price. That left Rick to stay home and look after his son, which was fine by him. He was also tired, and more than that, he wanted to try and get Alex to open up to him. He was in the Parlor when Alex came down stairs fresh from sleep. It was about 1pm, and Alex still looked
tired.
"Did you sleep all right?" Rick asked. Alex nodded.
"Where is mum?" he asked.
"She went to the museum." He nodded.
"So how about some lunch?"
"I'm not hungry yet," He went over to the chess set and fidgeted with the pieces. Rick came over beside him.
"Did you know that I was afraid when we were in Ahm-Shere." Alex didn't look up, and shook his head.
"I was very afraid that I wouldn't get to you in time, to save you. Then when your mum..." Alex stopped him.
"Dad. I don't want to remember that time. It's over, and I want to forget it," he said, with conviction. Rick knelt down.
"I know you do, but these dreams aren't going to go away..." Alex ran back upstairs, and Rick heard the faint sound of the door to his sons room being shut. He sighed and got up. He didn't know what to do for Alex, and it scared him that his son wasn't willing to talk about the events, because he knew what had happened was eating his little boy up, and that was not healthy.
Later that day, while Rick was listening to the radio, someone knocked at the door. He got up and went down the hall, into the front room, unlocking and opening the door. Megan, they're neighbor, who lived within a half miles walk, was waiting. She and Alex had been friends since they moved to England, when he was 2.
"Hi Mr. O'Connell."
"Hello Megan. come in." She did, and he took her coat. She had on a warm dress, not fancy, but one girls of rich families wore.
"Is Alex home?" Rick nodded. "He's in his room, go on up." She knew the way, and was soon at his door. She knocked and he told her to go away.
"It's just me silly." In a moment the door opened, and when she was in he shut it. Megan sat at his desk, and he went back to working a puzzle.
"So how was your trip?" He shrugged. She came over to the floor, and sat down across from him, picking up a puzzle piece, and trying to guess where it went.
"It was boring while you were gone. Daddy enrolled me in etiquette classes so I will be more of a proper lady." Megan was, without a doubt, a tomboy at heart, and no classes would change that.
"That does sound rather boring," Alex said, looking at her for the first time, since she had walked in.
"It makes me want to go out and adventure. I wish I had a father who liked to adventure as much as yours, and your mum." Alex looked back at the puzzle.
"Why are you being so quiet?" Megan never gave up, and Alex got up and went to his bed, sitting on it.
"If I tell you something do you swear not to tell anyone?" She came over and sat next to him. "I swear on my mums grave." Suddenly Alex was angry with her ,and she didn't know why. Her mum had died having her, and she had only her father, and the nanny who took care of her.
"Don't ever say that , not ever, or I'll never talk to you again, " he yelled. She jumped back. Alex had never yelled at her before.
"Okay I won't, calm down." He sat down, and in a moment dad knocked on the door.
"Alex, is everything all right?"
"Yes." For a moment he thought his dad would come in, but he didn't, and Alex was glad.
"So what am I swearing to keep secret." He took a deep breath and began with the temple. That part wasn't really the secret, and he told her about the guys who tried to kill him, and then about the Bracelet, and all that transpired after he was taken. When he finished, he was shaking.
"That really happened?" she asked in disbelief, For some reason that made him mad.
"Fine don't believe me. Go home." She didn't move.
"No, just because your scared of something, doesn't mean you have any right to yell at me, Alex O'Connell." Now she was mad, and got up.
"I'm leaving." With that she ran to the door, opened it and ran down the hall, and downstairs, where Rick was still listening to the radio. When she ran past him, he stood and went after her.
"Megan?" She stopped, and tears were running down her cheeks.
"What happened." She wiped them away with the sleeve of her dress.
"Nothing. I need my coat please." Rick got it for her, and helped her put it on, then saw her out the door, and after closing it went to see what was going on..
He found Alex laying in bed facing away from him, and sat down rubbing his back.
"What happened with you and Megan?" Alex sniffed. He too had been crying. Rick lifted him onto his lap, and Alex hugged him.
"She didn't believe me."
"About what?" Alex didn't respond. He had always been told not to tell about anything they had experienced with the dead walking, and the battles they had been a part of.
"Alex?" Rick waited patiently.
"I told her about what happened. She's my best friend, and she didn't believe me." Rick knew that was only part of the problem. "It's not something easy to believe, unless you have experienced it," Rick said leaning back against the pillows on Alex's bed.
"But we tell each other everything. When she told me that her house was haunted, I believed her, so why won't she do the same for me?"
"She might be afraid of what you told her." Generally the fact that Alex had told the secret, would not be something either he, nor Evy would be happy about, but given that Alex was talking to him, Rick let it slide.
"I got really mad at her." Rick nodded.
"I heard. I think maybe you should go talk to her, you hurt her feelings."
"We both hurt each others feelings." He sat up, and Rick wiped a tear away from his face.
"I better go see her." Rick nodded and both of them got up. Alex got dressed, and left for his friends house.
Megan's home was on the other side of the woods from Alex's, and the walk was actually making him feel better. He felt bad, because he had yelled at her, and knew that was wrong. As he approached he found her sitting up on the fence, that kept the horses in her yard.
"Hi," he said. She looked down at him.
"Alex, I'm sorry I didn't believe you at first." She got down and tagged him.
"Can't catch me." She took off and Alex went after her. They ran back into the woods, and she hid behind a large tree. When Alex passed her, she jumped out, and grabbed him by the arm. Alex screamed loud, and she let go alarmed.
"Why the heck did you have to do that?" he yelled, once more.
"Alex we always do this," she pointed out. He took in a few deep breaths and calmed down.
"If you yell at me one more time today, I promise I won't ever speak to you again," she told him. Alex apologized, and they went up to her house to have cookies and milk.
As they sat in her room, later on, Alex went over to her bedside table and picked up a picture of her mum and dad.
"She was pretty," he said. She came over beside him.
"My father thinks that's where I get my rebellious nature. I think that's why he's always on me to be a lady, because I remind him of her, and it hurts." Alex nodded setting the picture down.
"Do you ever get sad?" She thought for a moment.
"You can't yell at me when I tell you my answer."
"I won't," he defended.
"I never knew her, and sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a real mum around, and not Nanny Catherine, but I don't miss her." Alex nodded.
"Do you want to go riding?" He nodded, and they raced outside to the stables, where James, the stable hand was grooming the horses.
"James, Alex and I would like to ride Silent Thunder, and Calysta please." He smiled at the two of them, and went down to the third stall, where Silent Thunder was, and while he got that horse ready, Megan got Calysta ready.
"Take your pick," Alex loved Silent Thunder, and chose that one, and in a moment both were on the horses and road out into the field.
"I'll race you to the stream," she challenged.
"Go." Alex said, and got his horse to go fast. It was like flying, and a whole heck of allot better than being on that stupid camel. When they got to the stream, Megan had beaten him, but not by much.
"Hey your ridings improved." He nodded and told her about his experience on the Camels, which made her giggle.
"Whats so funny?"
"Trying to see you on a Camel." Before he could defend himself she took off and he went after her.
The day ended way too fast, and it was getting dark when Alex headed home. He had a great time, and there was actually a swing in his step, as he walked home.
When he arrived, his mum came to the door, greeting him with a hug.
"You went riding." He nodded.
"Yes, Megan challenged me to a race, and I came this close," He showed her with his fingers, "to beating her." As they walked into the parlor Rick looked up relieved to see that Alex was happy. Maybe Evelyn had been right, and that as Alex got back into his regular routine, the dreams would disappear.
"Dad, do you want to play a game of Chess?" Rick got up from the couch and they seated themselves at the chess board, about to begin, when Jonathan walked into the house, drunk.
"Oh Jonathan, we've talked about this before," Evelyn scolded.
"What old mum, so I'm a little on the happy end of things, and I've got something for Rick, that should make him happy too." Jonathan hiccuped, and went out they way he came in, with the rest of the family in tow. Outside in front of the house was a replica of the car the Mummies had crushed. It was a Beuford, and Rick whistled. He walked around it, and Jonathan was very right, this made his day even better.
"Who wants to go for a ride?" Evelyn looked at him, disapproving.
"Dinners almost ready." He came over to her and took her into his arms. "We can always eat out." They kissed, and both Jonathan, and Alex groaned.
"Hmm, eating out would be nice."
"You two have fun," Jonathan turned and went inside.
"Alex, do you want to come?" He shook his head trying his best to hide the hurt.
They left then, and Alex went up to his room and shut the door. He sat at his desk thinking about what Megan had said about her mum, and about not missing her. He went into the bathroom and ran the water into his tub getting out the ships he played with and put them in. For a while, his thoughts about their earlier conversation disappeared, as he put the two ships into battle. Once he had finished playing, he washed up, then got out of the bath and dressed for bed. Once in bed, he picked up his favorite book, which was still Peter Pan, and opened it to the page of Pans battle with Captain Hook in order to save John, Wendy, and Michael. While reading, he drifted to sleep, and again the dreams came to him.
This dream was here in London. He was sitting at home, working a puzzle when the someone knocked at the door. It was a constable, and he told Alex that his family had been killed in a car crash. In his dream Alex ran up to his room, and when he got there, Lock-nah was there.
"They can't save you now," he taunted. The dream woke him and he screamed. He got out of bed, and ran down the hall to his parents room, but they weren't there. He was crying now, not carrying about being tough, and ran to the other part of the house, into his Uncles room. Jonathan, who had been asleep, woke up.
"Alex?"
"They're not here Uncle John." The rest didn't make much since because he was crying so hard. Jonathan came and hugged him.
"Shh. Alex, they went out remember." Alex shook his head.
"I think they had a wreck." He told Jonathan about his dream.
"I know it scared you, but it was just a dream." Alex was not convinced, so they went into the main part of the house, and as Jonathan was about to get his coat out, and Alex's, the lock on the door clicked open, and Evelyn walked in. Alex ran to her and she caught him in her arms. He held to her for all it was worth,
and she stood with him in her arms, as he cried.
"It's all right," They all went back into the parlor, and Evelyn sat down with Alex. Who was calming down now.
"Alex? Can you tell me what has you so upset," she asked rubbing his back.
"I had a dream, and I want them to stop." Thats all he would say. She kissed the top of his head.
"Alex listen to me. I know you don't want to talk about them, and I can't make you do that, but I promise you it will help them go away if you talk to me or your father, or Uncle John." He took in a deep breath.
"I don't remember them," he said softly still hugging her. Jonathan knew better, and once Alex was in bed, he would tell them what had happened. She sighed looking up at Rick., who sat beside them.
"Alex, are you afraid that by telling us your dreams, that makes you a baby?" He didn't respond, and they found he was asleep.
When they came back downstairs from putting him back in bed, Jonathan had scotch waiting for Rick, and tea for Evelyn. They sat down.
"Alex told me that he had a dream, and in it a Constable told him you two were killed in a car crash. When he went up to his room Lock-nah was there and cut off his wrist." Neither parent had guessed that his dreams were so violent, and it raised the question, as to whether or not they needed to take Alex to see someone professionally. Then they both knew there was no way, because what person wouldn't think Alex had gone insane. No, only they could help him, and both of them knew that it was getting to a point where they would have to force him to deal with his fears.
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