Anywhere But Burbank

Chapter 7: Wake Me From the Nightmare

Carrie and Lauren head back into the tower for the night. "Goodnight mom. Pancake day first thing in the morning?" Lauren asked her and Carrie gave her a thumbs up. "Of course Lauren. Chocolate chip." Lauren goes to bed in her own room and Carrie sat on the couch. It wasn't long before she fell asleep. It wasn't longer before Carrie started to get a vision in her head.

(In the nightmare)

Carrie had stumbled away from a fight with Brain, holding Yakko in her arms. He had gotten in the way of her and his siblings from an attack on them that hurt him severely. "Carrie.. I'm sorry but I had to put your safety over mine.." He coughed slightly and Carrie strokes his head. "I know.. I just don't know what we will do without you.." The two ended up away in an empty movie set and the two sat down. "Carrie.. Kiss me one more time?" Yakko asked getting more weak. She nodded with tears in her eyes as they kissed each other. Then it just went cold. No more breaths. Carrie continued to hold him close as she just cried. She had lost her only true love.

"Yakko.. Please.." She tried wiping her wet cheeks, but they just kept coming. Then she began to sing a song close to her heart. "I've seen dark before, but not like this.. This is cold, this is empty, this is numb.. The life I knew is over, the lights are out.. Hello darkness. I'm ready to succumb.." She looked at his still face and lays down next to his cold body. "I follow you around, I always have.. But you've gone to a place I cannot find.. This grief! It has a gravity, it pulls me down..." Carrie then looked up at the ceiling and felt something in her chest. "But my father's voice whispers in my mind." She sat up and picked Yakko up once more.

"'You are lost, hope is gone. But you must go on.. And do the next right thing.'" She then walks to the enchanted forest and continued to look at Yakko. "Can there be a day beyond this night? I don't know anymore what is true! I can't find my direction, I'm all alone.. The only star that guided me was you." As soon as she finds the Forest, the gates open for her and Carrie sees the magic wisps. "How to rise from the floor? But it's not you I'm rising for.. Just do the next right thing."

Carrie lays him down on the grass as the wisps take his form into a new life among the fallen. "Take a step, step again! It is all that I can to do.. The next right thing. I won't look too far ahead! It's too much for me to take. But break it down to this next breath, this next step, This next choice is one that I can make!" Carrie then turns into her guardian form, watching Yakko leave in peace with the wisps. "So I'll walk through this night! Stumbling blindly toward the light! And do the next right thing! And with the dawn, what comes then? When it's clear that everything will never be the same again?!"

Carrie wiped her tears away and looked to the sunset, her curly hair flowing in the wind. "Then I'll make the choice to hear that voice... And do the next right thing." Before she could leave, the wisps kept repeating 'Carrie, Wake up!' One by one.

(End of nightmare.)

Wakko was shaking her awake. "Carrie, wake up!" Carrie finally woke up and looked around to see the family surrounding her. "You were tossing and turning momma.. Are you alright?" Cassidy asked her and Carrie held her head. "No.. Just a bad dream is all.." Yakko sat down next to Carrie and wrapped his arm around her. "Do you want to talk about it Carrie?" She nodded, drying her wet cheeks with a tissue.

(After the discussion.)

The entire family gasped at what she just told them. "A nightmare of Dad dying protecting us?" Lauren cupped her mouth in disbelief. Dot hugged Carrie tightly. "It's okay Carrie. It was all just a bad dream, not reality." Yakko nodded in agreement with her and then kissed her damp cheeks. "We'll be okay.." They all share a warm group hug as Carrie finally calmed down. It was all a dream, and nothing more.