She Is His

Back into the Darkness

It had been a few days since Dream kissed her. Her mind raced as she rode down the road. How could she, now a mortal return to the dreaming? If she died, she would be a lost soul hiding from judgment. She had seen what happens to the dreaming when ghost try to hide there. Alive, she could only go during her sleeping hours. After all the memories returned, she found herself in the dreaming again. The short hours she had with Dream made the wait worthwhile.

They spend the time together talking as they walk through the dreaming. Fiddler's Green was as beautiful as ever. She heard he made a trip to the mortal realm. How she would have loved to see his human form. Jessie and Dream sat together under the shade of the trees, stealing kisses.

A car came up fast, pulling Jessie from her thoughts. It swerved in front of her too close, clipping her front tire. Her bike went down. Jessie's helmet cracked from the force of the blow. She rolled away from the bike. The car did not even notice that they clipped her and drove off. That stretch of road was never particular busy. Jessie laid there, injured and bleeding for hours.

The sounds of the hospital room had dulled out from the racing thoughts in Dream's mind. There, his Jessie was laying, hooked up to IVs, monitors, and a breathing machine. She was as still as death. For hours, she had laying on the pavement before someone drove down that road. She was unconscious. There was swelling of the brain from where her helmet cracked. He heard what the doctors said. There was a grim chance that she would never regain conscious. In a comatose state for the rest of her life.

Matthew flew around in the dreaming; she was not there. Everyone searched high and low. Dream had reach out to everyone, yes, everyone who could aid him in the search for Jessie. Death could not see when her time would come to an end. Destiny could no longer see her fate.

Only Desire could see her love and devotion to Dream still. "If I had her, I would be dangling her in front of you like the little tasty morsel she is. I would make you admit that dreams are nothing without desire." Desire purred, their voice sinfully seductive.

Dream wrapped his hand around Desire's throat and lightly squeezed. "If you had her, I would admit to that. Desire is nothing without dreams. She is my dream and my desire." Dream growled, releasing his brother. Desire watched their brother walked away, smiling. They are one in the same breath.

"Oneiros." Calliope gently called as she entered hospital room. Dream had reached out to her for assistance. She agreed willing to ask the Fates about Jessie. She remembered Jessamy fondly. Calliope always knew Jessamy was special to Dream.

"What have the Fates told you?" Dream asked, slightly turning to her. His hands were in his coat pockets and his face was stone. His eyes had all his emotions, his cheeks wet with tears.

"I'm sorry, Oneiros. They could tell me nothing of her. It is as if she as disappeared from their view." Calliope shared sadly. Dream turned away, trying to hide his anguish.

Calliope walked over to her bedside. Beyond the tubes and wires was the mortal form of her dear friend. "I remember how she use to try to preen Orpheus's hair." She took Jessie's hand. "She returned once, she will return again."

"When? When will she return to me?" Dream asked. A single tear ran down his cheek.

*

Jessie found herself in the darkness again. She turned all around. She tried to walk but found herself looking into glass that were preventing her from leaving the spot. Jessie sat down with her knees to her chest. Dream was nowhere in sight. She tried calling out, only to hear the echo of her own voice. She was complete alone. Jessie buried her head in her arms and wept.

Dream sat on his throne, motionless. The hours became days that had stretch to weeks. Nearly a month now Jessie had been in the coma. Matthew was her constant companion at the hospital, reporting back to Dream. Dream had to fulfil his duties, yet his heart was only half into them. It broke him more when he would see her still motionless. Remembering how full of life she was when he held her in his arms last.

Desire had made a visit to Jessie's hospital room. They complained how she always ripped their best assembles with her claws. Hissed about the time she nearly poked out their eye. Finally, sitting in the chair, they spoke about her loyalty to Dream. The playful wordless banter that Jessamy and Desire had. How Despair and Delirium seemed less despairing and delirious when she was about them. How her being there made everything seem more delicious.

"Come back, featherbrain. We need you. Dream needs you." Desire whispered, kissing her forehead. "I have all new clothes for your pretty little talons to tear through."

Jessie heard the whispers. Of the doctors talking over her. Her coworkers visiting her. Desire going on their rant. She heard it all. The voice that was the clearest was Dream's. He called to her, asking her to come home. To give him a sign and he would come to her. His voice thick with emotions.

"Come home to me Jessie. I love you." Dream pleaded, bowing his head as he sat on his throne. Lucienne and Merv stood silently, unable to comfort or help.

Hearing Dream's last plead, Jessie lifted up her head. "I am Jessamy. The raven companion of the King of Dreams. His mortal love, Jessie." A ripple went across the darkness. She stood up in her prison. "I have lives thousands of years and seen great and wonderous things." Second ripple, larger than the first flew across. "I am the Queen of the Dreaming, and I am going home to my king!" Jessie slammed her fist against the glass. The reflection she saw was of her raven form, beating against the glass with her wings. She slammed her fist again. The darkness was moving likes waves in the ocean. She screamed; the raven cried out as she hit the glass one last time. It shattered around her. The darkness was no more.

From an open window that lost its screen, Matthew watched. He was dozing off as the monitors started the beep violently. Jessie seemed to be going into a seizure. Her body convulsed greatly. Before any hospital staff could enter the room, Jessie's body became a pillar of radiating silvery light. The light moved from the bed and towards the open window. Matthew squawked, ducking out of the way. The staff came in, confused to where the patient went.

Matthew followed the light outside. He watched it twist and shape into something familiar. The light faded and there on a branch was Jessamy. She looked about herself to see the change. She tilted her head to Matthew. Nodding up, she took flight with Matthew close on her tail.

The flapping of wings above him caught Dream's attention. He looked up, expecting to see Matthew with news about Jessie. No, this raven was not Matthew. He watched as she flipped in the air and twisted as she flew.

"Jessamy." Dream whispered. He lifted his hand up to her. She started her descent. As she was in reach of his hand, she became ingulf in a silver light. The light settled onto Dream's lap.

"I thought I wasn't going to stick the landing." Jessie exclaimed, after appearing from the light. She was there, awake, and in his arms again. Dream kissed her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He picked her up and stood from his throne. There, clothed in a dress with black feathers, his queen was home.

"Boss! You are not going to believe... oh, she beat me back. Of course, she did." Matthew nagged, landing on the top of the throne.

"How?" Lucienne asked.

"I use the power of my own dream and desire to come home to be with him." Jessie revealed, brushing his hair from his eyes. He caressed her cheek. There were no words to described how he felt in that moment.