Teaching Academy - Boot Camp (ON HOLD)

Chapter 9 - Oh I Could Hide 'Neath the Wings

Song on Sean's iPod – Day Dream Believer – The Monkees

I couldn't stay asleep. I would lay awake for what felt like hours, fall asleep for what seemed like 10 minutes, wake up, and repeat the process. It was frustrating, not only for me, but for my unfortunate roommate of the night, Axel.

I could tell he was having about as much success sleeping as I was and my conscious was eating me alive for keeping him awake.  I waited until I could read Axel's breathing even out before grabbing the hunter green blanket off the end of the bed.

Slowly I crept my way out of the room and down to the common area. I had to stifle a gasp when I noticed a figure on the couch. Not wanting to disturb my neighbor, I moved toward the arm chair in the corner.  "Sang baby, stop creeping around and just come rest on the couch." Well, I guess I'm not quite as quiet as Luke.

"North, I'm fine over here. I'm going to read for a little bit and then go back to sleep. You just rest." He grunted at me and I took as his acquiescence to my need to read and  settled down with a random book I pulled off the shelf. Two chapters into George Orwell's 1984 I found myself being lifted from the arm chair. North's musky scent was permeating all of my senses and moved across the room. He laid me out on the couch and then climbed in after me.

Stretched out end to end his frame dwarfed mine, but the overall sense of security made me feel so safe.  "Talk to me, Sang Baby. You're not fine." I wanted to contradict him, I wanted to tell him that I really was ok and just suffering from insomnia. But Owen's annoyingly perfect voice was telling me to trust. So I caved.

In the dark of night, surrounded by North's strong arms, I told him the details of my dream. I told him my fears of being sent away from the only place that had felt like home, from the only people who felt like family. North didn't stop me as I spoke; he merely held me and stroked my arm in a soothing gesture. If I paused to compose my thoughts, he patiently waited. When I finally finished, he squeezed me to him a little tighter and kissed the top of my head. Looking at me he spoke, "Baby, you are worth so much more than you know. If there is one thing I have learned in my short time with the Academy is that they are not here to judge us." I looked at him with doe eyes, seeking out additional reassurance to his words.

"Think of the situation with Kayli. The Academy didn't even step in to tell us what to do. We did all that. Unless you end up being a serial killer, I cannot see the Academy stepping and taking you away." He took a deep breath, almost as if he was steading himself for what he wanted to say next. "Sang baby?"

"Yeah, North?"

"You don't have to worry about leaving, you know that right?" I shook my head no. "Baby, I'm never going to vote to let you leave." I could feel the tears threatening to fall. Here was North, pouring his soul out to me and telling me that he would always want me around. How does one respond to that?

"I couldn't agree more, Dr. Taylor." Oh shit, how long has Dr. M&M been there? North didn't look disturbed by his presence in the slightest.

"You want to take this from here, Dr. B?" Wait. What? Did they plan this?

Owen moved to the arm chair I was originally sitting on as North moved us up into a sitting position. As I looked around the room I noticed several other figures standing on the edge of the great room. Silas, Victor, Kota, and Sean all made their way to sit on various couches and chairs in the room.  In my heart I knew the answer, but I couldn't stop myself from asking. "How long were you standing there?"

"Pookie, we've be standing there since North settled you on the couch." North grunted and I could tell that he knew they were there the whole time. Well, you could have told me!

"Princess, we've been taking shifts staying up to watch out for you. We knew you wouldn't fully go back to sleep." My boys, always looking out for me.   I was having a hard time expressing how I was feeling, but somehow they always just knew. North's arm wrapped around me further and Owen started what I knew would be another series of difficult questions for me.

"Sang, dreams are often how we process events. With everything that has been going on, all the memories we are digging up, and all the changes to your life; I'm surprised it has taken this long to manifest in a nightmare. You've done nothing wrong, Sang." He looked at me with those stern eyes, the ones that compelled me to list and to trust in what he was saying. "You suffered at the hands of your mother and sister, your father was indifferent to you, and your one romantic relationship was, by your own admission, more of a science experiment than a relationship."

Kota spoke up, "Sweetie, we can see how hard you are being on yourself and it's killing us inside. You are allowed to feel. You are allowed to cry. You never have to worry that we will reject you for those things. We want to be there for you."

"Pookie, I told you once. I see you. So don't try and hide from me; from us."

"Aggele, you can't hide anyways. The light around you is brighter than the sun shining on the gods of Olympus."

"Princess, you knew what I needed without me having to say it. Can't you see that works both ways? We're not going anywhere, so please stop worrying."

"Quite right, gentlemen. Sang, you called me Dr. M&M since I hold my emotions on the inside, right?" I nodded. "How about I make you a deal?" His arched eyebrow challenged me and I finally nodded in agreement. "Good. I'll share more of my emotions around you, if you stop worrying about how we will all react." He'll show me who he is? What he's feeling? Well, I couldn't pass that up.

"You've got yourself a deal, Owen." He smiled and I wondered just what he had in mind. I wouldn't say no to another kiss or two thousand.

"Excellent, now that we have established you are not in the wrong for having emotions we can move on. So, Sang, just how many guys were you and Dr. Roberts fighting about in your dream?" Uh......

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A/N: So, just how many boys will it be?