Mileven Stories

Hesitate (2002)

Another prompt about Mileven struggling with nightmares and their past — except this time, I've lightly involved the kids.
**Also, there's a sneaky song reference and lyrics quoted within this one shot. Let me know if you recognize it! Enjoy!
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The human mind has a hidden shell within it that contains painfully repressed memories. Sometimes, that compartment weakens and allows those thoughts to come bursting through the innocently conscious mind. And for the Wheeler family, that always seemed to happen in the midst of horrific nightmares.

It was nearly two o'clock in the morning when River Wheeler felt as though her mind had been hijacked by a series of visions that did not belong to her. The scenes were cruel and slow, almost as if a villain had been controlling a terrifying version of the View-Master that her grandmother had given to her. She managed to remain quietly asleep for several moments before the terrors of her nightmare sent her wailing out loud.

Mike's clumsy body stumbled out of bed before he was even fully awake to go coddle his crying daughter. His naturally lanky limbs tripped and got caught upon various objects in the hallway, which made his journey more difficult.

When he finally made it to the room, he hurriedly scooped up his youngest daughter and cradled her into his chest as he paced around the room. Within a minute, River found herself peacefully recalibrated back to sleep without the threat of evil visions.

Mike's on-edge instincts remained heightened even after she had fallen back asleep. Hoping to calm himself down, he decided to look after River for awhile longer. However, just when he thought the coast was clear, a new shrill scream came from down the hall. Only this time, the sound he heard belonged to the love of his life.

He had sped walk back to his bedroom, helplessly losing his footing as he rushed to get to his wife. Yet, when he had finally made it to the entryway, it seemed as though his and El's eldest children had beaten him there.

"Mama, wake up!" Ben pleaded as he nudged his mom's shoulders.

Eleven continued to cry as a bead of sweat slowly trailed down from her hairline. Just before another bloodcurdling shout could escape her mouth, she sprung forward with a harsh gasp. Her eyes looked around the room furiously, quickly recognizing her husband and son next to her as Willow lingered at the doorway.

Pulling herself together, El placed a steady hand on her chest, "I'm so sorry, babies. It's okay, only a dream."

Ben shook his head before burrowing into his mother's side, "mommy, you were crying. Why were you crying?"

When it came to his mother, Benjamin was excessively sensitive. The boy's parents were still unsure about why he was fiercely protective of her, but the partners had begun theorizing that perhaps he was so emotionally attached because he withheld the exact same telekinetic powers as El.

Fighting against the bile that threatened to rise in the back of her throat after enduring such a vivid nightmare, Eleven busied herself by rubbing the boy's back. "I'm okay, baby," she cooed to her son before meeting Willow's eyes, "I promise."

The eight year old girl nodded, understanding that her mother halfway meant what she said. Rather than pry further though, Willow stepped forward and grabbed ahold of her younger brother's hand, "want to come have a sleepover with me? I can put on the floating fish lamp and we can watch them swim until we can fall back asleep."

Ben's eyes lit up at his sister's suggestion, but before he could accept the bait, he looked back to his mom, "will you be okay?"

El nodded as Mike squeezed his son's arm, "mom's going to be just fine. You two go get into bed. There will be waffles and eggs waiting for you both in the morning."