Alone, Together - A Julian Casablancas fanfic

Chapter 23 - Fear of Sleep

A/N: Dream sequence in italics.

It was just a peaceful night camping out in the middle of a forest in New Hampshire. The crickets and other bugs were awake and filling the night sky and the fire had all but died out. Clem was snuggled up next to her boyfriend, and the pair slept in the open air under the sky. But her sleep was far from being restful.

She was having a nightmare. In her mind, she could see it clearly, and it went a little like this:

Clem and Julian had decided to take a stop in Harrison to surprise their family and friends. They were expecting to go through northern New York in the next day or so. Clem was beyond excited to pay Aleks and Morgan a visit, and she had butterflies in her stomach the closer they got to her house.

Julian's van pulls up in front of Clem's house, where there was a gathering of people at the Peterson household next door. Everyone was wearing black and were greeting each other with teary eyes. Among the group, Clem and Julian could clearly see Aleks standing, his face an emotional wreak, with Bianca by his side. 

The pair hopped out of the van immediately and ran over to the lanky Russian boy. "Aleks!" Clem called. "What's wrong? Where's Morgan?"

"Clem? Julian?" he greeted weakly. "What are you two doing here?"

"We decided to pay you guys a visit," Julian answered. "What's wrong?"

Aleks turned around and looked at the house. "M-morgan. S-she's..." He tried to answer but his voice cracked with emotion. He fell into Clem's arms and cried on her shoulder.

"Shh," Clem soothed. "Take your time."

"Morgan... she's... not here anymore. We went swimming at the river and she got swept out. We found her a mile downstream but it was too late to revive her. I'm so sorry, Clem. I knew she couldn't swim and we went there anyway. The branch she was holding on to broke, and I tried to save her but the river current was too strong."

"Aleks..." Clem tried to wrap her head around the idea that her friend since Kindergarten was gone. Morgan couldn't swim in the first place, and this was the way she had to go. Julian came behind her and wrap his arms around her waist, trying to console both her and Aleks.

"She's inside if you want to go see her. Her wake was today." With Julian's arm wrapped around her and Aleks by her side, Clem made her way to the house. She had been here countless times in her lifetime, but she never thought she'd see this day, not this soon. She couldn't keep herself together as she crossed the threshold and saw her friend's open casket in the living room.

Her once-lively face was pale and frozen. Clem knew she would never see her face light up as she picked her up for school. They would never laugh together, or cry together, or squeal in excitement together over some good news. She would never see the pictures of Cape Cod taken with the camera she and Aleks bought. Clem touched her face with her hand as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Morgan, don't you. You can't go. There's some much left you have to do, and see, and say. No. No!" Clem fell apart completely and fell back onto Julian. "Julian, please tell me this isn't real. Julian? Julian!"

"JULIAN!" Clem shouted in the middle of the night. She had been fretting in her sleep, and her jumping made Julian wake up as well.

"Clem! Clementine, calm down!" Julian called to her as he tried to hold her down. She was sweating profusely and tears had soaked her face. "Calm down, sweetheart."

"Julian?" Clem asked, confused, when she stopped screaming.

"Yes, it's me. Are you okay? You were fretting and calling my name in your sleep."