Lockhart and Stark

The dream

Tony and Victoria were in a plane and Tony was getting his suit on.

"Wow, you are going to make that dramatic of an entrance?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah, might want to show off my new suit." Tony said.

"Well, I am going to walk in normally. And act like a normal person." Victoria replied.

"You should come with me." Tony said.

"Uh, for one the level of oxygen at the altitude that we will be in will be unable to breathe in and I bet you that I will get whiplash. And I don't plan on dying. Remember Tony, I don't have a suit like you do." Victoria said.

"I could make you one." Tony said.

"I think that I am good." Victoria said with a smile.

"Oh look, we are over Kansas." Tony said.

"Perfect, I always wanted to fly over Kansas." Victoria said playfully.

Victoria yawned and put her chin on her hand. She was looking out the window of the plane and not to quickly after she did, she fell asleep. Tony smiled and sat on the seat right in front of her and turned the chair around so that it was facing her.

Victoria drifted off into a dream, a dream that seemed to last a lifetime. She was in a forest with trees that had leaves made of light and the grass was as soft as silk.

"Where am I?" She asked herself.

She saw a pathway lined with tulips and roses. She felt the sudden urge to follow the path. As she followed she saw a bright light at the end of the path.

"What is that?" She said to herself.

She walked towards it, it seemed to be so welcoming. Suddenly the bark of the trees started to peel off. It turned black and surrounded her, keeping her away from the light.

"What's happening!?" She exclaimed.

The leaves wilted into the darkest shade of black she had ever seen. The grass turned into spikes and ground below her turned into quick sand. She could feel herself sinking. Suddenly she fell through the Sand and was falling into pitch black darkness. She seemed to be falling for ages. Suddenly she hit something, she felt straps close tightly around her hands, ankles and stomach. She saw that she was on the operating table and the ribbons of light peeled off the wall and stabbed into her body.

"Stop! Stop please!" She screamed.

Voices, thousands of voices flared up in her mind. So loud, she couldn't even hear herself think. It was painful it felt like her head was about to explode. Suddenly she felt something shaking her and she heard,

"Victoria! Victoria, it's just a dream, you're not back there. You are safe, you are with me. Please Victoria wake up!! Wake up!!!!!" 

Suddenly Victoria felt a rush of Adrenaline flow through her body. She opened her eyes and screamed. She put her hands on her head and clawed at it.

"Stop! Please stop!" She kept screaming.

"Victoria, you are out of harms way. You are with me, you are on the plane to New York, remember?" Tony said.

She was pushing Tony away and huddling up into a ball on her seat.

I'm trapped! I'll never get out of here!" Victoria said.

Tony had gotten out of his Ironman suit once he saw the destress in Victoria's face. He had an empty adrenaline shot in his right hand. He threw it to the other side of the plane.

"Victoria, you're not trapped." Tony said.

He pushed past her attempts to keep him away. He eventually got to the point where he could actually hold her in his arms. He put his hand through her hair and pulled her head closer to his face. She was crying and dry heaving.

"It's too much!" Victoria cried.

"What's too much?" Tony asked.

"The voices!" She exclaimed.

Tony was confused, then he remembered what happened at the press conference. Victoria talked about hearing voices even though no one was talking.

"There are too many, it's so painful. Help me! Save me please!" She said.

Tony did everything that he could, until Victoria finally stopped crying and she started to calm down. Once she did that she sat up with her back hunched over and her face in her hands. Tony had so many questions, but he didn't think that it was a good time to ask them. It could cause another PTSD panic attack episode.

"I-I am so sorry Tony. I thought that I was getting better...but it seems like I will never get rid of this. It's started to infect my dreams." Victoria said.

"Victoria, you need to let me help you. I will take a brain scan, whether you like it or not." Tony said.

"Tony, there is nothing special about this. It's just PTSD and a bit of anxiety." Victoria said.

"Saying that you are hearing voices is not normal. If it was just this once I would not be concerned but six months ago you talked about hearing voices at the press conference. That's not a good sign Victoria." He replied.

"I am fine, now. Thank you for waking me up, you knew how to. I'm impressed." Victoria said.

"I always have Adrenaline shots with me. It was a suggestion that a doctor gave me when I told him about your condition." Tony said.

"Well I am grateful for it. If I had stayed in that dream...I don't think that I would have woken up." Victoria said.

"If it won't cause you a panic attack, can you tell me what happened in the dream?" Tony asked.

Victoria was silent for a few moments then Tony bent over and took her hands in his. She looked at him then nodded. Then proceeded to explain what happened in the dream.

"...and then I was strapped to the operating table again. Except the ribbons of light, that were supposed to cover the walls, stabbed me. Then I heard the voices." Victoria finished explaining.

Tony was struck with confusion and concern. That was no ordinary dream for any regular person with PTSD. He leaned closer to her.

"I will find out what is happening to you. I promise." He said.

Tony looked into her eyes and he wanted to tell her that he was dying but he thought that that would cause a PTSD episode. So, he didn't tell her. They were now flying over Michigan.

"We will be to New York in matter of hours. You were asleep for a really long time, like hours long." Tony said.

"Wow, I didn't realize that." Victoria said.

She looked at him and realized that he didn't have his Ironman suit on.

"Where's your suit?" She asked.

"I took it off after I saw the concern and scared expression on your face when you were asleep." He said.

"Thank you. I definitely take being in your warm comforting arms than in the arms of a metal suit." Victoria said.

"I thought of that as well." Tony replied.

Both of them laughed and Victoria looked back at the window.

"New York...so far from home." She whispered.