Bang and Burn Oneshots: Tales from the Agents of Forte

A Nightmare

Reading Requirements: End of Bang and Burn 1

Characters: Dylan an this mom

TW: death, grieving

Genre: Angst

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Loralie grasped her husband's photo as she cried, mentally unprepared to spend her first night alone in bed. Just hours earlier, she received the call that her husband was shot and killed by a man who was resisting arrest. This morning, he had kissed her goodbye and reminded her of his love. He said he'd bring home dinner that night. He said he couldn't wait to come home to her lovely smile again.

But now, he was gone.

There would be no more goodnight kisses, shared laughs, or loving looks. She'd no longer get the opportunity to share her days with the love of her life. All that Loralie could do was sit on her empty bed, wearing one of his shirts, desperately begging to wake up from whatever nightmare she was stuck in. After what felt like hours of crying, she tried to go to sleep. Unfortunately, the sweet release of slumber never relieved her for the night. She instead found herself clutching the pillow he used to sleep on. She could still feel its warmth as if he was laying next to her.

Just as she started to close her eyes to drift off to sleep, Loralie heard her door squeak as it opened. She wiped the tears from her eyes and turned on her lamp on the nightstand. Though it pained her, she knew she had to put on a brave face for her son. "Is everything alright, honey?"

The small blond boy was wearing his Christmas onesie that his dad bought for him only two weeks before. He held a small, stuffed polar bear against his chest. He sniffled as he rubbed his nose on the bear's fur. "When's daddy coming home?"

Loralie struggled to speak, fearing that if she let herself cry in front of him, it'd hurt him more. She'd spent a few minutes trying to explain that his dad wouldn't be coming home anymore, but he misunderstood. He thought that it meant he was away for work or something of the sort. "Honey, I already said that he isn't coming home."

"I know, but when will he come home?" the boy asked again. "I know he isn't coming home tonight, but I miss him."

Loralie's heart began to burn in her chest as she tried to find another way to explain death to her son. "Baby, come sit with me." He climbed up onto her bed and nestled into her side. She wrapped an arm around him and took a breath. "Do you remember that movie we watched a few days ago? The one about the spider and the pig?"

"Charlotte's Web?" the boy asked excitedly. "I loved that movie! Daddy even let me have popcorn when we watched it!"

Loralie faked a smile to keep from bursting into tears again.. "Well, do you remember how the spider had to go away?"

"Yeah. The pig got really sad, but she came back after the movie ended, right?"

Loralie shook her head. "No, honey, she died."

The boy's smile dropped. "But, daddy said she was okay." He pulled the polar bear up to his face to hide his tearing eyes. "I hate it when things die."

"Me, too," Loralie whispered. She searched for a way to tell her son about his father's death, but instead, pressed a gentle kiss onto her son's head. She just couldn't bring herself to say it out loud yet. In an attempt to change the subject, she asked, "So, why are you up so late?"

The boy rubbed his eyes. "I had a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The boy nodded as he laid back in his mother's arms. "I was at my friend's house. We were eating dinner and we got in a fight."