Lee couldn't help the grin when she heard the gasp come from Tarin when she nipped his ear. And the sound he made…

Lee's hand tightened in Tarin's hair as she kissed her way down his neck.

This was definitely quite a bit more than was necessary with the simple comment of Tarin giving her another demonstration of his hand in her hair. And most likely quite a bit more than Tarin had been expecting.

But, especially with how he reacted, how could she not?

Then Lee felt her hair being tugged slightly, and she reluctantly followed Tarin's hand back so she was able to look at him again. Only for him to warn her where this would lead if she didn't stop.

"And why are you trying to make that sound like a bad thing?" Lee asked. "Maybe that was my plan?"

This was far more than Tarin had bargained for when Lee had pointed out that a demonstration was probably the best way to get them both on the same page and away from darker, deeper topics. Lee’s hand tightened in his hair and Tarin was pretty sure that the last functioning brain cell in his logic center shut off. They’d just talked about this.

When he gently tugged, Lee’s head came up and the way she was looking at him, the way her voice sounded, and the words…

It might have been her plan? Tarin wanted to call Lee’s bluff, maybe move away a bit and ask if she needed a minute to be sure, but Lee had a tendency to go through with what she’d said and he always ended up caving because he was a weak weak man. Winning a battle of wills was never worth delaying far more gratifying activities, after all.

”Well, let me know when you decide…” he said, unable to help himself as he leaned in for another kiss.

Did Tarin look disbelieving about what she said? It was possible, not that it really mattered to much. Because by how Tarin said to let him know when she decided…

Well, even if she didn't already know that he was alright with going right back to that, those words would have told Lee that. Even as her fingers were still in his hair, her thumb running up and down slowly along the side of his neck.

Plus, Tarin was leaning in for another kiss. Smiling, Lee returned the kiss. After a while, Lee pulled back just enough that she was able to speak. "I think we both know what I'm deciding…" she murmured before leaning in to kiss him again, deeply.

Tarin already loved Lee’s hands in his hair and the way her thumb was rubbing up and down his neck made Tarin squirm slightly as they laid there and Lee looked at him as he spoke.

Tarin leaned in for that kiss, Lee returned it, and Tarin thought that he probably had his answer even if Lee wasn’t going to vocalize her decision. Kissing Lee like this was something that Tarin thought he could probably do forever, so when she pulled away he frowned slightly.

Until she spoke, then Tarin grinned. Lee thought they both knew what her decision was? Tarin might have had something to say about that, he might have even teased her about her lack of commitment, if Lee had not leaned in for that kiss. That kiss was every bit as much of a decision as Lee’s comment, if not more, and Tarin didn’t say a single word. Instead he gave himself completely over to the kiss.

If they were both on the same page, there was absolutely no need for any more talking. They’d done plenty of talking.

The previous kisses that they had shared over the last few (or many) minutes had been passionate. But it was like something changed when Lee leaned in for this kiss. Somehow, it just felt like…More.

And they were both on the same page. There had been plenty of talking that day; first with answering Kevin's questions, then between her and Tarin to try avoiding this too early in the evening and in a common area. Followed by the talking they had just been doing.

Lots of talking when there really wasn't a need for any more.

While the kisses, her hand in his hair, the nipping of Tarin's ear had all been conscious, very eager decisions for Lee, but the longer the kiss went on, the more that absolute need to be closer to Tarin came back.

Her hand moving further into Tarin's hair, closing, Lee pressed herself against Tarin.

The shift in intensity was subtle, but very real, and Tarin knew that the decision of where they went next had been made. In this case, more was absolutely better, and as Lee pressed herself closer and her hand moved up and tighter into his hair, Tarin wrapped his arm around her back. If Lee wanted closer…closer she would get.

It absolutely was one of those nights…one of those nights where it seemed like there was no such thing as enough. Eventually though, arms wrapped around Lee, and much later than he had initially planned Tarin fell asleep.

For a long time, Tarin didn’t move, his mind and his body were tired, maybe even exhausted, after the emotional and physical evening. At first, there was nothing but peaceful darkness, but as the night went on, images and memories started to surface.

It started in the cold and Tarin shivered slightly in the dark as the dream pulled forth memories that Tarin hadn’t even thought of in years. It had been so cold in New York City when Tarin had arrived, dropped in Queens by a truck driver. There had been spirits everywhere and Tarin had been utterly shell shocked by how big the city was. He’d slept next to a building that night in a wholly insufficient hoodie, jeans, and tennis shoes, and had somehow managed to find an exhaust vent putting out some heat. The next day he’d known he had to find somewhere to stay.

The dream flashed then. It was warm now and Tarin was eating a sandwich like he hadn’t eaten in days. By that point maybe he hadn’t. He was also talking to the rather unassuming and unremarkable man sitting across the table from him. ”Because I’m always around the spirits I’m hardly scared of anything…” he said with heavy teenage bravado, ”I just don’t like tight spaces…”

The dream flashed again and Tarin was standing in a ring of people in a basement, and the same unassuming man sent a fist into Tarin’s stomach, as he doubled over it was followed by a shot to the side of his face. The teenage Tarin stumbled, staggering back a few steps, but stood up and didn’t raise a guard or retreat as the man approached again. And again. And again.

As the hits landed, Tarin’s sleeping form jerked, pained little noises escaping him as he slept.

It was a memory, but it was also a nightmare, progressing much more quickly than it had in real life. Tarin was sleeping now, but his body still hurt, the bruises barely starting to fade and the door to the room he’d been allowed to use slammed open in the middle of the night and three large figures entered the room carrying something between them. They dropped it and approached, grabbing Tarin under the arms as he tried to wake up and figure out what was going on. They’d half carried, half drug him to the footlocker and when Tarin realized what was happening he started to protest and fight, but it wasn’t enough and soon enough the lid slammed shut.

“You know the rules.” Came a voice as a fist pounded into the lid, then footprints retreated and the door slammed shut. In the tight little box, Tarin screamed, pounding against the lid as the space got tighter.

Outside the nightmare, Tarin had pulled in on himself and away from Lee, panicked sounds escaping him as he came up against the wall to the side of the bed, pushing against it as if it might move or the lid of the footlocker might open.

Lee had fallen asleep warm, happy, and very satisfied curled up next to Tarin. And while she had started siphoning again before falling asleep so she wouldn't be completely without energy in the morning, sleep was sleep. Really the only good part about it was that she now got to fall asleep and wake up next to Tarin.

Otherwise, the only things sleep was good for for Lee was so she didn't crash and didn't have be bored all night while everyone else slept.

Gradually, Lee started to become aware of sounds in the otherwise quiet room. The next thing that she noticed was that she wasn't nearly as warm as she remembered being when she went to sleep.

The other good thing about sleeping next to Tarin was that when he did have nightmares, Lee was able to wake up much faster and easier than she would be able to on her own.

Turning, Lee looked over to see Tarin pressed up against the wall on the far side of the bed, scared and panicked sounds coming from him.

Frowning, Lee sat up and reached her hand out to shake Tarin by the shoulder. "Wake up, Tarin," Lee said as she continued to shake him before stifling a yawn. "You're having a nightmare. Tarin, wake up!"

The footlocker was small…so small and Tarin wondered how they’d possibly fit him inside. He couldn’t straighten out his arms, he couldn’t straighten out his legs, there wasn’t space for Tarin to move over or around.

He was gasping for air, clawing at the lid of the locker, completely unaware that his nails were breaking and his fingertips were bloody. He screamed and screamed until his throat was as raw as his fingers. It wasn’t quite so bad outside of the dream, but Tarin was gasping for air now, pleading for it all to stop heedless of the hand on his shoulder or Lee’s voice.

This was far from the first nightmare Tarin had had since he had moved into the apartment and since they’d started regularly sharing a bed, Lee had been there to wake Tarin a fair number of times. He was always sick and shaky afterwards and never wanted share…now though, he couldn’t wake, too panicked and trapped to be able to listen.

It was never an instant waking up when Tarin had a nightmare. If it was going to be that easy for him to wake up, he would have likely woken up on his own before Lee managed to wake up during one of his nightmares.

Tonight, however, Tarin just did not seem to be waking up. Despite her increasingly more vigorous shaking. And Tarin was now gasping for air in addition to the panicked sounds she was hearing.

This wasn't something that Lee liked doing, hell, she hadn't even done it in so long that Lee wasn't even sure that she had mentioned it to Tarin before. But he just did not seem to be waking up, and the longer that the nightmare was lasting, the worse Tarin seemed to be getting.

Biting her lip and closing her eyes, Lee took a deep breath. No matter what she was going to see, it would be worth it if it meant she was able to wake Tarin up faster.

Stopping her shaking of Tarin's shoulder, Lee took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

Lee was in a mostly empty, dirty, and dark room. But it was not quiet. There was an almost constant scream, and when Lee turned toward it, she saw a box sitting on the floor.

Lee's eyes widened in shock, looking around the room to see if Tarin was observing the dream, as she rushed over. Not seeing him, Lee unlatched the lid and threw it open, looking inside.

Whenever any of this had come up in the therapy sessions with Dr Rossi, Tarin had balked at explaining exactly what it had been like. He’d kept it vague and tied to focus on other aspects of what had happened and how he could master the memories.

This was why.

There was nothing redeeming about this experience, nothing to learn, nothing to garner. Tarin thought he was going to die in that footlocker. He couldn’t breathe and he couldn’t move, so he couldn’t see the air holes that had been drilled into the lower sides. Tarin wanted to use his powers, there were spirits nearby and he could feel them. Spirits could be strong if they had enough energy and all he had to do was reach out…

But he’d seen what happened to the kid who had used his powers to teleport down from a high place she’d been stuck to work on her fear of heights…and it had been absolutely horrible.

He couldn’t use his powers. His voice was hoarse now and Tarin could taste the metallic tang of blood as he bit the inside of his check and banged on the roof of the chest, he was going to pass out.

But then the lid to the locker flew open and before he even took a moment to figure out what was happening, Tarin was flinging himself from the box and into a painful heap on the floor. Gulping the fresh air like it was going to disappear, Tarin choked out, ”Did I pass?”[/i] before looking up to see someone deeply familar but unrecognizable. She must have been one of the higher ups, observing, ”I swear I didn’t use my powers…”

Almost before the lid was fully open, Lee saw a teenage boy, not much older than Kevin, launching himself out and onto the floor. Raggedly gasping for breath. Lee's heart was already breaking while simultaneously anger started coursing through her.

This was just a dream. The actual events had happened decades earlier in a literal other world. But that didn't stop Lee from wanting to storm out of the room and hurt each and every person who had had any part in this.

It was only then that Lee noticed the bloody fingers, the fading bruises. Lee's hands clenched into tight fists, her nails digging into her palms as she looked down at a young Tarin still laying on the floor. She wanted to cry, comfort Tarin, and as she heard Tarin speak, wanted to murder those responsible, all at the same time.

"You need to wake up, Tarin," Lee told him before taking a shaky breath. "You're having a nightmare. It's time to wake up."

She knew his name. Who was this? How did she know his name? Tarin’s eyes narrowed slightly, was this part of the test? They weren’t really supposed to be talking to anyone other than their handlers.

His breathing was slowing now and violent shivers wracked Tarin’s body as his stomach flip/flopped in his abdomen from the adrenaline.

”I’ve got to pass the test…” Tarin said…and the nightmare shifted.

It was a new place, like the townhouse that he and Lee had tried to volunteer at, just as run down and decrepit as that place had been. Here and there teens of various ages sat quietly reading approved books or doing chores of various kinds. Tarin walked through the place, he’d been called for a meeting in one of the upstairs rooms.

The spirits were trying to warn him, but he was getting better at keeping them away. He couldn’t afford to have his eyes flicking to things that others couldn’t see, so gradually he was learning to keep them back. The exercise and breathing regimen was starting to help too. It had only been a few months, but he already felt stronger.

Into the room he went…but it was empty.

Walking towards another open door in the room, Tarin spied a drafty staircase leading up. There was an attic up there and as Tarin emerged into the drafty and cold room he didn’t expect the sucker punch that dropped him to his knees. By the time he recovered he was being drug across the room towards yet another door. This one was tiny and in spite of himself as they got closer he started to struggle.

The floor was on an incline and as they shoved Tarin inside he struggled and struggled against the door that finally shut as he kicked and yelled and pushed. It was dark in here and so so very cold. Tarin hasn’t grabbed his coat, not only was he going to suffocate as the walls closed in…he was going to freeze to death too.

The sloped floor made things even worse because even if he’d wanted to try, there was no chance to get comfortable. Again, he couldn’t stretch out his arms or his legs and it only took a little while before the panic set in and he started to yell.

"”I’ve got to pass the test…”

Lee's heart broke again hearing those words. Tarin should have never had to go through any of this. None of the children who had happened upon this 'group' should have had to.

Before she was able to say anything else, or do anything, Lee suddenly found herself in another room. This one with multiple teens scattered about. The room, the house, was not in good shape. It really wasn't suitable for anyone to live in, though Lee would have been grateful to have something like this to crash in when she was 16.

It was only as he reached the bottom of the staircase that Lee realized where Tarin was. Moving forward, Lee followed Tarin up the stairs and into a room.

Even if she had had the energy to be able to move faster, Lee wasn't sure whether she was actually able to use her powers, her siphoning powers, in a dream. So Lee hadn't managed to catch up with Tarin before she saw him fall to his knees just after stepping through a doorway.

Rushing the rest of the way up the stairs, Lee was ready to beat each and every person she found in there for what they did, powers or no powers. Except that she heard a small door on the other side of the room close as she entered the otherwise empty room.

Again, empty but not quiet, as she heard Tarin yelling again. "Tarin! You need to wake up!" Lee shouted as she crossed the room, hoping that he would hear her over his own yelling.

"It'll be alright, but you need to wake up!" she added as she pulled the door open.

It was cold and it was dark. To keep himself from sliding forward and into the door Tarin had to constantly engage his leg and core muscles. It had only been a few minutes, but he was already struggling to not fall forward. The harder he hit against the door, the more solid it seemed to get. He tried kicking it, hoping it was as garbage as the rest of this place and he’d be able to kick the door in.

No such luck. It was just going to happen again. Tarin knew they wouldn’t come for him until he managed to calm down, until he could handle himself but it was almost like he was two people. The terrified teen hitting the walls and the door, shivering in the cold, screaming, and begging for them to just let him out, and someone else observing, knowing what had to happen for the door to open.

He was leaning against the door when it opened and Tarin fell out and onto the floor in a shivering heap. It was that same woman again…she shouldn’t be there…only one person could declare a test finished for Tarin…interfering in someone else’s test was a major offense. This was an adult though…maybe someone higher up? ”Who are you?”

Still…it felt so good to be out.

What had she said? He needed to wake up?

The scene flashed again, then again, rapidly through several memories or constructs of the dream. Kids messing up and the consequences of those mistakes. Other flashes of how Tarin got so good at first aid and the consequences of not taking injuries seriously. So many tragedies.

Things blurred and settled again and this time Tarin was standing outside with a small group of others, it was hot outside and he was older now, but still in his mid teens and there was a car nearby with an open trunk.

”Is this really necessary?” Tarin asked nonchalantly, the way his hands were clenched around the hem of his shirt betraying the mild tone of his voice.

“You know that it is.” It was that same man, a few years older now too, but every bit as nondescript. The others were almost blurry, but they were there.

Tarin hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and made his way towards the car trunks. Nobody had to drag him this time. It had been decided a while back that they were at a point where that would indicate failure.

The moment the door started to open, Tarin - the much younger Tarin - fell out and onto the floor. He was just so small, and young. Not that Tarin should have been put through this at any age, but seeing him like this just made it all even harder.

Lee was just crouching down in front of Tarin on the floor when he spoke. Asking who she was.

Right. Because when Tarin was this age, he didn't know her.

Dreams were weird.

"I'm Lee. But you need to wake up, Tarin."

By the time that she had finished speaking, the dream had shifted. Then shifted again. And she was no longer in front of Tarin. Again and again the dream changed, and Lee just grew more and more upset, because she was seeing things that had been done to not just Tarin, but other, multiple, children.

If Tarin had been right, the people responsible for all of this were lucky that they were dead.

Finally, the dream seemed to settle again, and Lee found herself standing behind a small group of people. At first Lee couldn't see Tarin. Not until he spoke. While his tone was almost relaxed, even as a teen, Lee could tell by how his shoulders were set that he was anything but.

At first, Lee wasn't sure what it was that was 'necessary'. As Tarin started walking forward, Lee became aware of the car in front of the group. With its trunk open.

Was he honestly going to put himself in there?

Lee rushed forward, not even noticing that she'd bumped into a couple people, and placed herself between Tarin and the car. "You don't need to do this," she told him. "It's not actually happening. What you need to do, Tarin, is wake up."