Choices

Nightmares

By

Gold/Donal

-------------------------------------------------- This is not your usual "Choices" story. It deals with a subject that is not normally dealt with in a romantic setting. --------------------------------------------------

It was about a week after Beth and Sally had announced their engagement. Lisa and Stephanie were lying in bed cuddled up to one another after a round of intense lovemaking. Lisa's eyes were barely open and her arms were wrapped around the love of her life. She was thinking of past events and how they were unfolding. She remembered the dream she had several years ago in which Sally and Beth had been married for a couple of years and she and Stephanie were about to be married.

Lisa remembered that the two of them had bought a house together and that they had been engaged for a couple of years already. She also remembered that the job she had was as an architect with a firm in Connecticut called The Phillips Group. She had looked them up the very next day and there was a company by that name.

Another thing she looked into was the house that they were living in. She remembered it because it was one of the most beautiful homes she had ever seen. Lisa found the house several days later and couldn't believe her own eyes when she did find it. It was exactly the way she saw it in her dreams. Was it possible that the dream she had was a vision of her future? In a way, it terrified her and in another way, it excited her. She had never told Stephanie about it because she didn't want to frighten her.

She laid there for a few more moments with Stephanie wrapped up in her arms when the door to her room slammed open. "What the hell is going on in here? What are you doing in bed with another girl, young lady? I thought we were over this several years ago and now I find you in bed with another one! I want you out of my house and I never want to see either of your faces ever again! You hear me?" Her mother had turned red from the screaming.

"But Mom, you know Stephanie. We've been dating for the last four years now. You even gave me your blessing and welcomed Stephanie into the family!" Lisa was crying uncontrollably now.

As the yelling began, Stephanie shot awake and tried to make sense of what was happening. She saw Lisa crying and her mother was screaming at her to get out of the house because she was sleeping with her. "Mrs. Toms, what's going on?"

"You shut your mouth, you little whore! You're the one responsible for my daughter's regression back to being a Lesbian. I want you out of my house before I call your parents and take this other little slut with you! And I will be telling your father what happened after he gets home from work tonight. Now, GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS HOUSE!"

Lisa and Stephanie hurriedly packed their clothes and made their way over to Stephanie's house. When they arrived, they immediately went up to her room so that they could talk about what had just happened. As the door shut behind them, Lisa just broke down. Stephanie just held Lisa tightly and let her cry. She had no idea what was going on; they had been dating for four years now and she thought that everything was going well. They even had the blessings of both sets of parents and they thought their future was set. Stephanie was still holding Lisa as they sat down on her bed. "Lisa, honey, please stop crying. We'll work this out and hopefully we'll get my parents to help us."

Lisa looked up at her soul mate with very red eyes and just sniffed, "But Stephanie, my own mother no longer wants to see me anymore. What am I going to do?" Lisa started crying again. Stephanie wrapped her arms around Lisa, and laid them both down on the bed. As they lay there, Stephanie started thinking of ways to help out her girlfriend when she felt herself falling asleep.

*** The ringing of the alarm clock woke both girls. Lisa rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and immediately sat up. They were in her room at her house! There was a knock on her door and her mother walked in. "Good morning, ladies. I see that you're both finally awake. How about some breakfast before you both head out for the day?"

"That would be nice Mom. We'll be down in a moment."

Stephanie looked over at Lisa who was looking a little shaken. "What's wrong?"

Lisa proceeded to tell Stephanie about the nightmare she just had. "Honey, you know your mother would never do anything like that to you. She loves you way too much!"

"I know that Steph but the nightmare seemed SO real. Do you think I should tell my parents?"

Stephanie looked at her love, "I think you should definitely talk to them about it. Something tells me that you just might continue to have these nightmares if you don't." Stephanie leaned over and gave Lisa a light peck on the lips.

They both got finished dressing and headed downstairs to breakfast.

As the two girls sat down, Lisa's father noticed that something seemed wrong with his daughter. "Lis? Are you feeling okay, honey?"

Lisa sighed and told her parents about the nightmare she just had.

After hearing about their daughter's nightmare, Alyssa and Walter just looked at each other. They knew they would have to tell Lisa what had happened to her years ago. They couldn't put it off any longer. The only problem was, was how it would affect her relationship with Stephanie. They thought the world of Stephanie and were hoping that Lisa and Stephanie would stay together the rest of their lives. Well, now it depended on how their daughter reacted to the news they would tell her later on.

"Lisa, I wouldn't dwell on it too much." Alyssa told her daughter.

"But Mom, it seemed so real. I know you would never ever do anything like that but it really frightened me. I've never had a nightmare like that before. But why now?"

"Mrs. Toms, I've never seen Lisa so frightened in my life. It's like she was in an alternate reality living another life."

Lisa's parents just looked at the two young ladies before them and made a decision. "Lisa, instead of going over Stephanie's tonight, please come back over here. We need to discuss something and talk to the both of you." Lisa's father asked them.

Lisa looked at both of her parents with a very worried look on her face. "Mom, Dad, please tell me what's happening with me?"

"Can you wait till tonight, please?"

"Okay Dad, if you say so. Well, I have to get to work and Stephanie has to get home. I guess we'll be back tonight." Lisa said with a very worried tone.

The two girls went back upstairs to get ready for the day. Stephanie turned around and watched Lisa get ready. She noticed that she was shivering a little and padded over to where Lisa stood and wrapped her arms around Lisa's waist and placed her head on Lisa's shoulder. "You okay, Sugar?"

"No I'm not. I'm really worried about what my parents have to tell us tonight."

She turned around in Stephanie's arms and started crying very softly. "Lisa, please don't cry. I'm here for you and so are your parents. Let's find out what they have to tell us tonight and we'll go from there. Remember, we're together in good and bad times. So far they've been all good as far as I'm concerned Lisa."

Lisa stopped crying and looked at Stephanie who had a little smirk on her face. Lisa looked into those eyes that she fell in love with years ago and it brought a little smile to her face. Lisa took her right index finger and started tracing around Stephanie's' jaw line causing her to moan a little. "You can't do that and not expect something to happen, Sweetheart. You need to get to work and I need to get home."

"I know Steph but I just want you to know that I love you very much and that will never change no matter what happens tonight." Lisa gave her a little peck on the lips

Stephanie looked into Lisa's eyes and noticed a little bit of fear but there was still a twinkle in them which caused her to relax a little. "Come on girlfriend, we have to get going. I've got to get to the music store and you have to get home."

They walked down the stairs together holding hands and as they got to the bottom, Lisa's parents were walking out of the kitchen. "I see that you're ready to get out of here. Lisa, do you think Bev will let you out of work a little early tonight?" Her father asked her.

"Well dad, there are suppose to be several other people there tonight but since I've worked there, I've never had any problems getting off early as long as I asked."

"If you can ask her about leaving maybe 30 minutes earlier tonight, it would be great."

"Okay Dad. Let me see what she says. I don't expect any problems though. Tom and Leslie will be there along with a couple of other employees. Linda may even stop by later." Lisa mentioned.

Alyssa looked at Stephanie, "And remember Stephanie, we want you here as well. Okay?"

"No problem Mrs. Toms. As a matter of fact, I will drag her here if I have to." Stephanie said smiling. And with that the two girls stepped out of the house hoping for the best. ***

Stephanie arrived at her house after Lisa dropped her off. She walked in the door and went into the kitchen to get something to drink. As she was sitting there sipping a diet Seven-Up, she started thinking about what had happened earlier in the morning; Lisa having her nightmare and Lisa's parents asking them to come back later on. She was very worried about this because up until now, the relationship she had with Lisa was like a dream come true. She never thought she would ever have something this wonderful happen in her life. As she was sipping her drink and thinking about everything that had happened, her mother walked in the door. "Stephanie, is there something wrong honey?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Mom; I didn't hear you come in. As a matter of fact, there might be but I won't know until later on tonight."

Judy looked at her youngest and was instantly worried. "Stephanie, did anything happen between you and Lisa?"

"No mom, nothing happened between us but something happened this morning with Lisa. She had a nightmare that her mother kicked her out of the house and never wanted to see her again!"

Judy looked very worried now and was instantly on guard. "Stephanie did this just happen or has she had this nightmare before?"

She was instantly alert. What did her mother know, if anything? Has her mother ever talked to Lisa's mother about anything in Lisa's past? She was full of questions but decided not to ask them right now. "Mom, as far as I know, this was the first time. Why do you ask? Is there something you know that I don't?"

Judy looked at Stephanie and made a quick decision. "Actually sweetheart, there is but I made a promise to Alyssa never to say anything. Please don't ask me anymore. Ok?"

Stephanie looked at her mother with wide eyes. "Mom, I promise I will not ask you because Lisa's parents asked me to come back over tonight instead of staying here. I guess they will be letting us know what's happening." *** Judy was thinking about the conversation she had with Alyssa two weeks ago. It was a beautiful day out and she was leaving the store when Alyssa called her on her cell phone. She was starting to worry about Lisa and needed to talk to someone. She arrived at Alyssa's and as soon as the door opened she was shocked to see tears streaming down Alyssa's face. She came over and hugged Alyssa and just found her tightening her grip on her. Judy stepped back for a moment and stared at her friend.

"Alyssa, what's happening with Lisa?"

Alyssa looked at her longtime friend and made a quick decision. "Judy, I have something I need to tell you but you need to promise me that you will never tell Stephanie."

Judy looked wide eyed at her friend. "Of course, Alyssa. Anything for you."

"Judy, when Lisa was eight years old she was molested by a family member; her Uncle to be exact. He was in Lisa's bedroom undressing her and about to have sex with her when we caught him. Lisa was very traumatized by the incident. We took her to a therapist soon after that. That incident happened almost 11 years ago to the day."

Judy looked shocked at what Alyssa just told her. "Alyssa, you never said anything about it to anyone outside of the family?"

"No, never, Lisa was very upset about the whole incident but since she was only eight at the time we were very lucky to get her into therapy and in time she forgot all about it. Of course, having her hypnotized to forget about the incident helped." Alyssa sniffed.

"Now it looks like she's starting to remember bits and pieces of that incident. That's why she's starting to have these nightmares, Judy."

Judy looked at her friend. "What are you going to do about it, Alyssa?"

"The only thing I can do, tell her about it and hope for the best. The only thing I'm worried about is how it might affect Lisa's relationship with Stephanie. They both love each other very deeply and want to spend the rest of their lives together. This will either break them apart or drive them closer."

That conversation happened two weeks ago and now it threatened the love that her daughter and Lisa had built up over the last four years. *** Lisa had gotten to work and was busy placing some vinyl albums out in the import section. She was thinking about tonight and not paying any attention to what she was doing when Bev came up behind her. "Lisa, is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine Bev. Why do you ask?"

"Well for one thing, you just placed a Renaissance album in the Alan Parson's section. Please stop for a moment and let's talk okay?"

Lisa sighed and a tear threatened to slide down her face. "Bev, is it okay if I get off 30 minutes early tonight?"

Bev took a look at Lisa and was instantly worried about her. She considered Lisa a part of the store's family even though she had only worked there for a few months now. "That's fine Lisa. I think we can handle it tonight. Is it something you would like to talk about?"

Lisa looked at Bev and decided to tell her about the nightmare. "My parents want to talk to me and Stephanie tonight. I have no idea what it's about but I'm frightened Bev." Lisa then proceeded to tell Bev about the nightmare she had. Afterwards Bev hugged Lisa like a protective mother would. "Lisa, it sounds as if you've had something bad happen to you in the past and the nightmare was a message to you. Just remember, you can always come to me or Linda and talk to us."

Bev hugged Lisa again before letting her continue to work. "Thanks Bev, I really do appreciate all you've done for me." *** As the time got closer for her to leave the store, Lisa was getting more worried by the minute. She had no idea what her parents wanted to talk about but she had a feeling it wasn't anything good.

Lisa started thinking about her nightmares and how they started up a couple of weeks ago. Up until this morning, she hadn't told Stephanie or her parents about them because she really didn't think too much about them. But with the one this morning, they had progressively gotten worse and she didn't know why.

The dreams had started out innocently enough; the first one was about her old boyfriend Mark. They were sitting at the bench in the park and he was trying to force himself onto her. The dream had ended when she walked away from him that first time. The next dream/nightmare had been several days after that and it had Lisa with a female she had never seen before. The female was accosting her in the girl's room of the college she was going to but again, Lisa had fought her off and walked out of the girl's room.

Then came the one before this morning's nightmare; she had dreamt that she was a little girl and her Uncle David was in her room. They were playing a game but the game consisted of her removing her clothes and showing her privates to her Uncle. That had ended when her parents came into the room. That dream really shook her up because she hadn't seen her uncle in years and didn't know where he was.

Then came this morning with her Mom yelling at her to get out of the house because she had been sleeping with Stephanie. She'd never had nightmares before and didn't know why she was having them now. She did know one thing; her parents promised to tell her tonight why she was having them. ***

When Lisa got home from work, she found Stephanie waiting for her. She was sitting down drinking a diet Seven-Up, talking to her mother. Lisa walked in and sat down next to Stephanie who proceeded to give her a little peck on the lips. "How was work today?"

"Work was fine, a little busy but everything went well." Lisa then proceeded to tell Stephanie about her conversation with Bev.

"Well, at least you have another person on your side sweetie." Stephanie smiled.

Lisa's parents looked at both girls, "Okay, girls; are you ready to talk or do you need anything else before we start?"

Lisa looked at her parents expectantly, "Actually, I just want to get this over with, so, can we start?"

Lisa's parents both sighed at the same moment. Her mother started the conversation. "Lisa, do you remember anything about your Uncle David?"

"It's been such a long time since I've seen him but I really don't remember too much. I do remember something in one of my dreams that he was in my room and made me remove my clothes one time. That's about all that I remember Mom."

Alyssa looked at her daughter and started, "Lisa, that wasn't a dream; that really happened to you."

Lisa was in shock at what her mother just told her. "Mom, what do you mean that really happened? You mean to tell me that Uncle David really did try to have sex with me?"

"Yes honey, he really did." Alyssa sighed and continued. "Lisa, when you were eight years old, your Uncle David came over that day. Your father and I were talking downstairs at the time and your Uncle excused himself to go to the bathroom. Well, when he came out, he immediately went to your room. We knew he loved you quite a bit but we didn't know to what extent he loved you. Well, when we caught him in your room, you were totally undressed and he was in the process of undressing when we walked into your room catching him. He was totally embarrassed and tried to tell us that you were the one that recommended playing the little game. Well, we knew better than that. Your father was so mad; he came close to hurting his own brother but held back enough to let me call the police."

Alyssa paused for a moment then continued, "After the incident, we took you to a therapist to get treatment. After the first couple of weeks when you weren't responding so well, he recommended that we find a certified Hypnotherapist and get you hypnotized so you could forget all about that day. Well, we followed his suggestion and we were mildly surprised when after the first few treatments, you totally forgot all about the incident. Until now that is."

Lisa looked over at her parents and tears started flowing down her face. Stephanie moved closer to Lisa and just held her and let her cry. Lisa tightened her grip on Stephanie and felt comfort in her girlfriends' arms.

As the tears subsided, Lisa sniffed, "Mom, Dad, why didn't you tell me this sooner? I would've understood."

Lisa's father looked at her, "Lisa, when all this happened, your therapist recommended that we didn't mention it to you, and up until these last few weeks it actually worked. I guess over time the treatments wore off; we don't know why they did, they just did."

Alyssa sighed, "Lisa, I know for the both of us, we're glad that this finally came out into the open. We've been on guard for so long that we were both frightened that one of us would slip. Please talk to us and tell us what you're thinking."

Lisa was sitting there lost in her own thoughts about what her parents just told her. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about everything. "I'm going upstairs. Can you leave me alone for a while please?" Lisa said sadly.

Her parents and Stephanie just looked stunned but watched Lisa trudge up the stairs to go her room. "What just happened?" Stephanie asked.

"I think it just hit Lisa what exactly happened to her when she was eight. I think its best we leave her alone for now Stephanie." Alyssa said sadly.

Stephanie got up off of the couch she was sitting on and retrieved her purse. "Thank you for having me over tonight. I'll call Lisa tomorrow that is if she wants to talk to me." Stephanie said. A tear started to come down her face as she turned and walked out of the house.

Alyssa and Walter just stared after Stephanie as she walked out of the house.

"I'm worried about those two, Honey." Alyssa said to her husband.

"I think everything will work out. They love each other too much to let something like this come between them. Let's see what happens tomorrow." Walter moved over to his wife and slipped his arm around her shoulders. As he did this, he felt her sob against his chest and he held her tighter as he let her cry.

Alone upstairs, Lisa sat down on her bed and pondered what her parents had just told her. After all these years, she now knew what had happened with her Uncle and why he was not allowed to come into the house anymore. Plus, she now knew why she preferred women over men. She crawled up into her bed, tucked her knees up underneath her, wrapped her arms around her legs and started to cry. She thought of her parents and how much pain they must have been in over the years; they tried to protect and shelter her. Then she started thinking of Stephanie and how much in love she was with her; she got so lucky when she walked into her life. She had never been happier and now Stephanie meant more than ever to her. She swore to herself that she would always be up front and honest with Stephanie. As Lisa continued her thought processes, she finally fell into a deep and restful sleep for the first time in weeks. *** The first rays of sunlight struck Lisa in the face wakening her up. Her eyes opened slowly and realized that for the first time in weeks she felt rested. She had no nightmares last night only pleasant dreams of her and Stephanie. She got out of bed and stretched; she felt wonderful! She started performing her morning stretch routine when there was knock on her door. "Come in."

Alyssa walked through the door when she noticed her daughter performing her morning exercises. This looked promising, "Good morning sweetheart. How are you feeling this morning?"

Lisa ran over to her mother and hugged her tightly, "Thank you Mom."

Her mother was momentarily stunned with the reception her daughter just gave her, "Thank you for what?"

"For you and Dad and telling me about Uncle David. Now I understand why I've had the problems in the past with boys and my last boyfriend Mark." She hugged her mother even tighter.

Alyssa just stood there with her arms wrapped around her daughter. She felt tears forming at the corner of her eyes and felt them roll down her face. She had been so worried about how Lisa would take this and now this; her daughter had come face to face with something that could have been a disaster but had turned it into a positive experience. Lisa looked up at her mother. "Mom, why are you crying?"

"Because when you walked up the stairs last night, I thought we had lost you. I didn't think that you would ever forgive your father and me for what we did back then. I know we had to do something so we took the doctor's advice like I said last night and your father and I just hoped that everything would work out. Well, from what I saw this morning when I opened your door, it looks like everything will be fine." Alyssa hugged her daughter back again but this time a little tighter.

"Mom please, can I breathe a little? " Lisa said smiling at her mother.

Mother and daughter broke apart and looked at each other. The simple look that both women gave each other expressed more than words could have said at that moment.

"I guess I should call Stephanie, huh Mom?" Lisa asked questioningly.

"Actually Lisa, I think you should go over there instead of calling her. She walked out of here last night pretty depressed."

Lisa looked shocked, "Mom, do you think she will even talk to me?"

"I think she will honey. Just sit down and talk to her. Stephanie's a pretty smart young lady. I don't think you'll have any problem with her." Alyssa said smiling.

Lisa went over to her mother again and gave her another hug. "Thank you Mom for so much. I don't know what I would have done without you and Dad by my side."

After Lisa's mother walked out the room, she finished with her stretching exercises then proceeded to get into the shower.

Downstairs, Alyssa and Walter were talking about the events of last night and drinking some coffee when the doorbell went off. Walter went over to open the door and found Stephanie standing there looking pensive. "Good morning Mr. Toms."

Walter looked at Stephanie carefully and noticed her red eyes. "Come on in, Stephanie."

Stephanie walked over to where Alyssa and Walter were sitting. "How's Lisa this morning?" She asked tentatively

Alyssa looked at her and her heart went out to her. She then thought of an idea. "Stephanie, she's upstairs taking a shower right now. She's in a pretty good mood but I think what she needs is you. Why don't you go upstairs and join her."

Stephanie's face brightened and remembered what she did to Lisa several years ago.

"I think you're right Mrs. Toms. I think I will go join her in the shower." She crept up the stairs very slowly and when she got to Lisa's bathroom door, she heard the shower going. She slowly undressed in Lisa's room and crept into the bathroom very quietly.

Stephanie remembered a few years ago when she crept into Lisa's bedroom and cupped her hands over Lisa's eyes; she would do that again.

She slowly entered the shower and noticed that Lisa had lather in her hair and had her back to her. She slowly cupped her hands over Lisa's eyes. "Guess who?"

Lisa was in the shower and didn't notice Stephanie because she was washing her hair and was about to wash the suds out of her eyes when she felt the hands and heard the voice. That brought back memories and decided to answer the same way she did years ago. "Let's see, is it Cathy, my secret lover again?"

That brought a giggle from Stephanie's mouth. She turned Lisa around and stared into those eyes that she had fallen in love with so long ago. She moved her mouth a fraction of an inch away from Lisa's, "It better not be Cathy or you will be in big trouble Missy!" Stephanie said very quietly.

This brought a giggle from Lisa's mouth and she moved her mouth just a little closer and gave Stephanie a little peck on her lips. "I'm glad you came by this morning. I missed you last night." Lisa then wrapped her arms around Stephanie's waist as Stephanie wrapped her arms around Lisa's neck.

"You're so beautiful when your wet, you know that Lisa?" Stephanie smiled.

"I love you Stephanie." And with that statement, the two young ladies started kissing. Their tongues came out of hiding, wrapped around each other and dueled back and forth. Lisa brought out her tongue again and traced around Stephanie's lips causing her to moan with delight. She then took her tongue and started tracing around Stephanie's jaw line which caused her to moan that much more.

Lisa backed off a little but kept her face within inches of Stephanie's. "Stephanie, last night right after I left the living room and went into my room, I realized how important you are to me; I don't think at this point that I can live without you. You are the light of my life Stephanie. I love you with a passion that I never thought I would have or ever will have."

Stephanie just smiled at her, "Lisa, I love you more than I can ever tell you. I know that last night was very hard on you and you just had to think things through. But please, if you ever need any help, don't hesitate to ask. I will always be there for you." They shared one more tender kiss before the water turned cold. The girls yelped and jumped out of the shower.

"Well, that was an interesting shower. Wasn't it Stephanie?"

"Probably the most interesting one we've had in quite awhile!" Stephanie whispered.

The girls looked at each other, smiled and gave each other a very tender, loving kiss.

After drying off in the bathroom, both girls got dressed without saying anything. As Stephanie watched Lisa finish putting on her jeans she slowly padded over to her, "Lisa, how are you really feeling this morning?" Stephanie asked her tentatively.

Lisa looked at her girlfriend and smiled, "Well, last night when I was thinking about everything, I started thinking of you and how my life changed for the better since you've been in it. I swore to myself that from now on I would always be honest with you no matter what happens. I know what you're thinking but I have hidden little things from my past from you but no more. I love you Stephanie. Does that answer your question?"

Stephanie looked at her girlfriend with an astonished look on her face. She had no idea what Lisa had been hiding from her but that really didn't matter anymore. She had received the answer she was hoping for. After all, she didn't tell Lisa everything about her past either. "Lisa, I need to be honest with you to. I haven't told you everything about my past either and it frightens me because I do love you so much."

"Stephanie, I don't care what you did or what happened in your past. The only thing that matters is now. I will always be there for you no matter what happens."

Lisa gently took Stephanie in her arms and placed a very gentle kiss on her lips to stop time with. They stood back from each other and the look they gave each other acknowledged the love they had.

Copyright 2008 Gold/Donal