The sun overtook the darkness around him. Blue skies, white clouds and a wonderful fresh smell. He was back in the country, no industrial noises invading the peace. It was a crisp spring season, little white snowdrops dotted around in the grass. A sound of laughter came from a distance.

"Jake!" a little girl with red hair was waving at him. Her face was beaming all over, her bright green eyes twinkling in the sun. He smiled at her, she was Aria.
"Come help me climb this tree!" She was pointing at the big willow they climbed together as kids, the tree he fell from. Little Aria was running to it, laughing as she did so.
"No! Aria, don't do it, it's too dangerous!" But she paid no heed to his warning and started to climb up the crumbling bark. No step failed but wood was falling from where she put her little feet, the tree getting weaker and weaker. He watched helplessly as she climbed higher and higher, further and further from his reach. Finally she stood on a branch and waved frantically at him, her smile clear on her face in the distance.
"Jakey! Jakey! Look at me! Look at-" And suddenly the  branch snapped and Aria was tumbling down, delivering a blood curdling scream. Without a second to hesitate Jack sprinted to the willow tree, but he was far too late. Her body was already sprawled on the floor, blood oozing from her head. The red waves of hair spilled out on the grass, her hand limp by her sides. But they were not childish hands anymore.. Kneeling down next to her he pulled Aria onto his lap, however when he looked at her face it wasn't Aria's face; it was Ara's.
"No!" he whispered. Her eyes were staring at him glassily, lifelessly. Her skin was cold like stone, the colour draining out of her slowly.
"Don't leave me, Ara. Don't leave me again!" All of a sudden an invisible hand grabbed him from his shirt and lifted him away from the body of his girlfriend, into the clouds where the air was thin and the light was dark.

A hard, solid floor hit his back without mercy. He coughed two, three times and sat up with a soreness in his throat. Light blinded him; too bright to take in straight away. Groaning, Jack sat up while rubbing the back of his head. There was no colour, just a plain white, and there were no objects in the room, except a huddled black figure. Strands of red came from behind the clothes. Slowly he shuffled towards the body and sat next to Ara, waiting for her to wake up. Her breathing was steady, her chest rising and falling. Up and down, up and down.. Minutes passed, it was difficult to say how many exactly. Maybe ten? Jack couldn't tell. But Ara was still asleep, why was it taking so long for her to wake up? 

"Ara?" She was still breathing, she was still alive. 

"Ara, whatever is happening  in your head it's not real. You hear me? It's all just a dream." A twitch from her head followed. 

"Jake! No Jake don't do it!" 

"Ara, i'm alright, come back to me!" Ara's eyes flew open, panic flashing in the backs of them. She was panting short shallow breaths. 

"Ara, calm down. You're okay." Twisting her head, Ara looked at Jack with wide, frightened eyes. They were beginning to water, tears starting to spill. Jack beckoned her to him and held her trembling body in his arms, whispering to her over and over "everything is okay". With his hands Jack stroked the back of her head and down through her curls, playing with little locks once in a while, hoping to calm her down.

Nestling her head into the crook of his neck and shoulder, Ara breathed in the scent of Jack. He was okay, he is okay. Relief was slowly washing over her as she was held against the body of the man she loves. She could feel him stroking the back of her head, a warming sensation washing over her; she was his entirely.  Continuing to breath in his scent, the two of them sat entwined for a few minutes allowing Ara to clear her mind. In a couple of minutes they would have to proceed with their mission. But whatever happens, she cannot worry him with her vision. Sighing to herself, Ara pulled herself from Jack, reluctantly. She looked into his sea-blue eyes and held his gaze for seconds. 

"We should go.." He nodded, standing to his feet, after lifting Ara up with him. She smiled up at him and walked to one side of the room, where a door had just appeared. After some fiddling the door was open and uninviting. Whispers were floating out of the next room, dark and foreboding. Walking towards her, Jack stood next to Ara.

"Whatever happens next, I will always be with you." Ara looked up at him and offered him a sad smile. This very well could be the last time she would ever see him. She stretched out her right arm to him, hand outstretched. Jack brought his down and gripped hers, fingers intertwined and woven around each other. 

"I will always love you" she said.