Dangerous De Ja Vu

Iris quietly got out of bed and slowly crept over to the door. She checked to see if James was asleep before she left the bedroom. When she saw that he was sound asleep she quickly slipped out of the bedroom.

When Iris arrived downstairs she headed for the kitchen. Since she could not get back to sleep she decided to make herself some tea. She was standing up against the potbelly stove when someone put their arms around her waist. At first she thought it was James, but when he started to untie her nightgown from behind, she was not so sure it was him. When she turned around and discovered Beau standing behind her she dropped her teacup on to the floor. "Let me clean that up for you." He replied cunningly as he bent down to pick up the remnants of broken glass. Suddenly she felt very uneasy. She hated the thought of being all alone with Beau. "No, it is my mess I will clean it up." Iris said nervously.

"Nonsense. I have already taken care of it." Beau said as he placed the broken china on to the counter. "Thank you very much. I will be going up now." Iris was about to move when Beau pulled her back by the arm. "Where are you off to in such a hurry? The night is still young." He replied as he leaned in to kiss her on the neck. Iris pushed him away gently before he could make a move. "Please, Beau, I would really like to get back to bed." Iris tried to move passed him, but he put his arm in the way so she could not get by. "Don't you think you owe me a kiss. . .or something along those lines? After all I did save you from a most serious injury." Beau attempted to kiss her one more time. Just as his lips almost touched hers, a light went on in the kitchen.

"What is going on?" Iris and Beau both looked up when they heard James' voice. "James, you startled me." Iris uttered out of breath as Beau moved away from her. "I am sorry, Darling. I did not realize you had any company." James remarked suspiciously. "What are you doing down here?" She asked. "You know I can not sleep without you." James moved closer to his wife and put his arm around her affectionately. "I was just making myself some tea. I just happened to run in to Beau while I was down here. . .in the kitchen." James noticed a tinge of hesitation in Iris' reply. "It has become just a little too crowded in here for me. Good night, Iris. . .James." He replied coldly as he passed him to leave the kitchen. As soon as Beau was out of the room, Iris' demeanor changed. "Are you feeling okay?" James asked. Suddenly Iris did not hear his voice. She was lost in a trance. James put his arms around her to stop her from trembling. "Iris, honey, talk to me." He said gently. In an instant she snapped from her trance. "Were you saying something?" She asked in a daze.

"Iris, what is wrong? You were trembling." James said. "I was. That is funny I did not even notice." She shrugged. "Let's go back to bed, Sweetheart." James suggested as he took her gently by the hand and led her out of the kitchen. When James brought Iris back up to their room he helped her in to bed. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. James was tucking her in when she started talking. He was not sure if she was coherent. She kept babbling about a chamber. "Iris, go to sleep, Honey." He whispered softly as he kissed her on the forehead. James sat down in the chair next to her bed so that he could watch over her. "Jimmy, don't let them hurt me again." She muttered softly. James suddenly sat up. "Iris, what are you talking about?" He whispered. She did not reply, She just kept saying 'Don't let them hurt me again' over and over. James sat back against the chair and watched as she softly pleaded for his help. Somehow he knew Iris was not dreaming. He had a feeling this nightmare was once real.