Audrey ran as fast as humanly possible but it did her no good. Piper kept gaining on her. Except it wasn't Piper as she normally was, half her face had been melded with the Brandon James mask.
"Audrey" She called, a horrifying smile overtaking her face. Making her look more deranged - like the knife wasn't enough when it came to completing her creepy image.
"Audrey!" Blood dribbled from her mouth when she spoke.
"Leave me alone!" Audrey screamed trying to run faster. When she looked back to see if Piper was still chasing her she was met with the sight of Rachel, knife in hand.
"Audrey" She cried. Audrey gasped and stumbled over a tree branch that she swore wasn't there a second ago.
"I'm sorry" Audrey blurted, barely holding back a sob.
"It's my fault I'm sorry" She apologised again. Rachel said nothing just kept creeping forward knife in hand. Audrey braced herself for impact ..
"AUDREY!"
Audrey woke with a start, heart pounding and face damp with tears.
"Hey, hey it's okay" Brooke whispered soothingly, gently running her fingers through Audrey's hair.
Audrey took steadying breaths. She tried to calm her wild beating heart. She was in her and Brooke's apartment, they were safe. Her and Brooke were safe. Piper was long dead (Rachel too, she thought with a wince)
They were safe.
"The Piper dream again?" Brooke asked as she pressed the smallest of kisses to Audrey's temple.
Audrey nodded, afraid that her voice would betray just how badly it had shaken her.
She thought she was getting the hang of this.
"It's okay. You're safe - I'm safe. Pipers dead. We've got nothing to be scared about" Brooke reassured her like she did after every bad dream.
Audrey felt a swell of love in her heart. She was so lucky to have someone like Brooke who surprised her again and again with the love, compassion and patience she'd shown. She's nothing like the shallow popular mess Audrey first thought she was.
"I know" Audrey croaked out, opening her arms and enveloping Brooke in them. Brooke sighed and snuggled into the embrace. Even after all these years Audrey was still surprised that she was allowed this. Still surprised that Brooke wanted her as much as she wanted Brooke.
"We have nothing to be scared of" Brooke mumbled again. Audrey looked down at her girlfriend, taking in her furrowed brow.
"Something wrong?" Audrey asked leaning down to kiss the worry lines away. Brooke melted into it but let out a little sigh.
"I need to be brave Audrey" Brooke said, tangling their fingers together.
"What for" Audrey asked, worried now but curious at the same time. She knew Brooke had had something on her mind for the past few days but everytime Audrey asked she deflected the question in a typical Brooke manor.
"Audrey?"
"Yes?"
"Marry me?" Brooke asked in barely a whisper.
Audrey stilled. Did Brooke just..?
"Yes" Audrey replied before she could even think about it. "Yes, yes a thousand times yes".
Brooke didn't give Audrey another chance to talk as she captured her lips. They sunk into their mattress and celebrated the love they shared.
They had suffered so much the both of them. Here on this bed they'd each had their share of bad dreams, they've gone to bed angry with each other and woke up apologies already out before good mornings, they'd recounted their day to each other and shared kisses and made love and argued over petty things. Brooke had spilled perfume on the bed and Audrey had dirtied it with her boots. It only made sense that here on this bed they got engaged.
They'd get a new bed when they moved into a proper house. Two of them actually - since they were planning on having another addition to the Jensen-Maddox household. This bed was where that future was forged.
But tonight that bed played host to the happiest women on earth who both at one point in their lives never thought they'd live long enough to come this far. To be this happy.
They also broke the bed that night too but it was a minor detail.