Time Warp

"Mom!"

Trisha blinked and glanced around. Everything was white, everywhere. She wasn't even sure how she could be in a place that had nothing but her, how she could feel like she was floating but standing, but it was a sort of good feeling, almost. It was peaceful, at least.

"Mom!"

Trisha frowned and bit her lip. The white place didn't look like anyone else besides her could be there. So where was that voice coming from? And who would be calling out for their mom, anyway? Surely they weren't calling for her. She was only fourteen and not even married. She was nowhere near being a mom.

"Mom!"

But something in her gut tugged at her, telling her that she was a mom, at least to that voice. It was a boy. Her boy. Her son. Trisha inhaled and spun around.

No… that couldn't be her son. Not even in a dream. Someone so attractive couldn't be her flesh and blood. And yet that feeling in her gut kept nagging and pulling at her, telling her that he was her son, he was dear to her. Trisha smiled and fingered a lock of the boy's blond hair.

"Mom," the boy said again. Trisha could hear that he was barely holding back tears. She stroked the top of his head and pulled him into a hug. The boy shuddered against her, and then hugged her back so tightly that Trisha thought her ribs would crack.

"Edward," she whispered as she drew small circles in his hair. She blinked and thought about the name. Edward. She wasn't sure where it had come from, but it was a good name. She glanced at the boy, who had his head buried in her shoulder. Edward. It fit him. It was a beautiful name.

Edward pulled away from her and wiped at his eyes. Trisha took the chance to look him over better. He wasn't much older than her, probably close to the same age, really. How could he be her son when they were the same age?

And then she started seeing the similarities. It was hard to see at first with his bright hair and eyes, but it was there. His nose looked like hers. And his eyes were the wrong color, but the same shape as hers.

His eyes… Trisha felt her breath hitch. She hadn't noticed it at first glance, but now she saw how hardened and… worn he looked through his eyes. It was like someone had taken a beautiful painting and taken a knife to it. Trisha felt herself make a sound as if she had been punched in the gut before she reached out and stroked his cheek. Edward closed his eyes and took in a shaky breath.

"What's happened to you, Edward?"

It was just a whisper, but she knew he had heard it. His eyes snapped open again and he looked at her, and she could see the pain in his eyes. He opened his mouth to respond, and then he closed it again and looked at the ground, away from her.

"I miss you…" he muttered, avoiding the question. Trisha sighed and pulled him back into a hug. She didn't even know the boy, but she knew the feeling. She wanted so badly to not lose him when she left the white place.

And then, when Edward pulled away from her again, something happened. It was like a small window opened in the whiteness of the world, showing a house and green grass. Trisha blinked and stared at it.

And then she was in the window, only she looked older and more… tired. Like she had been going for days standing on her feet without getting proper sleep. Edward glanced between the window and her.

"You're younger," he said, sounding as if he was surprised he hadn't realized it before. Trisha chuckled and shook her head.

Trisha watched herself sit down underneath a tree and pull a piece of paper out from the pocket of her apron. A letter. Trisha felt herself leaning forward, as if she would be able to read the words through the window.

"Mommy, mommy! Look at me! Look what I can do! Mommy!"

Trisha blinked and tore her gaze away from herself. There, over by the wall of the house, was a younger Edward, balancing against the wall and trying to do a headstand. Trisha laughed and looked over at the Edward beside her, who was smiling slightly, in a wistful sort of way.

"Mommy, look what I can do! See? Mommy!"

Trisha glanced back at her older self. She was still absorbed in her letter. She felt her nails begin to dig into her palm.

"What are you doing, you fool?" she whispered. "He's your son, go play with him. Children never last forever. Go enjoy it while you can."

And then her older self held a hand up to her cheek and began crying as she clutched the letter to her chest. Trisha winced and looked back over at the older Edward. He had his eyes closed.

And then the window was gone. Trisha sighed and reached out to pull Edward into another hug, but as she started reaching out, she felt a tug in her gut. It wasn't a pleasant pull like the one that had told her that she was Edward's mom, but a more uncomfortable one, like a fish being reeled in. She looked at Edward again. He looked as if he had learned that his puppy had been hit by a car.

And then Trisha knew what was important about him. Why he was so beautiful to her, why she just wanted to pet and hug him and protect him from the world.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Mom," Edward whispered, and she could see more tears begin flowing down his face, only this time she wasn't able to reach out and comfort him.

Trisha woke with a jolt, awkwardly jerking from the world of dreams to reality. She groaned and buried her head in her pillow again. She just wanted to go back to sleep.

Edward.

Trisha opened her eyes again and frowned in confusion. She had dreamt about Edward. Her son. The boy the same age as her. She sighed and sat up on her bed.

She had always read about time travel in books, but she had never thought she'd actually question its reality. And if that was time travel, why did she have to experience it in a dream so she had to question its reality so much?

"Mommy, look what I can do! See? Mommy!"

Trisha winced and held a hand to her head. She was too young to have to deal with painful memories of mistakes she had made as a mother. But it wasn't mistakes she had made, because she hadn't made them yet, right?

Trisha sighed and shook her head as she climbed out of her bed. Maybe it had just been a crazy dream, and nothing more.

But there was still that tugging feeling in her gut.

Woot, I'm actually still writing things! Oneshots, even, which I haven't written much in a while. And yes, I have a bit of a thing with Trisha lately. But we all love Trisha, riiiight?

This was actually a real dream I had. Yes, seriously. Practically word for word, even. It's been bothering me for a few days now, so I decided to write it all down in an attempt to let it out. Yay writing.