The darkness of the night was slowly ebbing into the only room that had remained lit. Most of the crew on the Silvana had already receded to their quarters, either to sleep or to play cards with their crewmates. Only one man remained awake and working, trying to make some sort of a lead in his ongoing search for Exile.

Alex straightened the papers on his desk, trying to keep some order in all of the chaos. His research had come to a grinding halt, as all possible information on Exile had been dissected and processed, yet gave no leads to his investigation. Alex leaned back in his chair, going over all the data he had acquired slowly and methodically in his head. He leaned his head back casually, his wavy raven locks falling to the side of his face and caressing his ears. He grimaced, as one of the tresses remained strung across his face. He cared too little to reach up and move it, and yet, it irked him to leave it there. Though his trivial thoughts were soon discarded when a soft moan broke the silence of the night. He blinked, surprised, and soon heard another moan, louder this time; disturb the peace of his study. He lifted himself from his chair, sweeping his cape back in one fluid motion, and walked slowly to the door of his office. He opened the door, stepping out into the chilliness of the hallway. He silently berated himself for bothering to see what had caused the disturbance. Why did he think it had concerned him? Just then, a deafening scream reverberated off the hallway walls. Alex followed the sound quickly, yanking open the door and racing over to where the dark figure lay. He could tell by the silhouette that it was a female, and his long strides quickly took him to the side of the bed. She had quieted, for the moment at least, and his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, slowly at first, until he could clearly see who's room he was standing in; Sophia's. He stood momentarily, unsure of what to do in the present situation, until a pain-filled cry escaped from her lips once more, contorting her tan face into a look of horror only her deepest fears could create. Alex swiftly reached down and shook her, stopping her terror-filled scream and rousing her from her slumber.

Her emerald eyes sparkled as they opened, moist with tears, and she gasped, surprised to find the Captain in her quarters. She instinctively brought the sheets up to her chest, covering her modest apparel. The camisole top she wore was loose on her shoulders, and, much too her horror, the strap slipped playfully down her shoulders. The moistness in her eyes had converged into a single tear, gracefully slipping down her right cheek. A blush had graced her tan cheeks, turning them a rosy pink. What was Alex doing in her room this late? Why had he woken her? All these questions raced across Sophia's mind, only making her blush more severe.

Alex stared at her for what seemed like an hour, his lifeless eyes seeming to bore into her skull. She fidgeted, uncomfortable in the awkward situation that it had become, and cast her eyes aside. "Was I…was I snoring?" She stuttered, tightening her hold on the sheets. He smirked inwardly, her naiveté amusing him. So she really hadn't remembered her dream. He sighed inaudibly, and turned towards the door. Sophia looked up, suddenly aware that he planned on leaving her, and whispered, "Al..Alex?" as if the simple statement would make him stay. But he continued towards the door, resting his hand on the handle and turning, ever so slightly, to say,

"You were screaming in your sleep."

He opened the door then, and left quickly, leaving Sophia alone once more, to burn with embarrassment, and fear. Fear of the dream that she had just endured.