Premonition

Jaime rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she shuffled to the kitchen for breakfast. The soothing smell of coffee dripping into the carafe had her sniffing in appreciation.

"Rough night?" Tony asked, filling her mug.

Jaime wrapped her hands around the warmth of the cup and sighed, "The night was full of dreams. And not the good kind." She accepted a cranberry muffin from the platter Tony held out and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Cheeky monkey! Thought you could sneak in the pecans, huh?" She picked out the offending nut and flicked it across the table. Tony grinned, scooped it into his hand, and tossed it into his mouth.

"So what was it this time? Flying lizards? An ocean full of sharks? Last time I dreamt I was captain of a starship. I was just about to beam down to a new planet when the diamond chips in engineering blew up. I think it was one of the creatures from the planet. They didn't want us there, you see..." Tony trailed off as Jaime started laughing.

"You should write a book, Tony, that sounds like an exciting adventure. No," a hint of a smile lingered on her face as she sipped her coffee, "My dream was shrouded in mist. Like a premonition or a haunting memory of the past. There was something in it that felt real. Something that I used to know, but I had forgotten."

"What was it?" Tony whispered, leaning closer.

Jaime licked her lips, "Strawberry jam and toast."

Tony blinked and cleared his throat, but he didn't speak. Instead, he rubbed his stubbled chin and took a bite of muffin.

"I know it doesn't make sense," Jaime said, feeling the heat creep up her neck, "But something about it filled me with fear. I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep after that. It was a long night." She rubbed the back of her neck, closed her eyes, and let the weariness wash over her.

"Someone's at the door," Tony grunted. Jaime's eyes flew open and she grinned at the relief flashing over his face.

"Things getting a little creepy for you, Tony?" she teased. He rolled his eyes and reached for the back door before the visitor could knock. Jaime ignored the murmur of voices behind her, lowered her face over her cup, and took another sip of the brew.

The door clicked shut again and Tony's voice wavered, "Now I'm a little creeped out," he admitted, dropping a flat of strawberries on the kitchen table.

Jaime's jaw dropped. "Where'd those come from?"

"Mrs. Green."

"But...it's not strawberry season yet," Jaime protested, "Where did she get them from?"

"She said it was the darndest thing, her strawberry plants just up and bloomed yesterday. Last night they all ripened at the same time. She didn't want them to go to waste..." Tony paused as Jaime's face paled.

"Hey," he soothed, placing a hand on her shoulder, "don't worry. They're just strawberries. They're probably early this year due to global warming or something. Besides, they aren't jammed yet...and there's no toast."

"It's not funny, Tony," Jaime pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. She glared at the berries and shook her head. "Take them away. I don't want them here."

"We can't just throw away good food," Tony argued, "We could make a strawberry pie with these."

"No. There's something evil about those berries. I can feel it." she shuddered and, pushing away from the table, stood.

Tony sighed, "It was just a dream, Jaime. And these are just plain 'ol strawberries." He jabbed at a berry with a finger and then jumped back with an unmanly screech as a tiny creature popped out of the flat. Wiping strawberry juice from its pixie face, the fairy fluttered its wings and pointed a tiny finger at Tony.

"Stay away from him!" Jaime shouted. Lunging forward, she grabbed the fire extinguisher from its spot near the stove and swung it at the sprite. The pixie dodged and darted around Jaime to land on Tony's head. Spinning with the momentum of her swing, Jaime fell to her rear. She watched as Tony shrieked and swatted at his head until, with a sudden flash, Tony shrank to pixie size.

"No!" Jaime stretched out a hand to stop the fairy, but the wee creature grabbed Tony's hand and pulled him away. With a second flash of light the fairy and Tony disappeared, leaving the faint smell of burnt toast in their wake.