"Alliances - Part One"
Introducing - Victor Garber as Jack Archer
Apartment #301, New York City
Monday, 5th September 2005
9:30am
The mangled body of a woman lay in a pool of her own blood.
Jack Archer coughed, covering his mouth with his handkerchief as the putrid stench of death permeated his nostrils. “How long has she been here?” he choked, having to leave the confinement of the small room as the smell of decaying flesh became overwhelming.
The aide followed him out and into the hallway. “About a week. She was supposed to be on vacation. The building super found her after the neighbours complained of the smell.” The aide handed Jack an envelope containing a series of photographs depicting similar scenes of violence and death.
“In total there’s been thirteen deaths like this one in the past month. The police have no leads yet except that it looks like a serial killer. Each victim had their limbs either dismembered or mangled and their heart cut out. They also had similar flesh wounds like these…” the aide directed Jack to a specific photo.
“This looks like Belzar’s work all right,” said Jack, his face turning more rigid than usual in an effort to fight down the nausea. “He must be a fool, defying the treaty like this; he knows civilian territory is strictly out of bounds. Alert Beta section immediately, tell them I’ll be in Virginia by 10pm tonight.”
******
The Alliance Headquarters, Virginia
Monday, 5th September 2005
10:00pm
Jack Archer paced the length of the vast boardroom with haste. He was anxious to meet with the head of Security section. If Belzar had already left New York there was no telling where he might have taken his brand of wholesale carnage by now.
Suddenly the door opened and two middle aged men entered followed by a short Marakka demon.
“Ah Jack, please, sit down,” said the first man, gesturing towards a seat.
“Lothar, Samir, thank you for meeting me so urgently,” said Jack formally as he seated himself.
“We have some good news for you,” continued Lothar as they settled at the desk, “We located the subject you requested. He’s currently in Los Angeles.”
*Anywhere but there!* Jack thought dismally. He had avoided LA like it were a leper colony for the past twenty years and he didn’t have any desire to return. Outwardly he kept his expression as blank and tight lipped as usual. “Are you sure?” he asked flatly.
“Very sure Sir,” said the Marakka demon turning to face Jack, “I’ve been tracking Belzar for sometime. After the series of murders in Washington DC and New York he appeared to have vanished, then I found him again in Las Vegas.”
The demon pulled a file out from under his jacket and tossed it across the table towards Jack. “I received Intel earlier this morning. This time it was a Russian Diplomat, they found his dismembered corpse in the restroom at Caesar’s Palace. Not only that but his heart had been cut out, just like all the others.”
“This demon is one sick son of a bitch,” muttered Jack under his breath.
“Well, yeah, so I got one of my best trackers to follow the target from Vegas and that’s how we know he’s in LA. No doubt The Order will protect him.”
“You must be careful Jack,” warned Samir. He carefully removed his glasses and cleaned them thoroughly before replacing them on his face.
Jack rose from his chair in surprise. “Me? You want me to go to LA and eliminate Belzar? Why not just get one of our Californian agents to make the hit?”
“He’s your case subject Jack,” Lothar reminded him, “You know more about his moves and the way he thinks than anyone else in the Alliance. Belzar defied the treaty, that makes him a target now. Think you can handle it?”
Jack’s face became immovable again and he pursed his lips together in an expression of repressed contempt. "Of course,” Jack pushed his chair back noisily, “I’ll set out to Los Angeles as soon as I can.” He lowered his head respectfully and then turned to leave the room.
“And Jack?” called out Lothar, turning in his chair to face him, “Be careful. Belzar may very well be an irrational fool but he’s also one of the Five. The Order may be prepared to kill to defend one of their own.”
Jack nodded in understanding and quietly closed the door behind him.
“What’s his problem?” mumbled Samir in irritation.
Lothar still continued to stare at the door long after Jack had passed through it. “Old ghosts,” he replied.
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Mid-Season Two: Jan 20, 2006 - June 16(ish), 2006
Sunday 22nd January 2006 – 3:45am
“You told me this would make her completely trust what I said. That she’d never so much as question what I was!”
Spittle flew from Deon’s mouth as he stormed and gesticulated in front of Ethan, waving the amulet under the human’s nose. Ethan had to suppress the urge to chuckle. For all that Deon looked and sounded like a kid chucking a temper tantrum, he knew all too well what the vampire was capable of.
“And yet,” Deon’s tirade continued unabated, “there she was entertaining the possibility that I might be a vampire!”
His voice dropped to a low, menacing whisper as his rage burned past white-hot and reached that calm place that terrified his victims – usually just moments before they died. He held the amulet up to Ethan and leaned in to the tall man, that cold whisper raising gooseflesh on the back of the mage’s neck. “So can you fix this? Or should we declare this deal forfeit? I trust you remember the penalty for failure.”
Ethan knew this type. The only thing someone like Deon respected was strength. So he responded with anger of his own, snatching the amulet from Deon’s fingers. “This,” he shook the charm, his eyes narrowing as he hissed his reply, “is only as good as the information that goes into its making. If you had told me in the first place that the target had been merged with a demon I could have taken that into consideration. But no,” Ethan was starting to enjoy himself, having really hit his stride, “you had to withhold that particular snippet.”
Deon’s nostrils flared at the mage’s impertinence, but Ethan wasn’t done yet. He snarled at the young vampire, “Now that you’ve seen fit to furnish me will all you know, I should be able to tweak this so it will behave as advertised. But don’t think for one second that you can blame your slip-up on my magic.”
The two stood, the modern horror genre equivalent of the old-west standoff. Would they draw their six-shooters and kill each other or not? A hush grew until the room seemed completely still, especially so since Deon didn’t breathe and Ethan was holding his.
Then Deon nodded curtly. “Fine, then. Do it.”
Ethan watched the vampire leave the room and let his breath out in a long sigh. A bead of sweat trickled down his face and he looked at the charm in his hand. He knew the repercussions if something went wrong with it this time. Deon hadn’t said anything, but he didn’t have to. One of the down sides of working for the forces of Chaos was that the beings he had to deal with could be - well, chaotic. Ethan wondered if instead of trying to boost the magic in the charm whether he shouldn’t just invest in more anti-vampire wards.
Mid-Season Two: Jan 20, 2006 - June 16(ish), 2006
Thursday 26th January 2006 – 8:30pm
Tash strapped on her wrist sheath and checked her other weaponry. She’d finally found Kate just yesterday, but the wicca was in no shape to help with Darian’s problem just yet. And Daye was still in Ireland. Still, if he’d waited 200 years a couple more months shouldn’t kill him.
That led her to thinking about the trickery she and Darian had been subjected to. A few days away from the influence of the amulet had given her some semblance of clarity. That, and a brief conversation with a shaky Darian had cast some illumination. Darian told her that the other Dark Fae – Loki - had performed the shapechanging to fool them, but that Loki had mentioned something about having help. That just had to be Pat. And what about both Darian’s and Victor’s contention that Pat was a vampire?
Tash sighed as she patted herself, ensuring the stakes were in place. She had to admit that the evidence was compelling. That Pat had been turned was the only explanation that fit all the facts at her disposal. The only thing nobody could explain was what had happened to her ability to detect vampires at close range. It didn’t seem affected when she was out hunting. Only when in proximity to Pat. Well, so far anyway, from the small statistical sample she had.
The thought that she might have to stake her own brother weighed heavily on her mind. Her brain kept telling her that he wasn’t her brother – if Pat truly had been turned then he was dead and a demon inhabited his body. But her heart still saw those sparkling brown eyes. It still saw the first person who’d ever truly understood her and accepted her.
She’d never had to stake anyone who was a friend or loved one. When Sorrow still held the demon inside him she’d have staked him in a second if it became necessary, but she hadn’t really known him all that well then. And what about Jade? Maybe some day she’d have to stake Jade if Valerian ever won her mind and soul. Hard as it would be, Tash knew she would and could do it. But Pat?
Victor laid a hand gently on her shoulder, breaking her out of her reverie. She smiled wanly at him. “I know,” she said, “I’ll be careful. And I know you’ll be here to pick up the pieces if I have to… you know.”
She drew a shuddering sigh and let Victor enfold her soundlessly in his arms. They were beyond words. There was nothing left to say. His love enveloped her and comforted her, but ultimately she had to face this alone.
*****
10:04pm
“Hey, Nat.”
His voice made her jump. She’d not heard – or felt – him coming. She whirled, heart in her throat. And there he stood, the picture of innocence, a cherubic smile splitting his face in that cheeky grin that she remembered all too well. She reached out to him mentally in the way they always had as children, and her brow furrowed when she found she could barely concentrate enough to sense him at all, let alone share thoughts with him.
“Pat?”
“It’s ok, Nat,” he used the name he’d always called her, “I’m home now. Wanna head to the corner shop and get some ice-cream?”
Tash tousled her little brother’s head. “Sure, Pat.” She was fourteen again, and vampires were things of legend and horror movies. She took her brother’s hand and skipped up the street with him, their faces sharing the same beaming smile.
“Nat?”
“Yeah?”
“Listen carefully to what I have to say now…”
*****
Friday 27th January 2006 – 2:15am
Victor tried not to show that he’d been waiting anxiously for her, but Tash could tell. Wearily she closed the door to her flat behind her and kissed him. Tired as she was, she wanted to get straight to the point.
“Well, I learned some stuff. I didn’t find Pat anywhere, but I did find some other vamps. Before I dusted them I asked them about him and yeah, it seems you were right – he wasa vampire. Called himself Deon. But apparently that Dark Fae of Darian’s did for him after their little alliance fell through.”
Victor made a small noise in the back of his throat, “Tash, how awful. I’m so sorr…”
“It’s not so bad,” Tash cut him off, “I’ve thought for years he was dead so it doesn’t really matter. At least I didn’t have to do it.”
For a second she thought there was something else she should be telling Victor, then a whisper tickled the back of her brain. "...you will believe Loki killed me, and you will forget you met me tonight. Until we meet again, forget..."
Tash shrugged and looked at Victor, smoothing away the concerned furrows in his brow with her hand. “Don’t worry,” she said, “Life goes on. I’ll be ok, really. I’m off to bed.”
Mid-Season Two: Jan 20, 2006 - June 16(ish), 2006
Satuday 25th Feb 9ish pm
Maria had started off not being too sure about being left alone in the house with just Bowen and Yasha. She still didn't trust Bowen that much. Maria was never altogether sure about what was good for her mother. Friends were good, granted, but hurting was bad. But tonight she could get to know him better. And if she didn't like him, she could easily get rid of him. For now, she sat and worked out her latest doll game on the cold tiled floor. Her tiny toes were curled up from the cold, but she didn't notice it.
Bowen finished heating up a bedtime drink for Maria and began walking up the grand staircase. It was beautiful. Bare marble, it was freezing cold and rock hard, but elegant all the same. Though it had a warm appearance it was a cold house. Ironic, he thought, with an owner to match. He reached the top of the stairs and glanced around. He couldn't really remember which room belonged to Maria. It was a large house, and the many doors beckoned to him.
A door to his right lead to a room full of toys. It wasn't Maria's bedroom, but a playroom of sorts. It was quite unusually tidy for a child's playroom, and the toys - old toys - were stacked in tidy piles. Bowen carefully examined a doll. Its face was smooth china and it stared at him with unfeeling glass eyes. He put the doll down and picked up the jack-in-a-box that had stood next to it.
Winding the handle, it gave a quiet, fable-like tune that he did not recognise. Then a ghastly little face burst from the lid. It was very old, and the paint was chipped. *They don't make them so scary in this day and age,* Bowen mused over the strange toys that would seem normal to a child a century or two ago. Then realising he still had a drink to deliver, he left the room of frightening oddities and looked about the landing once more.
One step into another room presented a strange atmosphere. If it had not been for a few out of place items, he would never of guessed that anyone lived in the room. It was almost perfectly tidied and the air was still and cold. Heavy black velvet curtains smothered the windows, and dark red floral wallpaper spread in all directions. A four poster bed sat central to the entire room, dark sheets folded perfectly, pillows plumped and comfy looking - Bowen fought hard not to let his imagination wander.
He walked over to a dressing table, beautifully carved from an ancient wood. A vanity mirror stood elegantly on its surface, showing Bowen several of his profiles. Various pieces of jewellery were littered across it, silver, black and pearl. He picked up a black silk hair ribbon and inhaled into it, delighting in the distant and almost fragile scent of Mantheana's hair. Suddenly aware of his trespassing, he put it down next to an ornate music box. He moved quickly out of the room and closed the door behind him.
A new door caught his attention. Stepping inside he was confronted with a relatively empty room, with walls covered in framed art. Lavish oil paintings showed figures, emotions, places and objects. They varied in size, shape, colour and style and gave the room an indescribable energy. Bowen touched the frame of a portrait, only to find that the entire picture swung back on a hinge revealing a door. Stepping inside Bowen gasped at the contents of what seemed to be yet another art room. Over all of the walls stood paintings of people - women with pale skin and dark hair. All framed beautifully, the portraits covered nearly every inch of the walls. And, looking closer, Bowen recognised the face in the darkness. Mantheana was the model in all the paintings.
She sat here, at a side profile, dressed in habitual black and deep red, crimson eyes glancing sideways, towards the painter, with such a depth that it was almost photographical.
There she stared directly at the viewer with sad eyes and pouty lips; her hair tied back with ringlets framing her face.
In another picture, she sat on a bed with her back to the painter, looking back over her shoulder, trying to catch their eye. She was wearing ivory coloured Victorian undergarments and her long brown hair fell loose down her back and over her bare shoulders.
To his right a picture that might have looked Like Mantheana with Maria at a glance, proved different upon closer inspection. The woman in the picture wore blue and looked forward with blank brown eyes. There was no hint of smile on her lips, and she held a stern look about her that Mantheana never carried. The child at her side wore dark red and black. Her face was slightly less round than Maria's and showed no trace of the faint freckles Maria's skin sported. Then it struck Bowen. The girl in the picture was Mantheana when she was a girl of Maria's age. Dressed totally in period garb, and one would think they were living in the 1800's. The same doll Bowen had seen Maria carry round sat this time on Mantheana's lap. Yet no matter how close the little Mantheana sat to the figure Bowen supposed was her mother, Mantheana looked very much alone.
Perhaps it was the way the light fell more upon her white skin than that of her mother's or perhaps it was that the deep red stood out on the canvas. Maybe it was that the rest of the painting seemed dark, and isolating, and that was why she looked so detached. Yet the way she held her face, though it was not smiling, indicated that being that remote was perfectly normal and that to expect any more closeness would be to ask too much. She looked desolate, close to her mother's arms.
Then a ballerina in white, a young teenager, was displayed in movement. The picture was grace and fury rolled into one. Hair tightly pinned back, limbs blazing, the dancer's maroon eyes radiated concentration. Even if there had been other dancers in the background, Bowen suspected she would have seemed alone, like it was only her dancing, and she was alone on the stage - alone in the world.
Bowen gawked and stared at the hundred lonely Mantheanas on the walls. The perception was immaculate. Not a photograph in the world could have shown her any more true to herself.
"They're all of my Mother, you know that?" Maria had appeared, suddenly from nowhere, and given Bowen a start. "You shouldn't be down here."
"Who… who did these?" he gasped, recovering from his nerves.
"My father. He was an artist." This was very matter-of-factly. "He did them all."
"I see."
"Except that one." She pointed to a small picture at the end of the room. In it, Mantheana could be seen held in the arms of a man, whose face was buried in her hair. There was an urgency in the way she held him close, and a power with which he encased her in his arms that was very moving. And still, the tightness of Mantheana's embrace suggested she was trying to convince the other figure, or even herself, that she wasn't alone. It was, quite obviously, a different style from the rest, but it was eye-catching all the same.
"That's him, I think. My Papa." Maria was looking at the same picture. Then she stood back, so that she was standing next to the picture of Mantheana at the same age. The resemblance was striking throughout the family line. Maria and the two dimensional Mantheana stared at him with claret eyes, until the former spoke.
"You shouldn't be down here. We shouldn't be down here. She doesn't know I know. This is her secret room."
"She keeps it secret?"
Maria nodded.
"But why would she want to hide all these works of art? They're beautiful."
"Yes… But I don't think Mama likes the world to see what he saw in her. We need to leave now." Maria took Bowen's hand and lead him swiftly through the portrait door through which he had entered. She pushed it shut and once more they stood in the art room.
"Come on, it's time for my bedtime story."
"Oh yes. I have your drink." Bowen held it out sheepishly, and then realised that it had now gone completely cold again. "Sorry. I er… got a little distracted."
"So I see. That’s fine. I'll drink it cold." Maria took the cup from his unresisting hand. "Now you can come and read to me."
And she led the way, bare feet on the cold floor and deep auburn hair falling down her back. She walked around the house as if she could have done it blindfolded, and soon enough, they reached the door that was thoroughly recognisable as Maria's. A large crayon drawing, which depicted an intriguing portrait of Maria, was hung smartly on the door. She pushed it open to reveal her moderately sized room. By the window stood her little bed, in a state that suggested she herself had laid it and that it was tidy and that was how you laid a bed, whatever anyone else should say. Amidst the crumpled bedding, Yasha lounged with an ease that only large and frightening dogs can. In addition to the bed, there was a small bookcase and a large doll's house. Dolls of all shapes and sizes sat propped up around the doll's house, waiting to be played with.
Maria picked one up, the same that had been portrayed with Mantheana all those years ago and climbed into bed, somehow finding space amongst the vast fur that was Yasha.
"So, what would you like read, Maria?" Bowen asked. He had never had any children, and the closest he had really come to childcare was babysitting with his girlfriend when he was seventeen. He wasn't quite sure how to treat Maria. She was obviously just as competent as he was, but more importantly, she held a large sway over Mantheana. If he ticked her off, there didn't seem like much of a chance for him.
Maria was quite bemused at Bowen's clumsy attempts at looking after her for the night. If there was ever a future for him and her mother, she decided he had a lot to learn.
"I don't mind. You choose, I want to see what you pick." Maria grinned merrily with her little white teeth and Bowen turned to the bookcase. He viewed the spines of the books, looking for something he remembered, or thought he might enjoy. Reading across he found volumes titled Alice in Wonderland, Grimm's Fairytales, Little Women, Voodoo, Tarot and Other Majicks that a Child Might Require, Through the looking Glass, The Mortality and Immortality of Coldlings, Vol IV: Ending and Jenna's Tale but to name a few. Raising an eyebrow, he selected Alice in Wonderland, one of the books he felt more sure of.
Maria grinned sleepily. "I like that one too."
Bowen began to read, in the slow and fumbling way of someone that does not read out loud often and feels uncomfortable. All the same Maria found his reading enjoyable and she snuggled deeper into the covers.
Bowen, feeling that he had maybe bonded a bit with the strange little child, asked, "So… who was your father? Does your Mom ever talk about him?" but was only answered by soft breathing noises. Maria had fallen asleep, and Bowen did not feel to keen on waking her up. For one thing she looked quite sweet as she slept, and for another Yasha was there, and he looked no less of a beast even when in the land of nod.
He sighed and got to his feet. There was a lot of mystery surrounding Mantheana. She lived all by herself save her daughter and pet, in a large house, in a large city. She didn't talk about her past, except when it concerned Maria. Surely there was a reason she had come to LA? Then there was the fact that she kept all her skin covered in the sunlight. She dressed like she was living in another century, and her many portraits concluded that she had since she was little.
Then there was her mysterious ex lover, the father of Maria and painter of all portraits, even the ones of her when she was a child. What did that mean? That he'd used photo references, dreamed them up, or that he'd been there? What was the age gap? What that the norm in Russia? Did she even come from Russia? He wished Maria were awake. Then maybe he could understand some things. But for now, he left the room in silence, wandering down stairs without investigating rooms on the way. More inquisitiveness could happen later.
Deep in slumber, Maria's fingers twitched as she clutched at one of Bowen's hairs that had fallen onto her sheets.
daye and sam grow close
***Thursday, October 27, 2005 early afternoon***
Daye sat in her small room at the Brotherhood compound. She was reading a book on childbirth. Sam was due any minute with her vitamin drink. She was looking forward to seeing him. He was a wonderful friend, a true brother. Over the last few weeks Ryan had been increasingly busy with Mother Mariah’s work. Sam was often the only person she was able to talk to all day. He was very kind and sweet. He had an interest in magic too, and Daye loved talking to him about it. Sam was eager to learn, even if he was a little shy on confidence. Daye figured it was good for him as well, their friendship. She spent a lot of time reassuring him that he was good enough and smart enough. Sam had told her only Mother herself ever made him feel so good.
Daye glanced up as the door to her room opened. Sam stood in the doorway, looking awkward. He held a large glass in his hand. Daye smiled at him and gestured for him to come in.
“Hi,” Sam said, bringing her the glass.
“Hi yourself,” she replied, taking the drink and sipping it. She grimaced at the bitter taste, but didn’t object. She knew the herbs and vitamins in the draught were necessary for her developing baby, a baby who needed things she didn’t understand because of its half demon heritage. Ryan had explained everything to her, and she didn’t question any of it.
“Oh, I’ve got that book for you,” Daye said, struggling to rise from her chair. Her abdomen was distended with her pregnancy and it made moving around difficult for her.
“Let me get it,” Sam urged. He didn’t want Daye to strain herself. He knew the “vessel” was due in a few days' time. He and Daye had never discussed it, because he sensed there were things going on that she didn’t know about. Ryan had told her about Mother Mariah, but not about her coming “rebirth”. Actually, Ryan and Daye disturbed Sam. She seemed to accept his word as gospel, and he told her very little about what was going on. Sam had a feeling Ryan resented his friendship with Daye, but Mother insisted upon it and Ryan knew better than to argue with Mother.
Sam sighed, coming to sit beside Daye with the book she had mentioned in his hand. It was a tattered paperback copy of a fantasy novel that Daye loved. She’d suggested he read it, and wanting to make her happy, Sam had agreed. Sam doubted he would like or understand it though. Fantasy novels usually confused him. Sam thought there was more than enough fantasy in his real life nowadays anyway.
“So, how are you feeling?” Sam asked.
“I’m fine, great really,” Daye answered. “I feel so good. The baby is moving all the time and I haven’t slept so well in weeks.”
“That’s good,” Sam said. He personally thought she looked terrible. She was losing weight rapidly, while her belly swelled. Every day, her face and the rest of her body looked more and more emaciated. She was “The Guardian” and as such, she had to carry “The Vessel” but Sam thought it was taking an awful lot out of her. Each day he felt more and more like her brother, and he was growing to love her as such so quickly. That was why he was having more and more doubts. Daye was a growing concern for him; one he couldn’t discuss with anyone. It was funny, the only person he felt comfortable talking to now was the person he desperately needed to talk about.
Sam seemed quiet today. He was keeping company with his own thoughts, and although he appeared to be troubled, Daye didn’t know if she should ask him about it. Sam sometimes was very private. He had told her very little about his life before joining the Crimson Brotherhood, but Daye sensed he’d had some difficult times. She didn’t want to worry him unnecessarily. If he was fine, asking him what was bothering him would only cause Sam distress. He hated to be obtrusive, and he’d feel bad about projecting any negativity. So, Daye let it go. She sat quietly beside him and waited.
“I’m glad you’re feeling good,” Sam said, rising. “I have some things I need to work on. I’m sorry we couldn’t visit longer.”
Daye shrugged. “I understand,” she said. “You’re a very important guy around here. Of course, you have work to do. If you’d like we can talk again later.”
Sam nodded. “Yes, maybe,” he said. Sam hurried from the room then. He felt sick and confused. Just like the girls at the warehouse, Daye was serving Mother and although Mother had said there would be hardship, Sam was feeling wrong. He had a duty to fulfill as well, but with each passing day he wondered if what he was doing really was the right thing. Sam tried hard to deny it, but he was losing faith.
Mid-Season Two: Jan 20, 2006 - June 16(ish), 2006
**Thursday, March 2nd, Late Morning**
"So… err… Miss Alashkov. We'd be happy to show you and your daughter around."
"Thank you."
"So, how old did you say, er... Maria is?"
"My daughter can speak for herself you know."
"Yes. Um. So Maria, how old are you?"
"I have just turned five sir." Maria sat next to her mother, imitating the exact position, back straight, legs crossed, even if Maria's didn't touch the ground. She looked the perfect little madam.
"Good good. And where did she - you attend Kindergarten?" The Principal smiled at the couple as best he could. They were interesting.
"I did not attend Kindergarten, sir."
"I see. I am just going to have a chat with your Mom for a second, yeah?"
"Yessir." Maria placed her little hands into her lap and stared inquiringly at various objects on the Principal's desk.
"Miss Alashkov. Is there a reason behind your daughter's lack of pre-school education?"
"Yeys. Until recently, ve vere out of the country. But Maria has been home tutored since she vos old enough."
"You don't think she will be behind in any way?"
"No. She is as competent as any other little girl of her age should be."
"Great. Well, let's take a look around." The head stood up and walked to the door, motioning for Mantheana and Maria to follow. They did. Maria was not frightened, but she felt that maybe she should be, so she slipped her hand into Mantheana's. Mantheana gave her a reassuring squeeze and led her out of the office.
****
"This is the kindergarten class. They were asked to finger paint, or make out of play-doh, their favourite animal. We're very pleased with some of the work that has come out of this. Tracy over there did a lovely duck-billed-platypus. The Principal beamed as Maria inspected the wonky and garish picture.
"Very pretty. I don't think they are blue in real life. Maybe it is modern-art, like at the Tate Gallery, and the Louvre." Maria looks at serious as she ever did, and with her hand held beneath her chin, she eyed the painting with intrigue.
"Ahem. Yeah. Let's be moving on then."
They walked down the corridor. Another door was stopped at. The Principal opened it to display rows of children at desks.
"And here, our children are reading a book together."
"Ah, books. Maria likes books, don't you?"
"Yes Mama. Sir, what are they reading?" Maria was on tip toes, trying to read the covers holding pages that rows of children stared at hard as a young woman at the front of the class read out the words in a slow and exaggerated manner.
"I believe it is a story by Dr Seuss. About cats and hats and such. Has your Mommy read that to you before?"
"I readed it once, but that was quite a while ago. I am currently reading the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare. We lived in England you know . There was a tone in Maria's voice that suggested that she felt Dr Seuss was for children, so she most definitely did not find it mentally stimulating and she raised the same cynical eyebrow as her mother, and her mother's father has done before her.
The Principal paused momentarily. Interesting child. He was not expecting this of a five-year-old. But who was he to say how children were taught abroad?
After some more touring, and some more of Maria's polite but uncomfortable comments, the party returned to the Principal's office.
"So, Miss Alashkov - Maria - what did you think?"
"Well," started Maria, "I liked it. I would like to learn. I would like to know everything there is to know. Education is the first step."
Mantheana smiled proudly. She had taught her daughter well already.
"Vell, if Maria likes it. I must confess, I am not completely knowledgeable vith American education. However, I feel we both vould like for Maria to go to school here. So, ven can she start?"
"Well, this coming Monday is fine."
"Thank you. This means a lot to me and my daughter."
"It's nothing. Maria, we welcome you to All Souls Catholic Church School."
They said polite goodbyes and left the premises. Mantheana's hood covered her face and both her hand and Maria's, held tightly beneath the expanse of dark fabric, squeezing just that little bit tighter now. This was an adventure for the both of them.
Mid-Season Two: Jan 20, 2006 - June 16(ish), 2006
**Monday 6th March Morning**
Mantheana gave Maria a tight good-bye hug.
Mantheana had decided not to worry but the decision, it had seemed, had not been run past her head and she was worrying all the same.
Maria stood in her uniform and wondered. Her lunch was clutched tightly in her hands, and she didn't really know what to do. And yet she also knew that it didn't matter, that school was something she wanted to do. Her mother had taught her many things. Maria had read, or had been read books that no child could possibly understand. And she didn't always understand. Mantheana would explain and explain, and things would become clearer. But Maria knew her mother could not teach her the world, though she would try and try if it killed her. But it wouldn't. So Maria was going to school. In a last second, she kissed her mother on the cheek and walked into the school building.
Mantheana stood by the gates a while as she didn't know what to do. Then she realised that there was nothing she could do. Maria was going to school. Mantheana was proud, and she walked home.
Maria walked around the playground. She felt very alone. Never before had she really been anywhere without either her mother or Yasha close at hand. Mantheana had told her Yasha had to stay at home as they didn't allow them in schools. This had put Maria off school slightly. But not quite enough.
She looked at the children around her. The place seemed very loud, and children whooped and screeched, playing loudly before they had to go inside. She gazed with wide eyes at a world that she had never been so much a part of. There was whisper behind her.
"H-hello. Are you n-new?" Maria turned round to find a blonde girl of her height staring back at her with wide blue eyes.
"Yes. I am," Maria smiled, "My name is Maria Alashkov. What's yours?"
"M-my name is Emily." The other little girl, whose name was Emily, gave a nervous smile. A bell rang in the distance and the chaos of the playground became a thing of a single motion, everyone moving into the building.
"Where do we go?" Maria asked. The grip on her lunchbox tightened, and her little fingers went white.
"Th-this way." Emily took Maria's hand and quickly, the tiny two made their way out of the air and into the school building.
******
When Maria came running out of school at the end of the day, she was greeted by an embrace so strong she nearly suffocated. She hugged her mother back, and let flow the immense torrent of information about what had happened today. About the noise, and the chatter, and the teachers and the colours, and the people - just like her, but different - and how she loved school.
Mantheana smiled. She was truly happy for Maria, but somewhere inside her, the selfish part of her wanted to keep Maria as her very own. But school was what was best for Maria, so that was what she was going to do. So she held Maria's hand and walked among the shadows, and like a good mother, she listened to her daughter's day.
Mid-Season Two: Jan 20, 2006 - June 16(ish), 2006
Wednesday, 17th May 2006 – 3:30pm
*Human chairs uncomfortable are,* thought Zentara as she waited for her appointment to arrive. Alaric had told her that this human was the best in the chaos business. *The best he must be,* she mused, *or his heart in butter I will fry.*
The door opened without ceremony or a knock and an older but distinguished gentleman entered. To his credit he didn’t wince or look surprised at Zentara’s appearance. “Greetings, Ethan. Grateful am I that my invitation you did accept.”
“Intriguing your offer was,” said Ethan, then shook his head, “Sorry, I am not trying to be insulting. But your offer appealed to my sense of whimsy. I have some experience with one member of this group of do-gooders. You specified a non-lethal distraction for a period of several hours. Distractions are a particular speciality of mine. I would be glad to help once we settle on the particulars of compensation.”
“Greed a wonderful motivator is. But survival compelling more is.”
Ethan was not sure that the demon could smile with a beak, but it was something in the eyes that said it was bargaining. “What do you mean?” Ethan figured cutting out the flowery language and getting straight to the point was safer; less chance for a misunderstanding.
“A contract on you from a Rupert Giles there is. The Watchers a tidy sum are holding. A will I believe there is. Turaka interested are.” Zentara’s head bobbed rhythmically as it savoured turning the screws on Ethan.
*Ripper, that jerk. Will he and his playmates never stop hounding me?* “What are you proposing, demon? Giles died in Sunnydale. ”
“The grave vengeance does not stop. Away this can be made to go. Many connections Valor has.”
Ethan sighed, “An agreement we appear to have reached.”
Mid-Season Two: Jan 20, 2006 - June 16(ish), 2006
Friday, 19th May 2006 – 11:15am
Ian watched the all-too-familiar barren streetscape pass by as the taxi meandered down Poplar Avenue. At least this time he was here just for a visit – at least, Tash hadn’t specifically mentioned any particular problem she wanted him for. If nothing else, she was always straight up with him. The worn front steps of 1318 hove into view and Ian’s pulse sped up a little. Maybe that cute Aussie girl – Reah – still lived there.
The cab had barely stopped when Ian leapt out into the hazy LA day. The cabbie, a tall man with a distinguished British accent, eagerly helped with Ian’s bags. *Probably just wants a larger tip,* Ian grumbled to himself. Despite his many years in the US Ian still had occasional trouble with the concept of tipping. He wondered at the cabbie’s smug smile as he drove off, but figured he’d probably just overtipped. Again.
Hefting his bags, he climbed the stone steps and rang the bell for Tash’s flat.
*****
In the apartment the bell rang once. "That has to be Ian. Traffic must have been bad from LAX," Victor said casually.
He walked over to the door and headed down to help Ian carry his things. As Victor reached the base of the stairs he could see Ian standing in the foyer. Victor opened the door with a flourish, "Welcome, Ian," he said dramatically.
"What?" said Ian, "Are you on drugs or something? You and Tash hiding something? Victor, what happened to the Mother Hen routine?"
Victor looked embarrassed for a second, "Just trying to be inviting. I got the distinct impression you didn't feel all that welcome when you were here last time."
Ian laughed, "I was asked to fly in with less than 24 hours’ notice and you made me sleep on a cot in your apartment. How would you feel?"
Victor nodded, "Not this time. I have cleaned up the penthouse for you to stay in. Tash is putting on the final touches to make it just like home."
Ian settled in quickly, draining the whiskey Tash had poured before asking about Reah.
"Tell you what," Tash grinned, "How about we have a little lunch together? You've not really met Sorrow or Jade properly yet; they're good friends of ours. And I'm sure Reah would be happy to join us."
*****
Friday, 19th May 2006 – 12:30pm
Reah hesitated momentarily before opening the door at the end of the hall on the third floor and walking straight in only to stop dead after her first two steps inside. A wondrous array of weaponry and training equipment lined the walls. If she hadn’t been so taken by the sight before her, she likely would’ve felt a lot more stupid in front of the audience she was still yet to notice.
Ian’s eyes lit up at Reah’s entrance. Even though she’d not so much as looked at him yet, he didn’t let that discourage him. “Reah,” he beamed, rising from the table where he sat with Tash and Victor and their two other friends, “So good to see you again.”
Reah was startled out of her daze as Ian suddenly snapped up her attention, making her aware of everyone else in the room now. “Oh! Um… hi.” She blinked, unsure of herself, “Er... Ian, right?”
For Sorrow, so far it had been a relatively lazy day. Rather than his usual morning spent in the training room he had instead dived into his books. The continued presence of Valerian in the city had kept him and Jade on edge. As such he spent a great deal of his time training, researching Valerian's weaknesses or studying his magic.
Thankfully the lack of crises over the last few months had given Jade and himself time to settle back into something resembling normality, and though Jade was not still totally over the incident in Bremen she was far more functional than she had been immediately after. Indeed, this dinner with Tash, Victor and friends would be a nice change of pace.
Sorrow smiled indulgently as Reah and Ian greeted each other somewhat stiltedly. *At least his attention is elsewhere...* Ok, Sorrow wasn't keen on Ian but he'd put up with him for Tash's sake.
Jade and Sorrow said their hellos before sitting down at the makeshift dining table. Jade cast a wary glance at the blonde man; she had not forgotten how Ian had tried to charm her at XY the first time they'd met. Over a year had passed and she still found the way he looked at a women slightly off-putting. There was this ever-present leer in his eyes and a constant smirk that hinted at his expectations for women to fall at his feet.
Thankfully, his attentions seemed to be directed at Reah so Jade turned hers back to the conversation between Sorrow and Victor, fighting back a huge yawn as she did so. She had not slept well the night before, a result of the strange, elusive dreams she'd been getting recently. Unlike the nightmares that had previously plagued her, these dreams were not exactly frightening. The only thing about them that disturbed Jade was that she could never remember what exactly they were about! Last night had been the fourth time in a fortnight that she'd awoken in an intense state of anticipation and dread, grasping frantically at the lingering image fragments of what had been in her mind's eye. In the few seconds it'd taken for her to reach full consciousness, however, they scattered, leaving behind nothing but a frustrating sense of unfulfilled expectancy.
The heart-shaped ruby sat in Ian’s bag unnoticed and undisturbed. There it waited for a call from its master. In another room in another building in another LA suburb sat the mate of the ruby. Another red heart festooned with flower petals and sitting on a silken pillow. Ethan Rayne sat next to it, naked and painted in colourful inks.
He intoned:
Ethan's back arched and gooseflesh appeared over his body as the power moved through him. He loved this part. This was why he stayed in the Chaos business. The heart on the pillow began to glow and pulse while in Poplar Avenue its mate did the same.
Glowing sparks trickled down and across the floorboards and disappeared under the skirting boards at the edges of the room. These lights took up positions throughout the house until the walls were invisibly permeated with the spell. Ethan managed to focus his will to overcome the orgasmic feelings coursing through him. He encircled the hammer handle and swung it at the ruby heart without thinking about how much it would hurt.
His agonised scream would draw some small amount of attention but later he would remember with some relief that Ripper was at long last gone for good and his spectre would never haunt him again. Hopefully.
In Poplar Avenue the spell triggered and for a moment everyone at the lunch table slowly closed their eyes and then reopened them. Nothing in the room had moved; no changes had been made to the contents of the room. The occupants on the other hand...
*Got to start getting more sleep... Dizzy spells can't be a good sign.* Jade shook her head slightly, feeling slightly light-headed as she concentrated on looking straight ahead and trying to focus. When Jade's vision had finally cleared, she realised with a mix of amusement and embarrassment that she'd been staring directly and rather blatantly at Tash's chest. *Not the best way to start off lunch, ogling at my best friend's breasts with my lover right next to me...* She raised her mirth-filled eyes, certain that they were going to meet Tash's enquiring ones. The words of an apology were at the tip of her tongue when...
The vibrant cobalt blue of the dress seemed to glow against Tash's ebony skin. Now that her scars were gone, her skin looked as smooth as silk. Jade found herself reaching out unconsciously, the need to touch Tash - to caress her cheek, stroke the slim column of her neck just to check if she felt as beautiful as she looked, just once – was almost more than Jade could bear.
Reah shook her head to clear the sudden wave of vertigo. Short of being hit in the face (which she was sure hadn‘t happened) she had no idea what had just come over her. “Ok, what the hell was th… that?”
Ian still stood before her, and suddenly she realised what a fine specimen of a man he actually was! It was like the stage curtain had finally pulled away, opening up her eyes to the masterful piece of art before her. For so long she’d been so blind! Ian was far from a wanker. He was her kiwi God!
It pained her ever so that their gazes weren’t meeting; instead Ian was glancing off somewhere else. Reah couldn’t care where, she just wanted nothing more than to gaze forever into his deep, beautiful eyes… feel his masculine form…
Victor opened his eyes. In fact his multi faceted ruby orbs never really closed but they focused on the last thing he had been facing. Tristan's face gradually sharpened and was enhanced by the various other senses that seemed to snap to attention on Sorrow.
*He has noble features. I never really noticed before. He has the aspect of a hero. One who has overcome his weaknesses and triumphed.* Victor had a strange feeling inside him. He had not felt like this since he first met Janus.
*There was something in her I admired. And Tash too.* There was a twinge of something else... guilt? Surely not. Sorrow was very real right now and Tash… *Tash who?* whispered something in Victor's mind.
Ian could not believe his luck. He was just about turn around in anticipation of the rejection he was sure was coming when he saw something in Reah's face light up. Recognition? Admiration. Attraction!
"Hey, you remembered. Give us a kiss?" he held out his arms in a welcoming gesture.
Victor was looking at Sorrow and moaned softly. The other men at the table recognised the sound and turned in surprise. Sorrow quickly looked back at Reah but Ian was fascinated. Victor had something he had never noticed before. He could not find it at first, he felt as if he had to open Victor up. He was a mystery. An unopened present that begged to be unwrapped. All that was in his way of seeking it was...
"Let go of me woman! I need to get back to the table."
Tash shook her head, wondering at the slight sense of disorientation. She’d turned to Reah as she had entered the room and now… now she realised with a growing sense of wonder that Reah was truly a beautiful woman. The light glinted off her shoulder-length blonde hair. Palest blonde to offset her own ebony. The merest glance at Victor beside her was enough. *Tired of ebony. Time for something different. I always liked him better as a blonde.* Besides, Victor for some reason was purring – a noise she thought he reserved only for her, but which now seemed directed at Sorrow.
Her distraction lasted a mere moment, as she heard the honeyed tones of this vision of loveliness. Tash rose from her seat to declare her undying love to Reah, but then her world fell apart. What was this? Reah – her beloved Reah – was rushing to the arms of Ian. Ian? That wanker?
“No,” Tash cried, “can’t you see we are meant to be together? We are destined to be one. You must feel it.”
Tash's words went through Sorrow like a steel blade. *No! She is meant for me!* Sorrow's avaricious eyes took in Reah's lithe form. The way the white cloth of her top fell from her body. He recalled her skill with a blade. Her power, speed and strength. She was a fitting partner for him. Untarnished by vampiric blood. He pushed back from the table, took in Ian's ungentlemanly shove and growled.
Reah brushed off Tash’s outburst without even a glance. All that mattered now was Ian. Even if he still hadn’t come to the realisation that he and Reah were bound by an indefinable force, she was going to show it to him. And she would let no one, no one, harm a single fibre of his being.
“Oi!” Reah glared at Sorrow as she rounded the table to get closer to her love, “What’s your problem?”
Jade watched as Tash rose from her seat like a panther. She was watching the rather plain girl, Reah, behind her hold that boorish man. Jade felt as if the spotlight had drifted from her. "Tash. Tash, look at me," she found herself saying.
Jade rose from her seat. She rarely felt the need to assert herself but something in the air made her want to try. "Look at me," she commanded.
Sorrow had abandoned her side and was moving towards the blonde siren who was stealing Tash from her. *That jerk ass pig face bastard. He should be helping me,* she thought.
Something reminiscent of Valerian niggled at the back of Tash’s mind, but she brushed it off without a second thought. *Pfft. It’s just Jade. Who cares what she wants? Always whining about her vampire heritage.* Her gaze fixated on Reah, whose attention was divided between Ian and now Sorrow. At least the look she was giving Sorrow was nothing so devastating to Tash’s heart as the devoted stare Reah had bestowed on Ian.
“Reah, my love. Quick, let’s leave these madmen. I feel like I’ve never really seen you before. Surely you can sense it, too. Look, Ian doesn’t want you. Why would you want him? He’s such a dickhead.” Tash finally reached the object of her affection and cupped Reah’s cheek gently with her gloved hand. “Forget these morons. You and I are special, the perfect team.”
Victor watched Sorrow stand up and move around the table. Victor was not done with him yet and already he was moving away. He slipped out of the seat and hopped over the table in a single bound. He gathered the charging Sorrow in an almost tender embrace as he rounded the corner. "Sorrow, don't worry about them. They are not of any concern to us. We have issues of eternity to discuss."
Sorrow ducked under Victor's grasping arms. As he stepped past Victor, Sorrow placed his palms flat against Victor’s back and pushed off. Tash stumbled back as Sorrow crashed into her. "Mine!"
“Dickhead!” Reah harshly slapped away Tash’s attempts at starting a touchy feely session, only to catch Ian wriggling away out the corner of her eye, “You better watch your mouth before I start shoving soap down it!”
“Ian!” Reah leapt out of Tash’s range before she had the chance to grasp her again, and quickly snatched up Ian’s arm, keeping her grip firm, *He’s obviously not thinking straight. I have to show him what‘s right!* A sly smile crept onto her face, *Not that I won’t enjoy it.* “Ian, this is us! Look deep down and you’ll know it’s true.”
The breath ‘whooshed’ out of Tash’s body as Sorrow slammed into her. “You… you SHIT!” she spluttered in rage, lashing out blindly at Sorrow’s rapidly retreating form. He’d made her lose contact with her love. She followed his trajectory and realised he too was besotted with Reah. Damn him! He’d obviously seen the same spark in Reah that she had. *I suppose I can’t blame him. Who wouldn’t love Reah?* Her rage turned to sympathy for his doomed situation. “Sorrow, I know it must be hard for you to understand, but you must know that Reah loves me, not you.”
She scrambled after Reah who for some inexplicable reason seemed fixated on getting to Ian. But Sorrow was ahead of her, getting in her way. “She’ll never love you, Sorrow,” Tash repeated.
Jade watched with amusement as a crowd seemed to gather around Tash. She casually walked around the end of the table and glided towards the African queen. She frowned at Sorrow as he slammed into Tash but it put her within arm’s reach of Jade. Tash's exhortation made her heart swell. "Yes, Sorrow. I will never love you. Tash is my heart's desire now."
Ian had been trying to crawl away from the melee that was happening above him. Reah had grabbed at his arm and Ian was tearing his shirt off to escape, "Look, it was just one night. We didn't do anything. I don't owe you a call." He scrambled for the excuses women made to him all the time.
As he managed to get behind Tash and that Oriental sheila he spotted Victor looking puzzled over to the side. Ian dashed to stand before this man he so admired. "Hey, Victor. How ya doing?" he said casually.
Victor's eyes seemed to focus past Ian, "Excuse me, Ian," he said and stepped to one side.
Ian moved in front of him again, "Can we talk some? We really didn't get time to talk when I was here last time."
Victor seemed a little preoccupied, "Ian, I am busy right now, can you excuse me?"
Ian moved to intercept the sidestepping Victor once more, "Victor, I am serious. I want to get to know you better."
For a moment Ian thought he saw something flare in Victor's eyes. A flash of red light, perhaps. Maybe it was his imagination. What he did not imagine was Victor lifting him up and setting him somewhat roughly to the side and striding forcefully toward Sorrow. Ian felt his eyes begin to fill up and salty tears began to trickle down his face. He had been rejected. Then, by some chance, he realized he was standing next to a rack of weapons. He selected a crossbow from the wall, cocked it and pointed it at the group. "Okay, Victor! I need to talk to you right now!"
Reah’s head darted between Ian and Victor with a look of disgruntlement. “Victor?” She steamed with jealousy, “You want… Victor? Didn’t you see how he treated you? He can’t give you a billionth of what I can!”
She slipped off her coat, recklessly discarding it so she could be free of its confinement. She needed all the mobility she could muster, “I’ll show you how unworthy of you he is.” With that, she lunged at Victor with a vengeance.
Before Reah could move too far from him, Sorrow reached out and grasped her around the waist. Pulling her to him he gently nuzzled her neck, feeling the silky smoothness of her skin and beneath that the firmness of muscle. "Think of what we could be, my love. Together nothing could stand against us. Leave this poor excuse of a man and come with me." Sorrow's teeth scraped gently across her neck.
Reah savagely grabbed Sorrow’s jaw and twisted him brutally away from her neck to glare warningly into his eyes, “Look, if you so must, but never ever touch. THIS,” she gestured over her body till she finally got to his grip that still held about her waist and ripped it off her with a hand-crushing force, “is property of Ian. If you mishandle it again, I’ll show you what you could become.” She shoved Sorrow out of her way and continued on her mission for proof.
Tash sneered at Sorrow as she sailed past him, "See? I told you she didn't love you." Before her outstretched hand could reclaim its rightful place on the skin of her true love, Tash felt a small hand descend delicately on her own shoulder. Jade's voice barely registered through Tash's fixation on Reah, however. Some mush about being together forever.
She shrugged off Jade's clutching claw and watched with horror as the love of her life ran towards the madman with the crossbow. *My bloody crossbow and all!*
Tears streamed down Ian's face and he sobbed openly at Victor's indifference to him. Reah pushed towards him intent on soothing his heartache. It was too much. He jerked the trigger and a crossbow bolt flew into the small circle of former friends.
Jade screeched as the bolt pierced the meat of her upper arm. Her dark eyes flashed dangerously before turning a vicious yellow and she hissed at Ian. Jade's features seemed to sharpen, becoming animal-like and bloodthirsty, the tips of her incisors sharpening to lethal fangs that gleamed starkly in the bright light of the training room. Her reflection in the mirrors wavered like smoke as her vampire nature asserted itself against the pain. Ian looked shocked, and especially so when Reah reached him. Victor, on the other hand, completely ignored the fracas and centred on Sorrow.
Sorrow had spun around to follow Reah's path and Victor stood directly between them. He stretched his hand forward and aimed for Sorrow’s heart. He wanted to 'touch' him as only he could. Sorrow put up both hands against Victor's arm and rolled around his body to end up behind where Victor was standing. Victor reacted by stepping backwards into the space where Sorrow was moving and becoming ethereal smoke that Sorrow stepped into.
For a moment they occupied the same space. *Love me. Accept me. I will make you more powerful than you can imagine. Together we are more powerful than the mortals who pollute this room,* the tempting voice soothed into Sorrow’s mind.
Victor’s form showed Sorrow in silhouette yet around Sorrow there seemed to appear barbed chains reaching into the depths of his being. A single word arose from Sorrow: "No," and he stepped through Victor.
“Ssh, Ian. It’s all right,” Reah crooned softly as she stepped in closer. Brushing her body up close against his, she caressed his cheek lovingly. “I promise you, soon you’ll understand how much we’re destined to be together,” she whispered as she leant in closer to win him with her passionate kiss.
The path was clear - almost. Tash's competitor for Reah's attention was now having an intimate moment with Victor. Tash could remember the intensity of merging with Victor - *Though what I ever saw in him I have no idea.* Still, it meant that Sorrow would be occupied for a while. Ian had obligingly skewered Jade, thereby stopping her from slowing Tash's progress. Now all she had to do was remove Ian so Reah could finally see the light.
The bastard had obviously done something to bewitch Reah. Why else would she be offering her mouth to him in such a lascivious manner? "Let go of her, you brute!" she yelled as her fist connected solidly with Ian's jaw. His head snapped backwards and she heard Reah's gasp of indrawn air as Tash followed up the blow with a knife-edge strike to his temple. Ian fell like a poleaxed steer.
She turned triumphantly to Reah, her eyes alight with the deep and abiding love that infused her. "At last, Reah, no more obstacles. Let's slip away now."
Rage ravished Reah like a thunderous storm on the verge of striking. “What the fuck makes you think I want to go anywhere with you unless it’s to kill you, bitch!” she screamed as she suddenly high kicked Tash in the jaw, blades shooting out ready to take vengeance for her unconscious love.
Jade grabbed one of the bladed arms and hurled Reah into a long slide on her back across the polished wooden floor. Turning her bright yellow eyes to Tash she said, slurring slightly through fanged teeth, "She could not love you as I would, Tash. We have always been meant for each other. Even before these men came in to try and dominate us. Come with me Tash. We can renew our feelings for each other."
She pushed mentally against Tash's shields, *Come with me.*
Tash's head was still reeling from her lover's high-powered kick. *Hmm, Reah obviously likes it rough. I can accommodate that, I'm sure...* "What?" she asked, looking for the voice that spoke to her.
She found her gaze trapped like a rabbit in headlights by the piercing glint of Jade's yellow-tinged eyes. Tash's brow furrowed, "Wha..? Come with - no." Tash shook her head to try to clear it, and instantly regretted the action as it throbbed mercilessly, driving all other thoughts out. "Why on Earth would I go with you, Jade? Can't you see I'm busy?"
Putting more space between himself and the deluded Victor, Sorrow's eyes gazed longingly at Reah's form. The kick that had stunned his rival had been executed flawlessly. The sudden energy that flowed from his former lover gave Sorrow an idea. Calling a trace of magic to his fingertips Sorrow ran his hands down Reah's back, setting nerves afire. He whispered huskily into her ear, "I can offer you pleasures undreamed of. Show you wonders you never imagined." He looked at Tash's bloodied face and smiled. "Let me join your battles."
Reah shivered at the sensation that ran down her spine and felt her heart ache that it wasn’t the touch of her one and only, Ian. Unconscious on the floor due to that bitch Tash. A little help might not go astray, but that was all she was ever going to let Sorrow give her. “Sure. Why not?”
Victor reconstituted and steadied himself on one of the discarded chairs. “Sorrow, I…” he started but Sorrow had run forward to join Reah. *Eat him, then he will be yours forever,* wandered seductively through his mind.
*No. Eating him would not allow me to appreciate his beauty of form or his purity of purpose. I should eat Reah instead. Then he can love us both. A simple matter to transform the glamour. I could BE Reah for him.* Vrithetek had been so many other identities in his extended lifetime. ‘Victor’ had outlived his usefulness.
Tristan helped Reah to her feet and she looked at him strangely. *Oh yes, she will taste sweet. The whore.* Victor’s eyes glowed with menace as he advanced on Reah.
Jade wrapped her arms around Tash's unyielding frame, effortlessly curbing Tash's efforts to ward her off. "Wait... Surely you have the time to deal with something as important as us?" Jade's eyes glowed as she stared intensely at Tash's face, fascinated by the rise and fall of her sculpted cheekbones, the dark satiny look of her skin. She would have given anything to caress the bruise forming on Tash's jaw, to soothe away the hurt. If only Tash would stop struggling!
Tash wrenched herself free of Jade, spitting in her face as she pulled away. “Let go of me, you stupid cow! What the hell has gotten into you?”
Heedless of the distraught mess she left in her wake, Tash turned to see her one true love whispering with Sorrow. That bastard! The look in his eyes was enough. How dare he sully her beauty with his lustful glances? She felt the bruise on her face fondly and sighed. A secret smile stole across her face. Reah had made that bruise. Reah’s fair hand had touched her face. But now Reah was being manhandled by that brutish Sorrow.
Tash found herself shoulder to shoulder with Victor as she approached Reah. Her preoccupation with Sorrow was drowned out as the menace of Victor’s intent washed over her and she shouted in warning to her love, “Reah, watch out! Victor’s going to… uh, soul sucking thingy. Hard to explain. Don’t let him touch you!” In an effort to ward off the danger Tash grappled Victor, trying to keep him from attaining his goal.
Reah’s head whipped around at the sudden cry from Tash, *Oh this is rich, now who do I pick off? Hm... Man! These people are bloody crazy! I’m without a doubt the most sane one here.* She watched with a satisfied smile as Tash went soaring across the other side of the room from an effortless fling by Victor… she knew just how he felt; that woman had a problem.
Turning her head askance back to her fallen love, Reah’s smile pained, *Don’t worry love, I’ll take care of you. SHIT!* She dived as Victor’s powerful arm came around, barely missing her. Rolling into a crouched position, she whipped her head back up to glare at the offending man, “Fine! I guess I can deal with you for now. We have scores to settle anyway.”
Victor hardly spared a glance at his former lover's trajectory although the sounds of her crashing back to the ground could be heard behind him. Reah was standing in a battle-ready pose as Victor considered attacking her again. Sorrow did not seem interested in letting Reah become part of Victor. Without taking his eyes off the silvery blades that sprouted from Reah's arms he spoke to Sorrow, "You don't understand, Tristan. It’s for the best. There’s hardly any soul left in her now - I can sense she is mostly synthetic. I am going to preserve her inside me. Forever. You can have us both.”
Reah lunged at Victor, plunging a triple bladed hand at his gut. Victor turned his abdomen and the blades slid across his carapace armour leaving a deep gouge that his illusion covered with a torn shirt. The second hand made a sweeping downward strike, which Victor parried with a forearm. He shot a hand forward to touch her chest.
“Stop! Take her soul and I will end you even at the cost of my life." A cold wind stinking of carrion flowed from Sorrow. "Her soul may be the wellspring of her, but residing in you it would be nothing but fuel for the fire. Kill her and no glamour could conceal your nature, no spell erase your crime!" Sorrow's hands moved in arcane gestures and a ball of black fire grew in the air before him, darkening the room.
"Tash!" Jade flew across the room where the love of her life lay stunned in a crumpled heap. Her back was covered in bloody scratches from the jagged wall she'd been slammed against... *By that demon!* Jade turned at Victor, fury turning her eyes a deep shade of gold.
*And the bastard actually had us convinced that he cared about Tash! What a fucking load of bullshit!* Jade stroked Tash's face gently before standing up, her lithe, petite frame tensed and poised for flight. Jade's attack was aimed directly for the Battle Fiend who, in her opinion, had besmirched the most beautiful woman in the world. *He had his hands on her - his filthy demonic claws - when Tash belongs to me!*
Jade was a hair's breadth from rushing towards Victor when Tash groaned softly. The sound caused Jade to stop dead in her tracks and crouch back down to hear what Tash was saying. "What is it, my love?" Jade urged, "Did I hear you call my name? Love?"
Reah gasped as Victor’s hand suddenly seemed to ghost into her chest. Alarmed, she immediately gripped his arm and attempted to pull him out of her, but hesitated at the strangest sensation that resulted… and it wasn’t a pleasant sensation, more of a foreboding one that did not comfort her in the slightest. Wide eyes filled with horror glared up at Victor; releasing one hand she made a desperate and vicious swipe at his face in an alternate attempt to free herself from his grip. That was when she suddenly felt something constrict inside her… she didn’t know what it was, but it felt like something she held close. It used to be bigger.
Sweat started to bead on her forehead as she attempted to attack him again, but instead threw back her head, suppressing a scream with gritted teeth as a tearing pain she couldn’t begin to describe pulled in her chest.
"I said stop!" Sweat beaded Sorrow's forehead and the muscles in his cheeks were twitching as he completed his spell. With one final gesture the fire lanced across the now pitch black room. Sorrow's brief howl of agony was cut short as he collapsed to the floor, his body spasming uncontrollably.
Holding Tash's hand tightly, Jade scarcely noticed Sorrow's agonised cry. She trailed her fingers up and down the smooth skin, marvelling at how different it looked without all the scars that had marred it when she'd first met Tash. The look on Jade's face was almost wistful as she pressed her lips to Tash's wrist. *Somehow, my love doesn't seem complete without her scars. Each of them told a story, each of them represented a part of her life. Lovely as her skin is without its marks, erasing them is almost akin to erasing bits of what makes her the most wonderful person there is.*
Suddenly, Jade's cat-like eyes gleamed. *Perfect... I'll seal our love by giving her back a piece of her past.* Her fangs flashed as she smiled. *How sweetly ironic, considering that this scar will take the place of the one Valerian was responsible for - the one that stood for Tash's darker memories.*
Of course, there was also the added benefit of the wound on Jade's arm being able to heal a lot more quickly if she drank Tash's blood... *No! This is for Tash and Tash alone.* Jade shoved the thought and its accompanying pang of guilt aside. She rubbed her cheek down Tash's forearm. The skin there was soft, fragrant. Despite the fact that she was semi-conscious, the throbbing of Tash's pulse was constant and strong next to Jade's ear. She planted another kiss on Tash's inner elbow then her fangs gently pierced through the tender flesh.
Through the layers of fog in her brain Tash had a moment of sheer terror. *No, not again!* passed through her mind before fresh waves of darkness folded over her. Desperately she struggled to stay conscious, straining her neck muscles to raise her head slightly. Something was wrong – drastically wrong. As though it were a dream she felt the sharp pain of pinpricks in her arm. The arm that had always bothered her. “No….” she mumbled, almost incoherently. Then her head flopped back onto the floor and all thought ceased.
The bolt of fire caught Victor dead in his chest. He flew backwards, dragging Reah's soul with him. Her agonised scream ceased as Victor released her life force and it flowed back into her. Victor pounded down the door and dashed into the hallway where the fire extinguishers lived. He sprayed himself and once he was satisfied that the eldritch flames were no longer burning him charged back into the room.
Small little flame-demon things danced around the room and Victor chased them down one by one and extinguished them as well as the small fires they were starting. Victor's fire fighting activities worked; they were soon dispatched and aside from a chemical odour in the air everything seemed to be safe.
...except his beloved Sorrow. Sorrow’s face was drawn into a knot of pain. Victor scooped him up and carried him out of the workout room. He would care for him... nurture him... make him whole once more.
Reah coughed and gasped for air in her collapsed position on the floor. Eyes wide, she stared frantically about till the realisation that she was still alive and in one piece slowly sunk in. She spotted the small sparse fires lighting up the room, jerking back reflexively from Victor as he came dashing back in wielding a fire extinguisher. Scanning about the room again, her eyes soon took in Ian’s still unconscious body lying too close to one of the small flames. As the powdery residue slowly drifted through the room, Reah covered her mouth and stealthily crawled her way over to Ian, coughing in brief intervals all the while.
With one last glance about the scene, she gathered up her lover’s limp body tenderly in her arms and effortlessly lifted him off the floor. Hastily departing the room without a backward glance, she quickly made her way back to her apartment before anyone even had a chance to catch a glimpse of her.
*****
Friday, 19th May 2006 – 8:30pm
Silence had long ago settled on Poplar Avenue. A silence that belied the turmoil that had plagued the house several hours earlier. The training room was empty, save for several new scuff marks and a thin powdery coating on the floor. Three doors on the second floor were shut fast, however, each containing a strange pairing of occupants. Ian moaned quietly as he lay asleep in Reah’s bed, Victor stood silent vigil over Sorrow’s pain-filled form in Tash’s bed, and in Jade’s room lay Tash, tossing fitfully.
Tash groaned at the residual pain in her head and rolled over, bumping into the body beside her. *Hmm, soft female body.* “You finally saw the light, Reah my love,” Tash murmured, flinging her arm around the small form beside her.
Arms encircled Tash, holding her in a tender embrace and Tash smiled. This was what she had dreamed of. But as she moved her arm it stung slightly and she frowned. The memory of a sharp pain at the crook of her elbow came to the fore suddenly and she opened her eyes to look at the arm. Surely that had been some part of a fevered dream? Some nightmare where Jade – that repulsive semi-vampire – had dared drink from her…
“Oh, God! Get away from me, you filthy beast! You fucking bit me!!”
Tash pushed herself backwards across the bed, trying to get away from the clutching arms that entrapped her. The bedclothes tangled themselves around her legs – her naked legs – and she struggled, panicking. She had to get to her beloved Reah… to Reah. Victor? No, Reah… Why Reah?
"Ow! What did you do that for Tri-, errr, Tash?" Jade looked slightly confused. She'd felt strong arms enfold her while she'd been asleep and had, as was her habit, nestled closer to Sorrow, only to be kicked awake by... *Tash?*
"What..? Ow!" Jade's question was cut off by a surprised hiss of pain as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Clutching her throbbing arm, she stared at the puncture wound that marked her flesh. The wound made by a... *Crossbow!* Jade recalled the searing pain of the unwarranted attack by... *Ian! That halfwit! But why...* She shook her head, trying to clear it and jog her memory further. For some reason, her recollection of the day's events were vague. All she could remember were a bunch of ridiculous, fragmented scenes which seemed somehow surreal. Maybe she'd been dreaming.
The tugging of the quilt around her ankles jolted her attention back to Tash, who was frantically scrabbling away, eyes wide with anger, repulsion and fear. *Why is she looking at me like that?* Jade reached out instinctively to pull her friend back before Tash fell off the bed but froze in shock when Tash held out her crucifix and kept it between them like a shield.
"Tash? What's wrong?! Why are you..?" Jade's hurt slowly transformed into horror as she stared at the two neat marks on Tash's inner elbow, her friend's earlier words finally registering... "Get away from me, you filthy beast! You fucking bit me!" The memory of bending over Tash's prone body, draining her of her life source flashed vividly through Jade's mind. She could almost still taste the coppery tang of blood.
"Oh my god..." Jade whispered. She hadn't been dreaming. On top of the bites Tash had, the mental imagery was too real for it to be anything but true. Jade's hand flew up to her mouth but a quick inspection confirmed that there was nothing out of the ordinary with her teeth. *Not any more at least! But there had been. It'd happened again; like last year, when she'd lost control and feasted on Sorrow's blood.
Tash relaxed slightly as Jade’s obvious distress. The memories were filtering back to both of them, it seemed, and they were too surreal to be natural. Lowering the cross a fraction, Tash gained her feet and bent carefully, never keeping her eyes off Jade’s face as she searched for her clothes.
“Something got us, I think. I don’t know what, but we all went crazy this afternoon,” Tash said quietly. “But if you don’t mind, I want to get out of here now.” She pulled on her underpants and draped her shirt over her shoulders. The rest of her clothes she gathered in her arms and stepped backwards to the bedroom door.
Nauseated and filled with an over-whelming sense of self-loathing, Jade barely noticed Tash's departure. With her arms wrapped around her knees, Jade shivered miserably as she unconsciously rocked herself back and forth. Memories that had been vague mere minutes ago were flashing before her eyes, a rapidly changing kaleidoscope of lurid images.
The slam of the front door echoed throughout the apartment. As if the sound was a catalyst of some sort, Jade leapt off the bed, barely making it to the bathroom before she threw up. Her slender frame shuddered as she retched, her hands gripping the toilet seat like it was a lifeline.
Finally, Jade slid to the cold tile floor, where she curled herself into a foetal position, staying that way for a long time. Her eyes were wide and fearful as she stared, unseeing, at the rack of magazines in the corner. What frightened her was not her own loss of control - it was the unholy joy she'd felt when the darkness taken over.
*****
Reah moaned softly and peacefully in her restful sleep. Hugging the warm form closer to her own bare skin, she sighed in contentment and nudged her head deeper into the embrace. Groggily, Ian stirred when he felt something (or someone) nuzzling him, squeezing him firmly but tenderly. Senses started to re-establish themselves to consciousness and he started to hear a soft, calm breath, feel it caressing his cheek and neck with a welcoming kiss. The touch of warm smooth skin pressed up close, and a slow, softly beating heart against his naked body…
*Wait a sec! NAKED BODY?* Abruptly, Ian’s eyes shot open and stared wildly about till they eventually focused on the serene form before him. After a moment of registration took place, a sly smile crept onto his face, *Heeey…. Naked body!* He snuggled closer Reah’s body, “Well hellooo,” he murmured softly to himself, congratulatory.
Reah slowly tensed as the soft sound made her stir in her sleep. “What?” she moaned softly in the beginnings of her conscious returning. Slowly her eyes blinked open slightly, adjusting to the darkness of her room till she managed to focus again.
Someone was close… Very close!
Her eyes shot open and her vision snapped into immediate focus.
“IAN!”
“The one and only,” he smiled indulgently, giving her a playful squeeze.
Reah’s eyes bulged as the day’s events suddenly came crashing home, “FUCK!” *And I’m starkers!*
Abruptly, she shoved Ian fiercely out of the embrace and bed both. Reah hastily gathered the bed sheets back up around her exposed body and just stared at Ian, aggressively ignoring the fact that he too was as exposed as the day he was born.
*****
Victor looked at the sleeping Sorrow. It was obvious that the pain had subsided, but even with his eyes closed he still winced in pain occasionally. Victor had laid him on the bed he and Tash had shared. He thought about Tash and that he owed her better than he had given her. *She taught me to love. Without her I could never appreciate this fine man before me.*
Victor gently stoked Sorrow's cheek and watched him stir. Sorrow groaned as awareness returned slowly. His pain-wracked body was still confusing sensory signals and the sounds filtering through Poplar Avenue danced as coloured shapes across his vision. Victor's hand trailed a soft hum through Sorrow's hearing.
*Well it didn't burn down... wonder who put out the fire?* Sorrow thought through spikes of pain, *Reah, I'd imagine.* Sorrow smiled at a vision of Reah, fire extinguisher in hand looking down on Victor's remains. *It's what he deserved, trying to eat my beloved's soul.* The gentle caress finally registered on Sorrow's consciousness and Sorrow opened his eyes, a smile on his lips to greet the woman he loved.
"Reah..."
“I will be anything... anyone you want me to be," Victor cooed.
Sorrow's hand reached up and gripped Victor's wrist. Exerting as much force as he could he spoke, "You’re not Reah. You never will be!"
"Shh! Shhh! You are still weak," Victor pulled his hand free, although not without some exertion, "You need to rest. We can discuss what form you would find pleasing later. Perhaps something more like Jade. Or possibly Tash. There is eternity to make those sorts of decisions."
Sorrow scooted up in the bed, resting against the pillows. Grimacing against the pain Sorrow cradled his head in his hands briefly before looking up at Victor. *Ok, go with it. Just play along so you can get out of this crap heap and get to Reah.*
"Any pain killers around? I doubt you have any Imitrex but some Ibuprofen wouldn't go amiss..."
Victor pushed the blankets up around Sorrow's neck and patted him gently. "I am sure that Tash may have something. She takes those sorts of pills all the time." Victor stood up and walked into the bathroom in the hall. He rummaged through the medicine cabinet and ran a cup of water in the sink.
Victor had barely stepped out of the room when Sorrow ripped the sheets from the bed and stood up... or rather tried to. His head swimming and desperately fighting back the urge to vomit Sorrow sat down heavily. *Ok maybe that was a bad idea but still... Focus, time to prove your dedication to Reah.* Sorrow stood up.
He was still there swaying slightly when Victor returned with the glass of water and the pills. Victor had been looking down as he re-entered the bedroom. "Here are the pills, Tash," he said absently.
"Sorrow. I meant to say Sorrow!" Victor looked panicked for a second. He had slipped up, he had mixed his lovers. *But Tash isn't my lover; she wants Reah.* That much was clear. Wasn't it?
Victor stood two steps in the doorway looking very confused. He looked up at his love for guidance. Sorrow smiled as he thought, *Yes. Victor is thinking clearly again. Now, just give him a push back towards Tash and I can go find... Reah?* Sorrow shook his head trying to clear it and groaned as pain washed through him. He collapsed back onto the side of the bed.
"Victor, I think we're in Imitrex territory. Why don't you go see Jade and... Oh God! Jade..."
Sorrow stood up, his pain totally forgotten. As he bolted for the door the only thing he could see was the yellow eyes and fangs that had adorned her face last night.
*****
There was a moment’s awkward silence as Sorrow, Tash and Ian nearly collided in the hallway. Ian held his bundled clothes in front of him and looked panicked before he bolted upstairs to his rooms. Sorrow’s eyes met Tash’s as he stood in front of her door and she stood in front of Jade’s door, her shirt unbuttoned. Sorrow opened his mouth as if to speak, but Tash just shuddered and stared at the polished wooden floor of the hallway as she brushed past him into her own flat.
Victor stood in the centre of the lounge room staring at her, his face unreadable as she slumped in defeat against the closed door. She stared back at him with hollow eyes, neither of them willing to trust their voices. Silently she slunk into the bedroom and closed the door.
The Final Battle Part I
*** Sunday, October 30, 2005 around 11 pm ***
Kate leaned against the counter of Bibliophile watching the gathering as they greeted one another and discussed the situation at hand. Around her neck hung the pendant, the Arthach Anam Iomai. She hadn't removed it since the night she had finally received its message from Daye's descendants, and with every passing moment she felt stronger and safer in its presence. From her distant position she watched as Galen hurried around filling everyone in on the great plan to rescue Amanda from Ryan but what nobody knew, not even Kate herself, was how they would defeat Mother Mariah herself. Ordinarily Kate would have been worried, apprehensive, perhaps even frightened at the prospect of confronting an unknown force, but somehow she knew the Arthach would deliver them to victory. She just knew; her faith in the matter was unshakable.
Drew watched Kate and Galen, feeling restless and unsure. His dreams had been plagued lately by fear and doubt. Night after night he dreamed of failing, of falling before this dread goddess. Mariah was a goddess! Ever since Kate had told him that Drew had been beside himself.
*I am in over my head,* he thought to himself. He hadn't told Kate about his dreams, but he knew what she would say. She'd warned that Mother Mariah worked through dreams. This evil being was sending him nightmares, trying to scare him off. She was probably doing the same to all of them, which meant she had some idea they were coming. That scared Drew worst of all.
Galen glanced up to where Kate stood and smiled encouragingly. Leaving the others to go over the plan one final time he joined her at the counter. "Are you really going to be able to go through with this? I mean, a god! I have to admit I never thought it was going to be this big. It's certainly more dangerous than a simple demonic boyfriend problem."
"I'll be fine," reassured Kate, gently taking his hand in hers and holding it against her lips. "We all will be."
"But I don't understand how you can be so sure. I mean, I had a dream too, I saw what's about to go down. It was... horrific. Completely, terrifyingly horrific. How can you be so certain, so... so... unrelentingly confident that this will work?"
Kate looked Galen straight in the eyes. "Because it has to." They stood silent for a moment before Kate stepped up to the rest of the group. "Everyone... it's time."
Alica Wyldling watched the group gathered in The Bibliophile as Kate made her announcement. Everyone looked apprehensive, but determined. Alicia thought that was for the best. These people weren’t overly confident, but they weren't terrified either.
Jessica and Ellie were standing close together, carrying an arsenal of weapons. They looked so similar in their stances and their attitudes. Both potential Slayer and ex-potential Slayer would be a real asset to this fight. They were well trained fighters and they were prepared to do what must be done. Alicia hoped she could do as well.
She turned her gaze to Reah, an unknown element here. Kate thought the girl would be able to hold her own. She claimed that opinion came from a reliable source. To Alicia the girl looked very young, and untried. Still, looks could be deceiving. In this case, Alicia sure hoped they were.
Rounding out there small band were Kate and her fiancé, the cop. Apparently he had been an agent for some government group until not too long ago. He and Drew looked the worst to be honest. Then again, they were standing here ready to fight a god, so you had to give them some credit. Alicia just hoped it would be enough.
Still musing on the small army they'd assembled, Alicia Wyldling followed Kate and Galen as they led everyone out of the shop. It was shortly before midnight on one of the most powerful nights of the year, and they all had an appointment with a god.
The Final Battle Part II
*** Sunday, October 30, 2005, just before midnight ***
Samuel Aubrey stood on the dimly lit dock in an abandoned area of L.A. Harbor. He was dressed in a long, dark red robe, with the hood pulled up to shadow his face from view. He stood before a wooden altar, facing the prone body of his "sister". On the side of the altar facing away from the water stood a disturbingly inhuman man dressed in a similar robe. This man had glowing gold skin and hair that radiated with a silvery light. His eyes were dark and fathomless, with pinpricks of white light dancing in them. He stared at Sam with a malicious smile.
Before both Ryan and Sam on the altar, Daye lay apparently unconscious. She was bound hand and foot and her belly rose in a swell of advanced pregnancy. She tossed and turned on the cold, wooden surface, but was unable to awaken. She was dressed in a filmy, white gown that draped over the altar all around her.
Below the altar, Sam could see his "brothers", all dressed in the same robes he wore. These men, and a scattered few women, were staring out into the water and beginning to sway rhythmically while a chant rose from their throats in a long-dead language Sam knew all too well.
Forcing his mind to his task, Sam turned his eyes upon the water, raising the Soul of Atlantis high into the air. He felt queasy as he began to speak the first words of the ritual. The twelve young virgins in white chained together at the end of the dock were sobbing in fear and distress. Sam found it hard to concentrate, but he had to go on.
The small group of rescuers observed the scene from a safe distance while they contemplated their next move. "I say we just go up there and take Amanda back," growled Drew in suppressed anger as he watched through steely eyes the beginnings of the ritual. "I'm sick of all this waiting around and talking and planning. The only way we're going to save Amanda is with action."
Kate slowly turned to face Drew; the self-assured confident look in her eyes enforced his reluctant silence. She turned back to the pier to watch the ritual. "We will act Drew, but the time has to be right..."
"Oh, and you'll know the 'right time' when the blessed spirits of the tacky necklace decide to speak will you? I can't believe Amanda's life depends upon some hokey piece of jewelry."
As the piercing song of the Crimson Brotherhood grew louder, the pendant around Kate's neck began to glow. Kate turned to the band of friends. "Now is the time. Remember, our goal is to rescue Daye and the innocents before they have time to complete the ritual. Let's go!"
Something tickled in the back of Reah's mind... something in the voice of the man standing on the altar seemed dangerously familiar, like she knew it from somewhere, long lost in her past. She tried to shake the uneasy feeling off, but still found it eating at her right down to the her very core, something close she couldn't quite put her finger on.
Before the altar, Sam was focused solely on the water before him. He was unaware of the sudden appearance of uninvited guests. Sam finished his spell, drawing the amulet he held in close as the water at the edge of the dock began to churn violently. The young girls all began to scream. Sam turned away, steeling his nerve. *This is the right thing to do,* he thought.
Sam faced Daye who now lay on the altar, eyes open and staring into the darkness, her face a mask of pain. Sam saw her body contract and knew the time was near. The moon shone down now upon them, and Sam brought the amulet up, holding it above Daye's writhing body. She screamed as a terrible contraction racked her body.
Drew stopped dead in his tracks as he heard Daye's pain-filled screams. He stared at her as she lay on the altar, her body swollen with pregnancy. He felt frozen to the spot, unable to move. "Oh my God, look at her... how can it be?"
"There's no time for questions now," urged Galen as he urged Drew to move with the rest of the group. The last thing they needed was for Drew to suddenly freeze up as two dozen acolytes charged at them.
Once again, Galen pulled at Drew's shirt sleeve, "Come on man, we have to keep going, no matter what, remember? It's the only way."
Drew stared in abject horror for another moment, confused and angry at the sight of Daye's obviously pregnant form. At the last possible moment, he turned back to face Galen, as two of the mad priests suddenly attacked. Drew let his rage and pain fuel him, taking on the man before him without hesitation. He fought as if he'd done this every day, not as if he hadn't raised a hand in anger since grade school. Galen was glad to see "The Professor" could hold his own. If things worked out for him and Daye, it would be good to know Drew wasn't a liability.
Alicia Wyldling, Jess, and Ellie veered off from the rest of the party and began to fight their way through to the pier. They had been given the job of rescuing the girls who were to be sacrificed. They fought off acolytes armed with various and sundry weapons. Each and every one of them wore expressions of fanatical determination. Jess sighed, as she battled a woman armed with a nightstick. The crazy religious zealots were always the worst.
Ellie was near to her watcher, taking on two of the acolytes. She fought with speed and agility, her training holding her in good stead against these priests, who were dedicated but mostly untrained in battle. Ellie dispatched them easily and continued to fight her way through to the water.
As the chanting began to peter off around him, Sam focused on the inky depths of the ocean, where the water had begun to swirl and bubble. He could almost see, rising from far, far below, the form of the ancient god he and the others had invoked. Rather than being afraid, however, Sam felt a disquieting sense of calm. He glanced over and saw Ryan was staring at him, his eyes shining eerily in the darkness. Sam knew at once, somehow, that the demon was controlling his emotions. Sam felt, deep down, under the surface, a bit ill at the thought.
As the fight raged below, Ryan's attention was drawn away from Sam. He'd promised Mother Mariah that he would keep her lap dog calm during these proceedings. The weak-willed fool was easily frightened, and Mariah had been afraid he would run at the first sign of the "lord of the deep waters".
Ryan's thoughts filled with amused contempt when he turned and saw the melee raging below the altar. Some of Daye's "friends" had decided to stage a pathetic rescue attempt. They were trying to breach the line of acolytes and make their way to the altar.
Itching for a fight, Ryan didn't think twice. He leaped off the altar and jumped right into the fray. He faced the red haired witch's lover, and he grinned as he approached.
“Ryan!” Galen practically growled the name through clenched teeth as the demon came racing down from the altar towards him. He couldn’t have been more pleased that the brute had decided to single him out from the crowd if he had planned it himself.
Galen had on more than one occasion had the urge to give Ryan a beating after everything he had put Daye, Kate and himself through in the past few months.
Galen ducked Ryan’s fist as it came flying at his head and slammed his own hand into the demon’s gut. However, Ryan brushed him aside as though he were nothing but a troublesome insect.
Ryan closed the distance between himself and his victim as Galen lay on the ground, still reeling from the force of his blow. He took hold of the man by the throat, his strong fist squeezed and Galen gasped for breath while his limbs assailed the hulk with almost no effect.
Ryan laughed, a deep gloating laugh as he tightened his grip, literally squeezing the life from the former agent. “As though you could ever be a match for me, little man. Your girlfriend couldn’t take me and she’s ten times the warrior you’ll ever be.” An evil gleam flickered through Ryan’s ghostly eyes.
“She’ll satisfy me good though, before I finally get to take my revenge on Daye. You can die with the knowledge that you were powerless to stop me as I sucked the life from your woman… and your child with her…”
Galen screamed out in rage as he pulled his gun from his pockets and aimed it at Ryan. “Suck on this, asshole!” he snarled as he pulled on the trigger.
Ryan’s eyes widened as the man leveled a gun at him, and he quickly reached out for the pistol just as Galen fired. The shot veered off to the side, hitting Ryan in the shoulder instead of the head as Galen intended. It proved effective though, as the demon howled in pain and released his grip on Galen, dropping him to the ground.
Jess, Ellie, and Alicia had just reached the line of girls. Alicia began to free them as Jess and Ellie held the enemy at bay. The girls sobbed hysterically as Alicia set them free and directed them to run away. The acolytes were too busy with the battle now raging all along the waterfront to stop the girls from running away.
As Alicia went down the row freeing the frightened girls, she heard an eerie sound out in the water. Turning her attention for a moment away from her task, she was terrified to see a dark, horrific shape rising a few feet away. The monstrosity was gigantic, with tentacles and eyes, and an inhumanity that turned her blood cold. Alicia recognized it in some part of her primordial soul. This was an old god, so long forgotten that its very name was lost in the bowels of prehistory. Quaking, Alicia forced herself to get back to the task at hand. They would deal with this horror from the deep when the time came to do so.
Sam felt the grip on his mind recede as Ryan turned to the fight below. He was watching the dark shape rising out in the water, and quickly turned away as the horror of it was fully revealed. Sam spun around and saw the battle raging below. Ryan was fighting with a strange man in a suit and tie. Ryan was snarling something about the man's woman and child, which only served to enrage the stranger from what Sam could tell. Suddenly, the man pulled a gun from inside his coat and shot Ryan, hitting the demon in the shoulder. Sam had a sudden urge to cheer, but he contained himself. He glanced past where Ryan howled on the ground and saw someone he did know among the combatants. There was Reah!
Sam was so excited. He threw off his hood and called out to her. "Reah! Reah, it's me, Sam!"
Reah slammed a solid fist down hard across one of the acolytes that faced up in front of her, knocking them out cold with the one swift blow when she heard that familiar voice cry out again... only this time it sounded more excited. And it was calling her name! It couldn't be....
Her eyes interlocked with his at the same moment of his last breath. "Sam?"
Reah stopped for a mere moment in the midst of the battle as she stared at his evident presence. *It can't be! He's not dead? What's he doing up there?* She took in the raging scene about her, and immediately made an assumption, *Sam would never do a thing like this! He must be in trouble.* "I have to get to him," she muttered determinedly.
Reah ducked as a fist suddenly flew at her, swiftly following through with a side kick to project the acolyte away, and moved purposely through the throng to get closer to Sam and save him from the mayhem. "Hang in Sam! I'm coming!"
*These bastards will pay for any harm they did. All along it was them who'd abducted him.* Rage slowly seeped in, fueling her purpose more and more.
Reah pushed past Galen to get to the altar, putting herself between him and the rather furious demon that was now rising off the ground to go after Galen again. She was so focused on getting to Sam, she didn't even realize the threat beside her.
Ryan got to his feet, enraged beyond all thought. He saw a girl had stepped between himself and his prey. Without a moment's hesitation, Ryan reached out and grabbed the girl, roaring Galen's name.
Galen was fighting off one of the priests, and looked up at Ryan's bellow. The demon had Reah by the throat and his face was a mask of rage. Galen dispatched the acolyte before him and hurried to aid the girl.
On the raised dais, Sam watched in abject horror as Ryan rose up from the ground and grabbed hold of Reah. Ryan was drawing his friend close to him and Sam realized suddenly that the demon meant to drain her life energy, to feed on her. "No," Sam screamed. He had to help Reah. He had to stop Ryan. This was wrong.
Reah gasped and choked at the sudden, unexpected grip that seemed to fly out of nowhere, taking her by the throat. She only had a dull awareness of what else was happening around her as she strained to keep her throat from being crushed by the unknown offender.
Gritting her teeth, she instinctively assumed her defenses, letting out a strained growl as she tensed up her body and let fly with a solid fist backwards to impact hard on her attacker while tearing viciously at the fingers around her throat with her other free hand. She dealt various other powerful blows utilizing the back of her head.
The grip still held her, though some pained angry grunts sounded with each blow she dealt, and although she couldn't see, it seemed as though his spare other hand was being preoccupied with someone else, jolting her around more so as a result.
Reah resolved to try and reach the knife she'd strapped to her calf, her hand was ever brushing it, but struggling to get a grip on it as she continued to claw at his fingers... leaving only one last option, "Urg! You...'re so... dead...for making me... do... ulk…this!" she choked, then without a moment's more hesitation, her blades shot out with a deadly glint and she plunged them deep into her attacker's side.
Ryan howled in pain, releasing his stranglehold on the girl. He held his now bleeding side and lashed out, shoving her towards Galen, who was attacking from the other side. Reah flew into him and they both went tumbling to the ground. From inside his robe, Ryan withdrew a wicked looking knife, and began to approach them, murder in his eyes.
Sam watched Ryan and Reah grapple, and he came to a sudden realization. "I'm on the wrong side!" Sam exclaimed. He tossed off his robe and prepared to jump down and help Reah, when Daye let loose with a wild cry from behind him. Sam spun around and gasped.
Daye lay on the altar and her face was a bright red. She clenched her teeth against the pain, but her eyes were alight with confusion and despair. When she saw Sam looking at her, Daye gestured for him to come closer. "Help me, Sam," she called out. "Please help me. The... Aaahhh!"
As Daye screamed once more, Sam glanced back at Reah and Galen, obviously torn. The baby was coming now and Daye was helpless. She was his sister, no matter what, but Reah was in real danger and Sam had power. He had magic. He could destroy Ryan.
Daye screamed out Sam's name.
Alicia had managed to free all the girls, and now she stood before the beast in the water, watching as it searched the pier for its sacrifice. The beast bellowed in anger, the sound so alien that Alicia’s skin began to crawl.
Kate was busy fighting several of Mariah’s acolytes when the pendant around her neck began to pulse with bright white light. Kate looked up at the altar and saw the High Priest leave his position over Daye and run down to join the fray. Kate was about to try and push her way through the crowds when suddenly she felt herself being lifted from the ground. She cried out in surprise as her body was lifted up out of the crowds and propelled across the battleground towards the dais where she landed with a bump at the foot of the altar.
Kate grabbed hold of the solid structure of the altar for support as she struggled to her feet. The glow of the Arthach slowly began to fade as Kate beheld the sight of Amanda as she writhed around on the dais, screaming, tears streaming down her cheeks as she prepared to give birth.
Kate took Amanda’s hand in her own and wiped at her forehead comfortingly as her friend cried out in pain.
Daye's body was wracked with pain as the child within her struggled to be born. She called for Sam again and again, but was so relieved when Kate appeared at her side and took her hand. Daye wasn't completely sure what was going on, but she knew this was not right. She vaguely recalled the time she'd been spending with Ryan, the baby that had grown so quickly inside her body and she knew, without a doubt, that her mind had been manipulated along with her body. She just wasn't sure why.
"Kate," Daye's voice was a hoarse whisper, "I don't understand this. Why am I here? What's going on?"
"It's okay, everything is going to be okay," said Kate soothingly even though inside she felt completely terrified. Kate continued to hold Daye’s hand and stroked her forehead in a calming motion. She looked up into the face of the man opposite her, the High Priest who had been performing the ritual on her friend. She had to work had to fight back the bitter anger she felt inside. “What, what have you done to her?!”
Sam was devastated by the anger and revulsion on the face of the beautiful woman before him. He moved closer to Daye and the altar. "Ryan... Mother... we... they... they created the 'vessel' inside of her. Mo... Mariah is to be reborn through the vessel. It has to be of the blood of the Guardian. Daye is the Guardian. I... I... don't know how they did it."
Daye looked over at Sam, reaching for him with her free hand. "Please, Sam," she whispered, "I need you. It hurts so... ugh... so much. Please help me."
Sam couldn't resist Daye's plea. He came around to grip her other hand, giving the woman beside her a defiant look. "She's my sister," he said firmly, "I won't leave her. I want to help."
“Fine,” said Kate determinedly, “Amanda is about to give birth and I don’t have time to argue. If you want to help... well, I think that’s the least you could do considering. Well?” said Kate to Sam as he just silently stood across from her. “I’m guessing it was your role to bring this ‘vessel’ into the world, so get to work Sam.”
Kate continued to hold Amanda gently as Sam reluctantly released his ‘sister’s’ hand and moved between her legs.
Reah fought unrelentingly with Galen at her side. She'd since retracted her blades back into her forearms to avoid any further exposure that'd be unnecessary and compromising to her reputation.
The demon before her - Ryan, apparently - proved to be a bigger task than she'd imagined. Something about him seemed strangely familiar, too. Reah wasn't sure what it was entirely. It wasn't his looks, but it seemed like she was supposed to know every soul in LA.
Reah had leveled the fairness against his wickedly bladed knife by producing her Vibro Sword she had concealed. Yet even with that extra advantage over him, he still managed to maneuver around it. She needed to, at the very least, disarm him.
Galen ripped into Ryan mercilessly with a spare iron bar he'd found discarded on the ground, dodging the blows Ryan could manage around his divided attention between the two attackers.
Reah's humming blade flashed in a deadly arc that flew straight at Ryan's hand that operated the blade, but was knocked aside by a hair's breadth an instant before severing and instead was sent skittering across the ground, leaving Reah wide open.
Ryan's eyes glinted wickedly at the sudden opportunity, drawing his hand back to deliver a powerful back-hand that suddenly stopped shot mid-fall with an agonized grunt as Galen’s bar suddenly slammed him hard in the gut.
In the moment Ryan took to swipe at Galen, Reah's quick reflexes suddenly sprang into action. She lunged for his flying arm, twisting it backwards, but not succeeding in releasing his grip on the dagger till she used his resisting strength to counter off, pulling him savagely in closer. Keeping her grip firm that continued to twist his arm, her foot arced around, contacting him solidly in the temple and knocking him dangerously off balance.
The dagger fell unceremoniously to the ground along with its former wielder.
Reah bent over to pick it up. Hefting the masterful piece of craftsmanship in her hand she considered it thoughtfully, then turned to face Galen. As much as she wanted to do it herself, the detective seemed to have some deeper personal war with the demon that stretched beyond Reah's. Besides, she owed it to him after the way she treated him at the station.
Smirking with sweet revenge, she held the knife out to him, "You want the honor?"
Galen sniffed in exhaustion and eagerly snatched the knife from her offering hand. "With pleasure."
With less than a moment's pause, Galen stalked over to Ryan's writhing form and plunged the knife deep into the demon's chest.
Daye’s body convulsed as she pushed the baby out. Sam knelt between her legs, murmuring soft reassurances. He felt strangely serene. He was prepared for this. He’d studied, been taught just what to do. As Daye gave birth to the baby, Sam was there, guiding and supporting her. He largely ignored her friend, his focus solely on the task before him. Sam would not screw this up. He owed it to Daye to do this right.
Kate watched Sam with barely concealed hostility. Daye was obviously still not in her right mind if she trusted this deluded freak. He’d called Daye his sister, but Kate knew that Daye had no family. The only family she still could claim resided inside the pendant Kate now wore around her neck; the pendant which had once again begun to glow.
The Arthach began to glow with its beautiful inner light. As the baby emerged from Daye’s body into Sam’s waiting hands, the light from the stone grew brighter and brighter, bathing the altar, cocooning it in a bubble of white light. Daye grunted one final time and the child slid from her body. Sam struggled to his feet, holding the child in his hands. The baby made no sound.
Daye pushed herself up on her elbows and looked at Sam and her child. The baby was so still. The dais was flooded with a light so bright that it should have hurt her to look at it, but it did not. The brightness made Daye feel warm and protected. She settled back, letting her eyes slide closed. Daye was exhausted, but she felt safe nonetheless. Sam had her baby and nothing could harm them.
Kate released Daye’s hand and moved towards Sam and the baby. She knew she must put the Arthach on the child. Slowly removing the chain from her own neck, she bent and placed it on the tiny person in Sam’s arm. The baby girl was watching Sam quietly, her large, dark eyes wide. She shivered.
Sam bent and scooped up his discarded robe, wrapping the baby in it. The stone on the necklace the strange woman had placed on the baby pulsed.
Suddenly, Sam heard familiar but strange words from nearby. Turning, he saw Brother Trey approaching, holding the Soul of Atlantis in his hands. The amulet glowed with a deep, blood red light. Mariah had done it. She’d poured her essence into the pentacle shaped object like water into a glass. Sam felt a mixture of sorrow and anger as he saw Trey coming closer. Sam was Mariah’s High Priest, but obviously she hadn’t really believed in him alone. It was clear now that she had taught the ritual to Trey as a matter of insurance, in case Sam screwed something up.
The light from the Soul spilled forth, assuming the shape of Mother Mariah. She appeared to everyone on the dais as a beautiful young girl made purely of red light. Her face was twisted with anger and maliciousness.
”You betrayed me, Sam,” Mariah’s voice was only in all their heads. ”No one betrays Mother.”
Sam raised his chin defiantly. “You lied to me! You’re not my mother. You… You’re evil!”
Mariah’s cold, cruel laugh echoed through all their minds. ”It doesn’t matter now. Trey will finish what you started. I will be reborn.”
A soft humming chorus of voices filled the area around the baby. The spirit of the Arthach was all around them.
One voice rose from within the melodic sound. "You are done, Mariah," the voice spoke with authority. "The line of Blaise opposes you. You have no power here in this plane. Your time is at an end."
"No, I will triumph," Mariah's essence lunged at the baby. At that same moment, Trey voiced a terrified, high pitched scream. The beast from the water had reached out with a tentacle and grabbed hold of the man. It dragged him off, and the Soul fell to the ground where he had been standing.
The red light of Mariah's essence was drawn back into the Soul, as her enraged cries echoed in the minds around her.
The baby was engulfed in the white light of the Arthach, which contracted until it centered solely around her. The light seemed to draw into her, filling her mouth, and eyes, spilling from within the baby for but a moment, until it drew in completely and was extinguished. At that moment, the baby let out a lusty cry.
The battle below was tapering off. The monster in the water had begun to pick acolytes out of the crowd and eat them, so those remaining had decided it was best to run away. Soon, only Daye and her rescuers remained on the pier.
The Mariiah Wrap Up
*** Monday, October 31, 2005, around 3 am ***
Galen had just joined Kate as she stood in a near catatonic state watching Sam as he held Daye's newly born baby daughter.
"Well at least that's the last we've seen of Ryan," he announced, his voice laced with satisfaction, "I can honestly say, hands down, BEST apocalypse I've ever been to, even-"
"Galen," interrupted Kate, nudging him and pointing towards Daye and Sam.
Galen frowned in confusion. "What the - she has a baby? I, what, I can't..."
"Keep doing that for the next two hours and you'll be where I am right now," mumbled Drew soberly as he joined the small gathering around the dais.
As Daye began to regain her senses Kate stumbled forward to her side. She looked down at her friend, her mind full of questions yet unable to put any of them into words. Instead she reached for the thick ropes that still bound Daye to the altar and began tugging at them in an effort to free the poor woman.
Sam watched warily as Amanda's friends slowly began to gather beside the wooden altar. The first to arrive was the brown haired man in the suit. He looked to Sam like one of those detectives he was always seeing in cop shows. The man was holding a long, curved knife that was obviously smeared with blood. At his mention of Ryan, Sam turned and saw Daye's tormentor lying on the ground below in a rapidly spreading pool of blood. Sam was relieved. The man, Galen apparently, stopped talking when he saw the baby Sam was holding. A moment later, another man, came up to stand beside Galen. This man looked forlorn as he took in the sight before him.
Daye was slowly coming around as Kate attempted to free her from the ropes that held her to the wooden altar. She opened her eyes and peered up at Kate, smiling weakly. "Kate," Daye said softly, "It's over now, isn't it?"
"Yes," said Kate, though secretly she knew this was only the beginning for Daye. "It's all right," she said soothingly as she stroked Daye's forehead gently. "Everything will... work out for the best, you'll see."
As Kate finished untying the last of Daye's bonds Galen appeared to help her down from the altar.
He shot a look at Kate that mirrored the way she felt inside. All the time she was thinking, *How could this have happened?*
Daye lifted her head and caught sight of Drew as Galen assisted her in slowly getting to her feet. She smiled a joyous look as she reached out for Drew. He hesitated, a tormented frown on his face. Drew glanced from Daye to the baby in Sam's arms and back. He didn't come forward to help Daye, but rather stayed back, shifting uncomfortably. Daye saw his reluctance and she was hurt and confused.
Sam watched Daye reaching for the man he didn't know and saw also the man's reaction. Anger surged in him. Whoever this man was, Daye had reached out for his support and been rebuffed. She was weak and tired and probably scared. She didn't need any more pain right now.
Sam moved over to where Drew stood, frowning. "Whatever you think has happened," he hissed," she needs you and she's the victim here. Go to her."
Drew glanced up at the stranger holding Daye's baby and felt fury rising inside of him. This was the priest, or whatever, the man who had been officiating at this unholy ceremony. Where did he come off? "Who the hell are you?" Drew demanded, keeping his voice low.
"I'm Amanda's... I'm her brother," Sam replied defiantly, looking at Drew and then at each and every other person around them in turn. "I just want to protect her."
Alicia Wyldling, Jessica, Ellie, and Reah had all come up to the dais at this point. Reah gasped aloud at Sam's sudden declaration.
Drew seemed more than ready to fight. He was spoiling to work off some of his frustration and fury.
"Sam, what are you talking about?" said Reah in a mixture of shock and confusion, "And where have you been all this time? We... I, I thought you were dead, lying in a, in a ditch somewhere!" Reah suddenly closed her mouth, hearing her mother's voice rather than her own.
Kate looked around and frowned. She didn't know who this Sam guy was but he had definitely been working for Mariah - though that only meant that he was susceptible to her mind control.
Still, she couldn't blame Drew's behavior considering he had just witnessed his girlfriend giving birth to a child that definitely wasn't his own. "Drew," began Kate softly, going over to him, "I can't begin to imagine how you're feeling right now and I understand how hurt and betrayed you must feel. But none of this is Daye's fault. This Sam is right, she's the victim in all this. Right now you're feeling angry and hurt and I don't blame you for wanting to lash out at the world, but don't let your hatred at this time ruin what you and Daye had. And don't push her away for something that wasn't in her power to control."
Drew was staring daggers at Kate as she spoke, but he nodded stiffly. He walked over and took Galen's place, letting her lean heavily upon him. Daye was obviously hurt and confused by his behavior, but she didn't say anything.
"I'll take her home," Drew said, starting to walk away.
Sam hesitated just a moment, looking at the others and then at the quiet little girl he still held cradled in his arms.
Drew continued to walk towards where his car was parked behind a row of warehouses.
Kate sighed as she looked at Sam still holding Daye's baby. She took a few steps forward to stand in the middle of the pier facing the departing couple. "I don't think you quite understand," she said loudly, halting Drew and Daye in their tracks.
Drew turned back, his eyes narrowing on Kate. "I said I'll take her, that's what I'm doing."
Kate faltered slightly then took another step forward. "And the baby? What about her?"
Drew scowled, looking at Sam and the baby over Kate's shoulder. "I... I can't. You're asking too much. You take her."
Daye cried out at Drew's cold words. "No, Drew, I can't leave my baby," she faltered as she tried to get the man she loved to meet her gaze. He refused.
Sam stepped around Kate to face Drew once again. "I'll go with you," he said, looking sick with fear, but determined.
"No!" Drew snarled, starting to turn away again. Sam shot a pleading look at Kate.
Daye began to sob softly, struggling to pull away from Drew.
Kate looked on in distress as Daye struggled against Drew while Sam stood to one side, protecting the baby in his arms.
She ran to catch up with them, "You can't expect her to leave her baby behind, Drew. No matter what you feel you can't ask that of her!"
Drew sighed angrily, then shrugged. "Fine, whatever," he said, "I need to get her home. She's dead on her feet. Can't you see that? I'll take her, the baby, and her "brother" too. Okay?"
Drew began to walk again, with Sam and the baby following close behind. His back was stiff with anger, but an air of dejection surrounded him.
Reah watched Sam go, wanting to talk to him, to call him back, but knowing it was not the right time. She turned to the others and waited for someone to say something. She was tired and confused as hell.
Kate watched them leave, one big unhappy family, and she felt like she should have said something else, something more, done something, anything to try and ease the pain between the two.
"Nothing you could have said would have changed what happened tonight," Galen joined Kate and wrapped his arms comfortingly around her shoulders. "We averted yet another apocalypse, stopped an ancient nasty from taking over the world, I'd say that was enough for one day."
"Do you think they'll be okay?" Kate asked solemnly, her voice sad and flat.
"No. In fact I think they'll be very UN-okay for some time. But later? Who knows? If they love each other enough they might find a way through this."
"And be stronger for it?"
"Hey, miracles happen."
After the Battle
***Monday, October 31, 2005 early morning***
Drew drove quickly but carefully towards Amanda’s apartment. She sat in the passenger seat beside him, breathing deeply. Her eyes were closed and she was definitely not conscious. From behind him, Drew could hear the soft cooing of the baby. The Baby!!! Drew couldn’t get his mind around the idea that Amanda’s baby was wrapped in a stained robe, sitting in the lap of the man who only a short time ago had officiated in the ritual to bring about some cataclysmic evil. Drew hadn’t wanted this Sam character anywhere near Amanda or the baby, but Kate seemed to think he was trustworthy despite recent events and Amanda had insisted that Sam go with them. She’d been weak and Drew hadn’t wanted to argue with her.
Glancing over as Amanda made a soft sound in her sleep, Drew felt his stomach knot as his heart lurched. This was the woman he loved, no question. Seeing her weak and drained he felt an urge to protect her, to cradle her and keep her safe. But even as the desire to take care of Amanda came upon him, in his mind the picture of her with Ryan returned. Even knowing now as he did that Ryan had manipulated and controlled Amanda, Drew couldn’t seem to push the image of them together from his mind. The thought made him sick and angry and he couldn’t see how they could work things out. He could barely look at Amanda now, and then there was the baby. The tiny infant in the back seat was a physical reminder of all that had transpired. Drew resented it. That was unfair and he knew it, but he couldn’t control that either.
Finally pulling up in front of Amanda’s building, Drew turned to look at the man and child in the back. “This is it,” Drew said brusquely. “I’ll carry Amanda up. You just get the baby.”
Sam nodded, holding the child gingerly. He had no idea how to take care of a baby, but his sis… Amanda had insisted he come along. Sam felt so bad for his part in all of this, how could he refuse? Not only had he believed Mariah’s lies, but by helping her he had been a party to the hurt done to all these people, and to Reah as well. Sam felt sick at the thought. Never would he have imagined being on the opposite side to his close friend. Whatever it took, Sam would find a way to make all this up to everyone. He had to.
Drew didn’t have the time or the energy to worry about Sam. He took hold of Amanda and carried her up to her apartment. He ignored the feel of her body in his arms. She was so thin, as if the child had taken from her as it grew over the last couple of weeks. Drew couldn’t help but notice how her hair hung limply, or how pale she had become. There were dark, bruised circles beneath her eyes and her face was all hollows and planes. Drew felt sick and heartbroken anew looking at what his love had become in the short time Ryan had held sway over her. Fighting back tears of pity and loss, Drew led Sam up to Amanda’s apartment and used his key to let them in.
Inside the apartment, Drew carried Amanda into her room and placed her gently on the bed, ignoring the images that flashed in his mind. He hadn’t been here since the morning he had found Amanda and Ryan together. Drew fought down his turbulent emotions and left the room quietly. He came into the living room and found Sam standing in the center of the room, awkwardly cradling the quiet baby. Drew watched him for a moment, considering. He knew Amanda was going to need help, and he knew there was no way he could handle it. He just couldn’t be around her right now. So Sam seemed like the best bet. For whatever reason Amanda trusted this man, so Drew was going to trust in her instincts.
“Look, Sam,” Drew said, “Amanda is probably going to sleep for a while. I’m not sure whether she’s going to nurse… or what? I just know I can’t stay. Do you think you could keep an eye on her and the baby?”
Sam nodded, but his eyes had widened with fear. “I… I can try. I don’t know anything about babies. I… when will you be back?”
Drew frowned. “Listen, man, I’m not coming back,” he said, “I just can’t… I need some space.”
Sam looked confused. “Aren’t you her..?” Sam gestured towards the bedroom door. “I just thought… I mean, I thought you loved her.”
At Drew’s sudden fierce look, Sam quailed. “You don’t know me! You don’t even really know Amanda. You certainly aren’t qualified to question me about her. Who the hell are you anyway, Sam?”
“I’m… I’m her… her brother,” Sam replied softly. He held Amanda’s child close to himself and knew as soon as the words were out that they were true. Maybe Mariah had lied about a lot of things, maybe she had used him, but one thing he knew, he and Amanda were bonded. He felt like her brother now, and he didn’t think anything was going to ever change that. Just like nothing would ever stop him from feeling like he should protect this tiny person he now held, and thanks to Mariah he now had the power to actually protect someone. Sam still was unsure, and he was still often afraid, but he was more than he had been before.
Drew stared at Sam, completely shocked. “What?!” he demanded. “How is that even possible? Amanda doesn’t have any brothers or sisters. She grew up in Ireland, with just her mother. You can’t be her brother.”
“That’s true, Andrew.” Both men turned to the bedroom door where Amanda stood, leaning heavily on the frame for support, “But just the same, Sam is my brother. Maybe we don’t share a mother or a father, but we’re blood just the same.”
Sam smiled warmly at Amanda, who stood there looking so frail yet so determined.
Drew shook his head in disgust. “Whatever,” he said. He walked over towards Amanda, but stopped a few feet away. He struggled to meet her gaze.
“I have to go,” he said. Drew felt like such a heel. She was standing in front of him in the blood stained gown she’d worn on that accursed altar. She looked so damn tired, so damn broken. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her, tell her everything would be all right, that he would make sure, but he just couldn’t. Since the beginning of their relationship, Drew had felt in over his head, and the last two months he’d barely been treading water. After what happened with Ryan, Drew was drowning and he didn’t think there was anything to do but swim away, swim for shore. There was nothing in him that could help him be there for Amanda and maybe that was for the best. Sometimes loving someone just wasn’t enough.
Daye nodded sadly. “I understand,” she said.
“I just… I don’t know what to do,” Drew tried to explain. “It hurts too much to be here, to be with you. I feel like I’m coming apart.”
Daye didn’t respond for a minute. She didn’t know how to. Finally, she said, “I know what you’re feeling. It doesn’t matter why what happened happened. That doesn’t change how you feel. I don’t expect you to be okay with it. I’m not okay with it. I feel lost too. I feel like I’ve been violated. I don’t expect anything from you. I just want you to know how sorry I am that you were hurt. I never, never wanted you to be hurt because of me. No matter what, Drew, I love you. I know that’s not enough, not nearly enough, but I want you to know.”
Drew felt the tears pressing behind his eyes. Amanda looked so sad, but she didn’t cry. He nodded, unable to speak.
“I think I’m going to leave in a couple of days,” Daye continued. She looked over at Sam and the baby, smiling softly. “I want to take the baby home, to my mother’s cottage. I want to take some time to heal, and to get to know her. I think it will be good for both of us.”
Drew felt his heart drop at her words. She would be so far away. That was probably for the best, but it still hurt so much. “That’s a good idea,” he said stiffly.
“Goodbye, Drew,” Daye said. She didn’t move to touch him. She thought he’d prefer it that way. Drew nodded, not speaking, and then turned and left the apartment. Daye waited for the sound of the front door closing before she collapsed into tears. Sam was right there to catch her.
Daye Takes a Holiday
*** Tuesday, November 1, 2005, late afternoon ***
Physically, as she sat in the living room with a full suitcase sitting a few feet away, Daye felt perfectly fine. Despite the ordeal she had gone through only two nights ago she was healthy as a horse. Daye had never felt so emotionally drained though. Inside her head and her heart she was a wreck. Sam sat in the chair opposite her couch, holding the baby close to him. He was watching Daye with sorrowful eyes.
“Are you sure you have to go?” Sam asked for the umpteenth time.
Daye smiled fondly at him. “I need to do this, Sam. I’ve explained it all to you. Don’t worry about us. We’ll be okay.”
“When are you coming back?” Sam asked, unable to help himself. He knew already what her answer would be.
“When I’ve healed,” Daye replied. “I just need some time to get to know the baby, some time to come to terms with all of this. Don’t start blaming yourself again, either. We were both Mariah’s victims.”
Sam looked down at the carpet. He felt that Daye was wrong. He hadn’t fought Mariah. He hadn’t hesitated when she’d offered him a place. Sam just wanted to belong somewhere. He had been selfish and so many people had suffered for it.
“I still don’t know if I should stay here while you’re gone, Amanda,” he said softly.
“Of course you should, Sam.” Daye stood and walked over to where he sat. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You’re my brother now. I wouldn’t leave you out in the cold. I want you to stay here. I want you to be here when the baby and I get home.”
“You can’t keep calling her that, you know,” Sam said, passing the sleeping child to Daye.
Daye stood beside his chair and gently rocked the baby. “The baby?” she asked, “I suppose you’re right. She needs a name. I’m just not sure what it should be.”
“I was thinking… maybe we could call her Maia,” Sam suggested.
“Maia? Why Maia, Sam?” Daye looked thoughtful.
“Well, it means mother,” Sam replied hesitantly, “and I know she was really evil and all, but Mother Mariah, well, she did bring us together, and she’s kind of the reason that the baby is here, sort of, and well, I just thought we could maybe, that there could be a part of her, the good part, part of who she was once, or maybe who she could have been, if she’d made different choices. So, I thought, maybe, if you liked it too, we could call the baby Maia.”
Daye stared at the baby for a few moments without speaking. Despite all that had happened, she couldn’t be sorry for what Mariah and Ryan had put her through. Because of it all, this precious baby was here, and Daye was already so in love with the sweet little girl. She smiled a melancholy smile as she turned back to Sam. His idea was right, just right.
“That’s a good idea, Sam,” she said. “Maia is a great name for this little angel.”
Sam grinned. At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
“That’s probably our cab,” Daye said. Sam’s face fell. He rose and, nodding sadly, picked up Daye’s luggage. Together they walked down to the street and Daye and Maia got in the cab. Sam stood on the curb long after they’d driven away, looking forlorn. Finally, heaving a sigh, he turned and went back up to the empty apartment to wait. However long it took Daye to heal, Sam intended to be there when she got home. He needed to be. Daye was his family now, Daye and Maia.
Daye's Journal
November 3, 2005
This is the journal of Amanda Blaise – Autumn 2005
November 2, 2005
Maia just went down for a nap. It’s so quiet here when she sleeps. Hell, it’s quiet here anyway. It’s not like she’s a loud baby, or a fussy baby. Half the time you could forget she’s there. She’s so… so old. I’ve never met a baby with so much wisdom in her eyes before. I suppose it comes from having the sum total of the souls of my family inside of her. That’s a funny thing to think about.
In a way Maia is my daughter, but then again she’s really not. I’m her “guardian”, her protector. I’ve waited since I was a girl to meet her. Maia is the point of my life, isn’t she? That’s an even funnier thing to think about.
It took only a couple of days for the men I hired to fix up the cottage as good as new. They were underfoot when we got here, and they were loud and rambunctious. The younger men tried to flirt with me, one even asked me round the pub for a drink, but it just feels wrong. It feels like I’m betraying Drew even looking at another man. That’s ridiculous, I know. Drew and I are finished, but it doesn’t feel that way at all.
I’ve got no one to talk to here. I wish sometimes I hadn’t left L.A. All my friends are back there. Drew is back there. Oh Goddess, but it hurts to think about him. It hurts just to put his name down on paper. Ryan and Mariah, they raped me. They stole from me and they used me, but worst of all they hurt Drew. I don’t ever expect him to forget or to forgive. I think I knew all along that I was bad for him. I was being selfish, thinking we could be together, thinking who and what I am doesn’t matter.
The hard part is, I don’t really remember a lot of what happened these last few weeks. When I came to on that altar on the pier I didn’t know what was going on. Drew remembers all these things I did, things I said, and I don’t. It’s like being guilty of a crime you can’t recall committing. That’s what makes this so hard. My head knows he’s right, but my heart just wants him back.
I’m so tired. I’m tired of feeling guilty, tired of feeling wrong, tired of feeling violated. I came here to heal, and to do that I have to let go. Goddess, please help me to let go.
***
November 5, 2005
I talked to Sam for a couple of hours this afternoon, while Maia was sleeping. He’s so confused and sad. I know that he was working with Mariah, but I still feel so sorry for him. I think sometimes that he’s the saddest person I’ve ever met. Sam is so unsure, so very lost. Because of what Mariah did to us, whatever that was, I feel like I have to help him. Sam is my brother. That’s just something that feels right. It’s the only thing about what happened last month that does.
I suppose, also, that part of me is glad to have Sam around. He’s the only person who can understand what it felt like, what living in “Mariah’s world” was like. It was wrong, but somehow it was easy to surrender to her, to surrender to Ryan and just be taken care of. Of course they wanted to kill me, but I didn’t know that then. Sam understands. He helps when I feel lonely. I can call him up, and he just hears me. That’s nice.
November 7, 2005
I took Maia to the castle today, just to look around. She loves it there. She smiled and cooed and I think she laughed. I know she’s too little to have done so, but still that’s what it sounded like.
There are ghosts there still. They’re not angry, restless ghosts anymore though. Now the castle has a feeling of being protected, almost sacred. Mariah is gone. I can really feel that when I’m there. It’s a good feeling too. I’ve done something I was meant to do.
November 9, 2005
I found a journal hidden in my mother’s room under the floorboards and started to read it today. I sat in front of the fire and read for hours. Mother started it when she was young, and it is full of stories of her and my grandmother here in this house. It’s fascinating and somehow comforting. I think I’ll read some of it aloud to Maia. She loves to listen to me talk.
November 13, 2005
Mother’s journal brought me to tears. She talked about my father in it. He was a teacher, not a wanderer like I’d always thought. She fell in love with him when he came to ask her for help with a child in his class who had fallen ill. Mother was surprised this educated man would ask the help of the local midwife. She was pleased too. Mother said my father was so handsome and so kind. She wanted to be with him always, but she was afraid. When Mother found out she was carrying me, she had a fight with my dad. She started it on purpose. Mother drove him away to protect him. She wrote, “Alec is not meant for this life. He has much to give, and much light inside of him. I will not let the darkness of this family taint that light. So, I sent him away, and Goddess help me, it was the hardest thing I have ever done.”
That’s what I had to do too. It’s what I should have done from the start. The Blaise family carries much darkness and Drew is like my father. He doesn’t belong in my world. I see that now. It begins to hurt less. I can sleep now.
November 17, 2005
I asked Sam if he would stay on after I came home when we talked this evening. He was very surprised. It almost sounded as if he was going to cry. Of course, he refused at first. Sam said he didn’t want to intrude and that he wouldn’t be able to contribute enough. That’s when I told him my idea. I think Sam should be Maia’s nanny. He’ll be great at it, and I trust him. There are not many people I would trust with this special little girl of mine. Sam can handle it. I know he can. I convinced him to give it a try. Now I just have to convince him that I’m making the right choice.
November 21, 2005
For over a week things have been calm and uneventful here. My mother’s house is calming and I feel so much better than I did. I’ve started writing to Sam and Kate. I want them to know how well Maia and I are doing. I think we’ll be ready to go home by summer. I feel stronger every day.
December 25, 2005
It’s Christmas Day! I bought Maia so many things. It will cost me a pretty penny to ship everything home. I don’t care a whit. This is a beautiful day. I feel content. There’s a blanket of fresh snow on the ground and I plan to take Maia out in her seat later to watch me make a snowman. I bought gifts for everyone at home, too. I bought some for Drew. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but this day feels too wonderful. This whole cold, stormy Christmas month feels like a cleansing. I had to. I’ll call Kate and Tash soon. I just want everyone to know I’m okay, and that I’ve been thinking of them. How can anything seem bleak on Christmas, glorious Christmas day?
January 2, 2006
I had a terrible dream about Mariah and Ryan last night. I was so scared when I awoke, not because of the nightmare, but because for a moment, I wasn’t sure the dream was really my own. Damn Mariah for making me question myself. Well, I swear, never again! Starting tonight, I am going to practice shielding myself. I will never again be an easy mark for some demon or mad man with the ability to control minds. I don’t understand it at all. Surely I should have been taught about this during my Council training. There are a number of books in the castle library on the subject. Oh well, I’ll correct this oversight in my training myself.
January 8, 2006
I had a strange dream last night. I dreamt of my mother. We talked in the kitchen by the woodstove as we had when I was little. Maia rocked in her cradle nearby. Mother told me she was proud. She called Maia “beautiful.” It seemed so natural to sit and talk to her that way. It wasn’t until I woke up that I even considered it odd to be conversing with my dead mother.
I don’t feel like this was just a dream, though. I think perhaps Mother came to guide me one last time. She wants me to be happy, as I would want Maia to be happy. We talked about what happened in L.A. and about how I’m doing now. I felt so comforted having her here.
We talked about Drew too. Mother finally told me herself about my father. She thought it would be better if I thought he had left her. She never wanted me to go looking for him. Perhaps she was afraid I would leave her. I would never have. My mother was my best friend. Regardless of that, I’m glad she told me. She regretted letting my father go. I can tell.
No matter what happens next, I know I won’t regret my time with Drew. Maybe I have to let him go, but I will always love him. It hurts that our time together is done. I have to learn to accept that though.
January 24, 2006
I’ve begun cataloging some items at the castle. I think I will get a crew together to clean it up and then think about opening it to the public. The ghosts are finally all gone. The only ones left there or here are the ones in my memory. I feel very good. Maia is starting to roll over. I think she may be brilliant.
I remember the last time I was here, with Drew. He loved all the beautiful things in the castle. He’d approve of what I’m doing, I think. Last time we were here, that’s when all this madness with Ryan and Mariah really started. I should have known. I should have realized. Maybe I could have protected Drew from what came later.
February 4, 2006
I did it! I got into the dream realm tonight all on my own. It was only briefly, only for a moment, but still I did it on my own. Mariah must have left me some legacy, some small portion of her own power. Or maybe this ability comes from my family. Maybe it’s something stolen from the Blaises by Mariah long ago. Whichever, I know I can learn to use it if I keep practicing; that and my shielding. I feel stronger when I practice anyway. I like that feeling.
February 16, 2006
The Feast of St. Valentine was two days ago, and I was feeling a bit down, so I took Maia on a road trip. We drove all over the countryside and I swear she understood when I told her some of the history of this land. I love America and L.A. is my home now, but Ireland will always be special to me. There’s magic and mystery here. Still, I think when the weather warms up I will head back to my friends, to my life.
March 20, 2006
The weather is horrid here. I’d forgotten how dreary and rainy it gets in the spring. But, Maia has started scooting around on her belly. She’ll be crawling before I know what’s happening. She is such a pretty, happy baby.
I’ve started working on potions and spells again. It feels good to work my magic. For months I felt too afraid to do so. I felt like maybe my magic was what left me open to Ryan and Mariah’s manipulation. Now I know better. I’ve learned to shield my mind, and to fight against anyone trying to get into my thoughts. Now I feel so strong. I think my magic may be stronger than ever before. I feel almost whole. It will be time to go home soon.
April 30, 2006
I had a dream about Drew last night. Actually, I have that dream all the time. During the day, by the light of the sun, it’s simple to say I’ve let go. In the dark, when the moonlight slithers through my bedroom curtains, it is so much harder. When I am alone with my dreams and desires, Drew haunts me. I can feel him. I can taste him. How long will it take before I’m really free of him? How much longer will I ache inside?
May 12, 2006
It’s finally starting to be nice out again. Maia and I are outside in the meadow all the time now. I read to her there, and we sing songs. (Okay, I sing and she sort of says, “la, la, la” but still…) She’s started crawling and she likes to crawl after butterflies and ladybugs and caterpillars. It’s so pretty out among all the green growing things.
The castle is done and I’ve hired a staff to manage it. I’m going to set it up like a sort of bed and breakfast. Funny - this is mine, not like Bibliophile (although I don’t love the B and B nearly as much). But still, this is mine, from my family and it’s the first income I’ve ever had separate from the Council. It’s a nice bit of independence I never expected.
The castle is already booked for the summer. I guess I’m becoming an international businesswoman or something. Isn’t that an odd occurrence?
I’m taking Maia home in July. It’s time. Sam misses us. That’s odd too. I’ve only just met him, but he’s already like a brother to me, and Maia is his too, blood of his blood and spirit of his spirit. Sam will be a part of my life from now on I guess. That’s okay. Not all the legacies of Mother Mariah are evil ones.
Sitting here, I remember the day Drew and I drove down to see the cottage. We made love for the first time right here, in the sweet grasses beside the house. I still ache inside. I miss him so. I have to move on, though. I’m sure he is. When I get back to L.A. I’ll start working again, and I swear I won’t think about Drew. I won’t think about him at all.
Drew Realizes What He Really Wants
*** Saturday, May 27, 2006, around 9 pm ***
Andrew Langley sat in his mother’s office in his childhood home feeling tired and frustrated. When he had returned from the university this evening there had been a very curt message waiting for him on his machine ordering him to make an appearance at his parents' house. So, here he was, waiting on his mother’s pleasure when all he really wanted was to go home and climb into bed. In a couple of days school would let out for the summer and he could spend a week in bed feeling sorry for himself. Until then Drew had to muddle through, and the last thing he needed was guilt from his mother for not being around, especially since he mostly deserved it.
Drew was wallowing when Charis Langley came striding into her office. She was dressed in a pair of linen trousers and a comfortable top. Charis looked cool and composed as always. Drew watched his mother, trying to keep his annoyance off his face.
“Andrew,” Charis bent to place a soft kiss on her son’s cheek before settling into the chair beside him. Drew was surprised. His mother usually sat behind her desk, using her position to cement her power in the room. He was even more surprised when his mother reached out to take his hand gently in her own. “I think it’s time you told me what it is that has been bothering you these past few months.”
Drew didn’t answer at first. He had spent very little time with his mother and father this spring. Truly, Drew had used the time to try to heal, a task which was proving nearly impossible. He had had no contact with Amanda or anyone who knew her. Drew had walked by her shop a couple of times, but he hadn’t had the heart to go in. He didn’t even know if she had returned from Ireland yet, or if she ever intended to. Drew couldn’t believe that his mother had picked up on his misery, though. He’d tried so hard to conceal it.
“You can’t hide from your mother, you know,” Charis said, seeming to almost be reading his mind. “I know something happened last fall. I know whatever it was, it must have involved that girlfriend of yours, Amanda, wasn’t it? You were angry and sad over the holidays, but I thought I’d try and let you work it out. You’re a grown man, and you’re entitled to at least that much.”
Drew smiled wryly at her words. “Thanks, Mother.”
Charis laughed softly. “I know I can be overbearing at times, Drew,” she said. “I am very self aware. Still, you’re not angry any more. Now you’re just sad, so very sad. Is there any way I can help you?”
“No, Mother,” Drew replied, “I don’t think there is. The fact is Amanda and I are over. We’ve been over for months. I guess I just am having a hard time letting go.”
“This woman hurt you very much, dear,” Charis observed, her voice growing cold.
Drew considered, just for a moment, trying to deny it. His mother would know, though. “I was hurt, yes,” he said.
“Perhaps you should consider that anyone who would hurt you this badly isn’t someone deserving of your attentions,” Charis suggested none too gently. “This Amanda person apparently has no appreciation for a decent man such as yourself. You can do much better than that, young man. You deserve much more than some low class woman who would think nothing of stomping all over your heart.”
“Mother, you don’t understand,” Drew jumped to Amanda’s defense. “Amanda didn’t mean to hurt me. She would never have done anything like that if she had had any control over events. Amanda is a gentle, loving, giving person. She is not low class, and I won’t have you thinking of her that way.”
Charis smiled bemusedly. “So, it’s over between you and this woman, is it, son? Well, if that’s the case, why is it you are so keen to defend her? Maybe it’s not as over as you would like to think.”
Drew didn’t know what to say to that.
“Tell me, Andrew,” his mother began, "what happened with Amanda? Why are you so distraught over this girl?”
Drew sighed. Finally he gave his mother an abridged explanation of what had happened in October. After he finished he waited for his mother to condemn Amanda for her betrayal and himself as the worst kind of fool for still wanting to be with her.
“So, for some reason, which you don’t feel comfortable discussing with me completely, your young woman was not herself last fall and she engaged in an indiscretion with her ex-lover,” Charis summed it all up. “This person, a very bad person from your accounts, used some sort of coercion on Amanda and you found them together. That’s about right, isn’t it?”
Drew nodded. “Pretty much, yes.”
“I see,” Charis said. “Now, you can’t seem to reconcile yourself to what happened, but you can’t let go of her either.”
Drew nodded again.
“Well, son, don’t you think it’s time you grew up a bit?” Charis asked.
Drew was taken aback at her statement. That was not the response he had expected at all. “What?”
“This girl, whom you claim to love, made a mistake,” Charis continued unabashed. “A mistake you believe was not really her fault at all. You love her, you foolish boy. You shouldn’t be feeling alone and miserable. You’re a grown man. Get over it. Go and find Amanda. Tell her you forgive her, and beg her to do the same for you. That, or resign yourself to regretting this for the rest of your life. I know what love looks like, Andrew. I see it in your father’s eyes every day of our lives. I see it in yours now. Don’t throw it away for pride.”
Drew didn’t know what to say. His mother, his own mother, had called him a fool, a pig-headed idiot. She’d told him to “get over it”. And she was right. Of course she was right. He couldn’t lose Amanda because of some outside force. If he didn’t forgive her, he’d be letting that bastard Ryan win. That was definitely out of the question. He and Amanda were stronger than that. It had just taken the strongest woman he’d ever met to remind him of it.
“You’re right, Mother,” Drew felt himself smiling for the first time in months. He jumped up from his chair, beaming at his mother. Dropping a kiss on her cheek, he hurried from the room.
“So, where are you going, then?” Charis called after him.
“To Ireland, to get my woman back,” Drew replied over his shoulder.
The Reunion
*** Monday, May 29, 2006 early afternoon ***
Daye sat on the grass in the small meadow beside the cottage. She and Maia were weaving wildflower garlands to wear in their hair. Well, to be honest, Daye was weaving and Maia was trying to eat the flowers. Daye laughed at Maia’s antics. The day was bright and sunny and birds were singing all around her. Daye was content, and for now that was enough. She sang a soft song to Maia as she worked and between grabbing for flowers Maia laughed now and again. The baby crawled around in the grass, a chubby cherub.
The sound of an approaching car’s engine drew Daye out of her reverie. She stood and watched as a rental sedan pulled up in front of the cottage. Daye wasn’t expecting anyone, so she figured it was a lost tourist. She’d give him directions and send him on his way. The car pulled to a stop in front of the cottage and the driver climbed out. Daye felt her heart hammering. She didn’t dare to move. She just stared.
Drew climbed out of the rental car and stood beside the open door for a few minutes, staring at Daye. She stood in the meadow where they’d first made love, the baby crawling around by her feet. Daye was staring right back at him, her expression shocked and perhaps a bit hopeful. Unable to stop himself, Drew smiled broadly, stepping around the car door and hurrying towards her. As he approached, Daye’s face lit with delight and she spread her arms in welcome.
Drew finally reached Daye and wrapped his own arms around her. He drew her close to his body, reveling in the feel of her pressed against him. Cradling Daye tightly, Drew spoke softly, his voice shaking with emotion. “Ah, Amanda. Oh, God, it’s so good, so good. I’ve missed you so. I’ve ached for you every day. I’ve been a fool, a blind, stupid fool. Forgive me, please. Let me back into your life.”
Daye couldn’t stop the tears. “Drew, you don’t need to ask me for forgiveness,” she sobbed. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I made the mistakes. But, Goddess, I want to be with you so much, I just don’t care. If you can forgive me, if you can get past what happened, then yes, oh yes, I want you in my life again. I’ve been miserable without you for so long.”
Drew whooped with delight, spinning her around in her arms. He brought Daye’s mouth to his, kissing her with all the months of frustration and longing within him. Daye answered with the same. They stayed locked in that embrace, until Maia drew their attention with a fussy cry. Stepping apart, Daye and Drew both laughed.
“I guess I should introduce you,” Daye said. Drew nodded, stooping to pick up the squirming infant, who watched him with wary eyes.
“Its past time I think,” Drew said, bringing Maia’s face up to his own. “It’s lovely to meet you, miss.”
Daye watched them together, as he drew a laugh from her baby. Finally, she felt more than content. Daye felt joyful. Now, it truly was time to go home.