Usual disclaimers concerning who should read what and whether or not it is legal for you to do so, so forth and so on. This is a work of fiction and should be treated as such.
Thanks once again to Fred, for last chapter's proofing and to Benji for this one's. I never manage to catch my own typos and then they come back to bite me in the ass when I go look at it once it's posted. Arghh! Special hugs then for, my Chief editor and my (oh god, where is Benji?! help!!!) Drop of a Hat Editor, both! Heh, still love ya best, elf!
"Near Collision"
By Lael Stalnaker
Chapter 11: Love's Vengeance
Anteros floated high above West Hollywood. He knew his target now. Unlike when he had woken in the Void of the outer plane, the knowledge bloomed within him. The signal beat within his skull, pulsing a snaring rhythm relentlessly. His shame from several days ago added a counterpoint to it. He should have known the dangers before the granting power ceremony went forward. He could have lost his bonded, his first mortal love, and foolishly. Skyler had every reason to be enraged with both immortals.
Midnight black wings hardly moved as he hovered. Anteros shifted the quiver to a more comfortable position on his hip. This bow felt so right in his hand again. It seemed ages since the hardwood hand piece had graced his grip. He checked the chord, looking for slackness of fraying. Then Anteros checked the draw, seeking flaws in the pull of the great bow. He remembered matches with Artemis where targets were more than a mile away and moving. Anteros smiled at the memory. Artemis won, as usual, but by hardly more than the width of a flea's backside. His aim had not suffered over the centuries.
He had fallen back on his old duties as a way to fight his increasing loneliness. Nothing had managed to keep his interest once the immortal family broke apart and scattered. Only his concepts held him in intelligent form. He nurtured them carefully, gathering in the power. Only his brother's call had the force and power to bring him out of his self-imposed exile. The thought reminded him of his mission.
Anteros made sure that his body was only loosely anchored in the here and now. No one would see him, despite the great black wings. Human eyes would see what they thought should be there, rather than what was. Most likely, he would appear as a large eagle or buzzard. The reality, of course, being far different. He scanned the land below, searching for the pattern of his prey. He would find him and then he would pay for his uncaring crime.
He changed direction and headed west to the ocean. The beaches were crowded, but not so packed with humanity that people blurred into on another. His eyes blazed as a trace registered within him. Anteros looked more closely at the water. Surfboards floated on the tide, waiting for the wave that would carry them in. He went ridged as he found the sole human that interested him. He drew an arrow and hovered. Then a different plan presented itself. The bow remained undrawn, arrow nocked for flight.
The hours passed and Jeremy finally called it a day. The waves had fallen to a disappointing low and the really cute guys were all gone now. He paddled in, ignoring the others still out waiting. Then, inexplicably, the board flipped, dumping him into the water. He rose to the surface, spluttering on harsh salt water and turning red to the laughter of the other surfers. How newbie! He hadn't gotten knocked off his board since he was 12!
He grabbed for the board and growled as it shot out of his grasp. Then, as further indignity, the board began to crest and flow toward shore... without him. The line attachment to his ankle had severed. He body- surfed in, grabbing the board once he came within reach. He tumbled onto the sand and shoved the board upright into the beach. He examined the cord closely and saw a clean cut. He stared in bafflement. There shouldn't have been anything that could have done that out there.
He pulled his board out of the sand and cringed as he saw the huge gouge in the surface. A buried piece of glass had carved into the board, deeply etching a groove into it. He began cursing softly to himself as his fingered the groove. He lugged the board to his car and strapped it down. He sighed in relief when nothing else went wrong with the board. Then he cursed loudly as the zipper on his wetsuit tore out. He stripped down and got into his dry clothes. He tossed the wetsuit into the back seat and started the car. With a tremendous backfire (first ever for this car), he took off for home.
He turned on his radio and then promptly shut it off again when the only thing he could get was static. Popping in a tape was an idea, but he stopped short of doing it, certain that the tape player would just eat it. His head shook from side to side as he contemplated the day's misfortunes. It just made no sense. Everything was fine and then, abruptly, everything wasn't. He shrugged and hummed to himself. He decided he just needed to be more careful. That would solve this. His natural good humor quickly overtook the bad mood that had been forming. Nothing kept him down for long and everything had its advantage, if one just looked hard enough.
Traffic crawled along Pacific Coast Highway. Jeremy was beginning to wonder if he shouldn't have just stayed out in the water. It beat sitting in a deadlocked situation in a car. He tapped patiently on the steering wheel, still humming to himself. A shadow flickered across the hood of his white Camero. He could have sworn that the wingspread of whatever made that shadow was impossible. He leaned forward to see if he could get a look at whatever it was. Honking horns startled him. Traffic had naturally started moving when he wasn't paying attention.
Once he got home, he carefully unloaded everything and took even more care with anything he did. He saw all of the mishaps as his own carelessness and absentminded stupidity. He showered and washed the salt from his body. His hands roamed over himself, making sure that now trace of it remained. Besides, he liked his body. A lot. So did most of the guys he slept with.
Toweling off, he looked into the mirror. Frowning slightly, he brushed at the moisture-clogged glass in front of him. His jaw fell open and a low mewling sound came out. Deep lines covered his face, making it so weather worn that he appeared more ancient than any retirement home resident. His hands crept to his face, feeling for those horrible lines. His eyes widened as his hands came into view. They were mere claws attached to his wrists, the skin paper thin with veins crawling along the backs with his motions. His arms hung loosely, flabby and pale. His chest had lost the muscled sculpting that he had loved. His heart beat in his chest like a canary against the cage when the cat comes to play.
Jeremy nearly lost consciousness. His vanity screamed in his head, denying everything. His hands proved the lie of the mirror, everything being young and hard. Just as he was about to calm himself, he noticed the glowing red spots in the mirror, off to the side. He whirled around and saw nothing. Glancing back in the mirror, the red took on the shape of eyes, staring at him. He shivered with terror. Then he passed out. Anteros caught the body before it hit the counter or floor. He laid Jeremy out on the bathroom tile, smiling just enough to be really frightening.
Jeremy woke up and immediately shut his eyes again. He should not be lying on the bathroom floor and he knew it. He sat up carefully and examined himself. Nothing was wrong. His skin was firm, tight and tanned along his muscled body. His hands were normal, still strong and well formed. He let those hands trail over his face, half in dread, half in hopes that everything was OK. His sigh of relief echoed in the bathroom. A sudden thought brought another wave of terror roaring through his soul. He carefully lifted his towel with shaking hands and looked down. His relief again sent a rush of blood through his head.
Jeremy levered himself up and looked into the mirror as his eye came level with the counter. His face was as he remembered it before the waking nightmare. He got back up and felt his head for lumps or cuts from his fall. When he didn't find anything, his confusion grew. He shrugged, puzzled, but quickly got back into his usual cocky self. He hummed as he got back to getting ready for a night out.
Skyler flinched. Something was wrong. He could feel a prickling at the corner of his mind. He stopped putting away laundry and stared off into space. Skyler searched his mind, tracking the elusive feeling that had screamed and then faded. When it did not surface again, he finished the chore and sat on the edge of the bed. He went within, leaving behind the ordinary world, knowing that he had better find out what this meant. It could be related to their common problem.
He calmed his mind and floated within. Gray space swirled around him. Ripples in the gray showed patterns of thought that he snuffed out as they struggled to rise. When the gray was still, he took himself back to the moment that the tingling happened. He caught it, grasping it in his mental hands, stopping time to examine it carefully. Skyler shivered at the sheer horror the scream evoked. It had an outside source.
Skyler turned his focus to where. He shuddered as the scream elongated and led the way. He flowed out of his body and let the sensation carry him to the source. He recoiled strongly when he felt Jeremy. The jolt sent him back to his body. He shook his head and opened his eyes. He was more confused than before. Why on earth would he notice Jeremy after all this time? He took a deep breath and expelled it forcefully. He got up and went to the closet. Reaching into the back of the closet, he pulled down the photo of Jeremy that had finally migrated there from the dresser.
He was startled to find that he no longer ached looking at the photo. Seeing Jeremy's arms around him brought no feelings other than relief. Relief that things had ended when they did. That nothing really bad had happened between them before Jeremy turned away. He had at least that much to be grateful for. He set the photo down and backed off from it a ways. He stared intently, focusing on the smiling face above his own.
He let himself fall into the photo. He felt the essence of Jeremy, like pulling to like. Skyler was surprised that this was as easy as it was. He thought he would have to make several tries to get even close. Jeremy was in his bathroom, obviously having just showered. Skyler blushed faintly, feeling voyeuristic. Still, he held onto the image. He scanned Jeremy carefully, hoping to find out what the scream had been about. He noticed a strange light flickering within Jeremy. It was a greenish yellow and nestled firmly within his body. Skyler fled back to himself again.
He sat watching the photo for minutes, unaware of their passing. His mind worked and worked at the puzzle of what had happened. It made no real sense. Even less sense that he should hear anything. Skyler finally got up and put away the photo. He smiled faintly as he set it back on the dresser. The only memories he needed to attach to it now were good ones, such as the day it was taken. No reason to shroud all memory away simply because some were bad. He went back to his routine and pushed the Jeremy thing to the back of his mind. He hoped his subconscious would come up with something if he left it alone.
Jeremy pulled the shirt over his head and tugged it down. The fabric clung to his torso and showed his chest lines to perfection. His pants were clingy, giving just the right view of his tight bubble ass. His choice of clothing left little to the imagination. If anything, it tended to start fights when he wasn't careful. He felt a little queasy, still unsure of what had happened earlier. Everything was strange. All of those things going wrong still bothered him. There are coincidences and then there is outright wrongness!
He let it go and checked the mirror again. He smoothed out his blond hair and made sure that it would stay where he wanted. He half expected the horrifying image to reappear. Jeremy laughed at himself. It had to have been all his imagination. He just couldn't figure out why he would dream up something like that. He ran his fingers through his hair one more time and turned out the light. He left without noticing the twin gleaming red lights floating in the mirror behind him.
Skyler found himself zoning out as he ate dinner with Bryce and Ethan. Joshua had not been home for some time, saying he had duties elsewhere to attend to. No one thought anything of it, as Bryce occasionally left at odd times on his own errands. The two mortals never inquired after it, deeming it not their business until they were told. Skyler shook his head sharply, trying to refocus on his food. It just didn't appeal right now. He pushed the plate away and leaned back in his chair.
"Something wrong, bro?" asked Ethan. Skyler's fidgeting had been getting on his nerves, by the second.
"Not sure, Ether. Have to think on it more. Sorry about wiping out dinner," murmured Skyler as he pushed away from the table.
Ethan arched an eyebrow at Bryce, who just shrugged in return. They both watched Skyler leave the room, nearly knocking his nose into the doorjamb on his way out. He adjusted absent-mindedly and continued out of sight. Ethan stared after him, concern deep in his eyes. Bryce started to rise to follow him but Ethan motioned him back into his chair.
"Let him be, Bryce. He said he needed to think, let him. When he's ready, he'll let us know what's up. He gets this way sometimes when something is bothering him," Ethan cautioned.
"He will come to us? You're sure?" wondered Bryce.
Ethan nodded, "Help me get this stuff put away. He'll be fine. He just has to worry at something until he is sure of himself."
Skyler wandered back into his room and shut the door. He flipped on the lamp and kicked off his shoes. The feelings of unease and impending horror had grown stronger as the evening progressed. Something was going to happen and it would not be pretty. He knew it involved Jeremy. The real issue he was facing within himself was what he was going to do about the knowledge. Try to help someone who didn't want anything to do with him or let the past hold sway over his actions now. His mind tangled and wove around and around it. He was increasingly aware of moral dilemmas that having power were going to thrust upon him. He did not like this one bit. He sank into the bed and stared at the ceiling. The bits of glitter sparkled, somehow seeming malignant and seething.
Morality won out over wounded ego and hurt feelings. Skyler simply couldn't let something bad happen to someone if he could prevent it. Regardless of what they had ever done to him. Skyler grimaced and sat back up. The feeling of unease grew. He would have to act soon. He threw himself off of the bed and ran to the closet. He snatched the photo out and went back to the bed. He could almost see the greenish yellow glow surrounding Jeremy now, in the photo. Skyler propped himself against the headboard and laid the photo into his lap. He allowed his head to rest on his chest and stared at the picture.
Jeremy pulled his Camero into the curb and parked. He shut off the engine and checked his hair. Everything in place, he got out and locked up. He casually checked out the scene as he stepped around his car to the sidewalk. It looked like it was a hopping night at his favorite club. Red gleamed from the side mirror as he stepped away and into the beckoning darkness of the doorway.
Within minutes Jeremy had shucked his shirt and was dancing. A hot guy, beautiful black hair, ripped body and piercing black eyes ground his body against his. They maintained eye contact as the music pounded out techno at a volume to deafen the unwary. Sweat poured from Jeremy's body as he gyrated his hips forcefully into the Latino stud in front of him. Just as he was going to make a serious move, the guy gave him a piercing look. Jeremy smiled and leaned toward the guy. Rage bloomed in those dark eyes locked to his. Jeremy became confused as the stud turned and simply walked off.
Jeremy was thrown off completely. No one had ever walked away from like this before. Certainly not before he had said something. He shrugged it off and went looking for something to drink. He went to the bar and waved over a bartender he knew. His shock grew as he was ignored in favor of some dork that had obviously came up after he had. Jeremy became irritated. What the fuck was going on? He finally got attention when everyone else was busy. The bartender spoke briefly with the bar back and pointed over at Jeremy. The guy was new to the club and Jeremy didn't recognize him.
"Scott says you need to pay your tab. Or your eighty- sixed," the bar back said as he watched Jeremy's face carefully.
Jeremy felt suddenly unsure. He usually paid his bill every two weeks and this was the middle of the first. He made the arrangement years ago and had made damned sure never to fuck it up. He uncertainty grew as he fumbled out his wallet to pay. He threw down his Visa and nodded. He watched the new guy take it over to Scott for processing. Scott glared at him before sliding the card down the machine attached to the register. Jeremy suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Something was very wrong.
"Scott says this card is not working and punching in the numbers brings up a hold order. Sorry dude, but it looks like you haven't paid your credit card bill in a while. Got anything else to pay with? Oh and no checks," the new guy stared at Jeremy. Jeremy started as a red glimmer flickered in the depths of those eyes. It brought back what had happened in the bathroom.
"Uhh..." Jeremy flipped open his wallet again and dug around desperately. The cash he had on hand just covered the outstanding bill.
"Ok. Scott says no more tabs, cash on demand dude."
Jeremy looked at his now empty wallet. Paying the tab had drained his available cash supply. He thought about going to an ATM, but rejected the idea angrily. If he couldn't get a few drinks bought for him, he had no busy playing the crowd. He shrugged at the bar back and walked off. Scott grinned and threw him a towel. The bar back smiled.
An hour later found Jeremy sitting in a corner, absolutely miserable. His frustration was almost more than he could bear. Any time he approached someone, they got this strange listening look and then stared at him. He was getting scared. Each time he opened his mouth, guys got up and walked away if sitting, or pushed past him roughly if standing. He had nearly worked the entire room of available cute guys and even some he knew damn well weren't. No one would give him even the time of night. The average guys were looking mighty tempting, even if they were a come down from his usual predatory standards.
Jeremy took his ego in hand and went to grace some lucky average guy with his glorious presence. His dismay and shock were compounded, as his horrible run of luck appeared to be just as bad with this new crowd. He had never graced any of them with his attentions before. Jeremy thought that would have gained him some openings to find someone. Even this group started to ignore him with minutes of speaking to them. In a way, it felt even worse.
Fortunately, closing put an end to his misery. He sat stunned, for the first time in his life not leaving with some hot trick for the night. He sat with his head in his heads, staring down at a glass of water in front of him. A hand reached out and took the nearly empty glass. Jeremy looked up and into the eyes of the bar back. An apologetic grin graced the lips of the guy. Jeremy felt a tinge of hope.
"So, what are you doing after you leave?" Jeremy asked.
"Nothing important, why, ya got something in mind?" the bar back looked Jeremy up and down in an obviously appraising way. Jeremy's neck hair stood up. He was usually the appraiser. It felt strange to be dependent on the whim of someone else. His was the only whim that had ever mattered before this.
"Well, we could go back to my place and party for a while. If you're up to it." Jeremy fervently prayed that this guy wouldn't do what all the others had done all night.
"Yo Joshua! Get that damn glass over here. I wanna get the fuck outta here before dawn. Get yer ass in gear, man and quit dickin' around with 'that guy'!" Scott yelled from the other end of the room. "And you! Get the fuck out the door. It's after hours and we're closed. I don't wanna see yer face now that I don't have to!"
"All right, hold your fuckin' g-string, I'll be right there!" Joshua looked down into Jeremy's eyes and smiled. "Meet me around back in half an hour. You can pick me up there."
Jeremy nodded like a 16-year-old promised his first fuck. He knocked the chair over in his haste to get out of there and to his car. He missed the red flare in Joshua's eyes once he was up and moving. A feral grin twisted the handsome face into something that could cause permanent nightmares. An easygoing expression was all that Scott saw as Joshua brought over the glass. The door swung shut.
Jeremy pulled away from the curb with a squeal of protesting rubber. He circled the block and went down the alley. After an hour and a half of nervous waiting, Jeremy was getting really worried. Had Joshua stood him up? It would fit the rest of the day. The humiliation was growing. He had never been stood up in his life! His reputation would suffer horribly if word got out about this. Then he stopped his thoughts cold. His reputation. An icy finger ran down his spine. Just as he started to examine that reputation, the back door to the club swung open. Scott and Joshua walked out. They parted, with one last glare for Jeremy from Scott. Ok, so maybe he shouldn't have slept with him and then ignored any further advances from the guy...
As he started to pursue that thought, his eyes focused on the curves of Joshua's bubble but. The tight Levi's clung as tightly as humanly possible and not have the man singing soprano. The arms that peeked from under the sleeves were strong and well formed. The chest on this guy pushed the shirt away with his strength. The narrow waist accented the broad shoulders. Jeremy felt his dick harden so stiffly that he thought it would snap if he didn't get it readjusted fast enough. He squirmed around hoping that Joshua wouldn't notice the totally juvenile display.
Joshua got into the car and smiled warmly at Jeremy. Jeremy gulped and jerked the car into motion. He nearly floored the gas as Joshua's hand found its way onto his lap. He barely missed the side of the building as he came out of the alley. Joshua leaned over and blew softly into Jeremy's ear. Jeremy's eyes were looking wild now, scarcely seeing the road before them. He used all of his will to get back to his place in one piece. Jeremy had never wanted someone as badly as he wanted Joshua at that moment. The red gleam flared with each lost thought in Jeremy's head.
Skyler floated above his body. It felt easier this time. The photo sank from view as he rose out into the night. The stars gleamed and flickered in the clear night air. Skyler reveled in the feeling of flight, though his senses felt different, more distant that usual. He examined his body and found that he was nearly transparent in the starlight. Everything around him was clearer, more defined. The landscape glowed with inner light, not mere reflection of the starlight shining down.
He looked outward and downward. Skyler carefully pictured the photo in his mind and the eerie glow that emanated from it. He shivered as he felt two different sources for it. The fainter of the two came from the room below, the photo. A stronger source came from off in the distance, nearer the sea. He knew that Jeremy's home was in Malibu, near the water, inland about 2 miles. He sent his mind in that direction, letting his ethereal body flow after his thoughts. The travel went quickly.
The sense of urgency pulse within his soul. Whatever was wrong was happening now. Skyler homed in on the feel of Jeremy, also looking for that unearthly light he knew wrapped around the man. Within scant minutes, he floated outside of Jeremy's home. The oppressive weight of impending peril nearly crushed Skyler's will as he sought his ex. Skyler forced himself into the walls and through them. When he found Jeremy, his mouth clenched and his eyes hardened with rage. He flashed in between Jeremy and the entity that had no business being there, holding up a hand in warning. He knew that Joshua/Anteros could see him, though Jeremy hopefully could not.
Jeremy unlocked his door and led Joshua in. He flicked on the light as he passed through the front door. Joshua followed at his heels, shutting the door behind him firmly. Jeremy turned and faced Joshua as he reached the center of the living room. He waited impatiently to see what Joshua would want to do. He shook his head sharply, thinking for a minute that another form was there, one that held something, with wings fanning slowly. His eyes widened and stared, but the image was gone.
Joshua stood and simply waited. The fool's need washed through the room and he was anticipating the final play of this game. Everything until now had been warning enough. These modern mortals certainly needed some stiff lessons in appropriate behavior. Especially concerning something as sacred as love freely given. This fool was not thinking of anything but bedding him and had not thought of love in any of the encounters with others since he first sprouted hair on his nethers. His punishment for arrogance was at hand.
Jeremy grew impatient and took Joshua by the hand. He led him into his bedroom and shut that door behind them. He dropped Joshua's hand when they reached the foot of his bed and began to undress. His erection still prodded the inside of his pants as stiffly as when he had first seen Joshua come out the back door of the club. He stripped off his clothes in a near frenzy. Once naked, he stood watching Joshua. He became puzzled as Joshua stood, arms folded and watched him strip. He was even more startled when Joshua did not undress once he had finished.
He stepped closer to Joshua, thinking that maybe it was a game and that Jeremy was to undress him. As he reached out to Joshua, his arm was gripped in a steely hand and he found himself flying onto his bed. His heart pounded in surprise. He flipped himself onto his back and flipped his head back to get his hair out of his eyes. He froze. Red gleaming light poured from Joshua's eyes.
Jeremy screamed. The figure at the foot of his bed terrified him like nothing else on earth. It flickered, only the red light unchanging. First a solidly built man, then a figure with huge feathered wings, stretching from wall to wall, hold a drawn recurve bow. Jeremy's mind tried desperately to deny either image. Just when he thought he would mentally snap, another bizarre thing happened. He could see a faint form appear between him and the creature. He stared. It was Skyler, whom he hadn't thought of since he broke up (dumped) with years ago. He buried his face in his pillows and just hoped everything would go away. He peeked out and his wish had been fulfilled. The room was empty, except for him.
Skyler interposed himself between Joshua/Anteros just as the immortal was set to loose the bow. Skyler whirled his arms and caught the arrow that flew toward Jeremy. He continued the motion and ended facing the immortal. Skyler calmly snapped the arrow in half and tucked the useless pieces into his waistband. He stood iron backed and folded his arms over his chest, shaking his head from side to side. Anteros nocked another arrow, the murderous red in his eyes flaring even brighter. Black wings beat more rapidly, soon becoming a blur of feathers and wind that buffeted at Skyler.
Skyler realized swiftly that Anteros was in a blood rage and not thinking. He swept the striking wings aside with his arms, turning to the side while allowing those murderous biological weapons to continue on past him. Once he saw the bow being drawn again for another shot, he took his own offensive action. He pulled from the ground and drew energy up through his body to his hands. Once there, he made rings leave his fingers, lashing out toward Anteros.
The rings sped outward, expanding and then snaring Anteros. The wings were crushed down to his body and then layer after layer. Within heartbeats, Anteros was cocooned within bright golden bands of light. Skyler grimaced as the bands contracted and expanded with Anteros' struggles. He could feel the drain. Skyler also knew he could not hold the berserk immortal for long.
Skyler lashed out with a strand of energy and attached it to the bands. He looked back, checking on Jeremy. He sighed with relief once he saw Jeremy cowering under the pillows, his body shivering. He couldn't help grinning to himself as he noticed that Jeremy's usual perpetual hard-on was totally gone. He looked back to Anteros and gritted his teeth. Skyler looked upward and pushed himself out of the room, keeping a firm grip on the energy leash. He shot into the air, dragging the struggling immortal with him.
Anteros fought desperately to get free. Never before had a target escaped him. Not in countless millennium had another being managed to fight him much less fight him to a standstill! He bungled his muscles and then screamed in pain as his wings nearly tore from their sockets. He spun as his feet left the ground and barely went immaterial in time to miss getting his head knocked into the ceiling. The rings still held, disappointing him immensely.
Skyler dragged the bound immortal out over the ocean, up still higher. He could feel the energy draining out of him at a phenomenal rate. This had to end soon. Skyler stopped and began to spin in place. Anteros whipped out to the end of the strand and began to circle Skyler. Skyler began to push energy into himself, countering the centrifugal force pulling at him. Anteros became a blur, a moving ring around Skyler. He changed the angle and now the spinning immortal was perpendicular to the ocean. Skyler suddenly drew all of his energy back into himself. Anteros shot up into the stratosphere. He began to glow with air friction.
Panic broke through the rage clouding Anteros mind. He could no longer see where he was, things spun so fast. Then the bonds on him vanished. He found himself about to leave orbit if he didn't do something instantly. He let go of the atoms holding his form together and instantly stopped. The heat built up flashed and light radiated from the spot where he once was. He could now see who had thwarted his mission. Shock, anger, dismay and then grief each had their turn in his heart as he formed a new body. He gathered air particles: dust, water, light, air and formed his body anew again.
Skyler stood on the air, supported by nothing, serene. He watched Anteros reform in the high air above him. No expression marred the placid face. Anteros circled, then spiraled down to Skyler. Deep shame etched itself into Anteros face. He came level with Skyler and then cupped his magnificent wings. He hovered before Skyler, silent. Skyler nodded to himself and folded his arms over his chest.
"I seem to remember telling you that no one was to ever be harmed in my name. I also told you that Jeremy in particular was off limits." Anteros' face contorted briefly before becoming as expressionless as Skyler's.
"I do what I must, what my nature decrees."
"Let's get back to our apartment where we can talk without causing a plane crash. I'll follow you back." Skyler suggested but really ordered.
Anteros shrugged and flew off toward land. Skyler followed closely. He felt more at peace than he thought possible. Despite the conflict, he felt so calm that details took on new dimensions around him. The glitter of the waves in the starlight fascinated him. The tang of salt in the air, mixed with the smell of kelp, fish and driftwood as he crossed over the shore. The wind caressing his barely there skin. The crash and roll of the waves in the background as they went through the canyons leading inland. Skyler tensed as Anteros looked back once, in the direction of Jeremy. He relaxed again once Anteros turned his head back toward home.
Ethan looked in on Skyler and almost had a fit. He shut the door and went out to Bryce. He angrily threw himself onto the couch. Bryce looked up from the book Skyler was having him read and watched Ethan fidget. Ethan finally decided that he had to say something.
"Skyler is in his room staring at a picture of Jeremy and him! I can't believe that he's doing it. When is that, that... creature going to just disappear from Skyler's memory?!" demanded Ethan. His outrage fairly vibrated the air in the room. Bryce kept his face carefully neutral and then answered.
"Love is love, Ethan, however misplaced. I am not worried. I know his love for me comes first," Bryce tried to reassure Ethan. Ethan's shocked look amused Bryce.
"But... but, how on earth can you say that?" Ethan was incredulous.
"Ethan, use your brain. Who better would know his heart?" Bryce was loosing his battle to not be amused.
Both men shrank back into their respective seats as Anteros hurtled through the ceiling and landed in the living room. His wings folded, and faded from view. His bow and the quiver of arrows were thrown back at the ceiling, vanishing just before striking it. Joshua glared at them, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly. Bryce gaped at him, having never seen him return in such a state. Ethan started to get up until Joshua pinned him in place with a look. Ethan was even more shocked. Joshua always wanted to be close, practically needed the proverbial crowbar to remove him.
A door slammed from the hallway, announcing the arrival of Skyler. He strode into the room at a near run. Bryce blinked. He noticed the broke arrow pieces in his love's hand. Then he flinched. They could only come from one other person in the room, and he knew the arrow was not one of his. Ethan gawked as Skyler walked directly up to Joshua and nearly impaled him with the pieces. Bryce jumped up, moving to intervene before blood was actually shed. He ran smack into Skyler's upraised hand at mid chest level. Skyler hadn't even been looking in his direction. Somehow he knew what Bryce would do and countered it.
"Just what the fuck were you doing 'Anteros'?" hissed Skyler.
"What my nature and duties decree, 'mortal'," replied Joshua with equal venom. Bryce and Ethan glanced at each other before moving into position to separate the other two.
"I told you when you first barged your ugly uninvited ass into my room that I didn't want your services. Do I need to restate it in Greek to get it through your fuckin' head?" Skyler leaned forward, spittle spraying Joshua's face. Ethan had never seen Skyler so enraged that he spat. He cringed as Skyler started up again.
"You're fucking duties are centuries dead, dumbass. They don't exist any more. They serve no purpose! As for your nature..." Skyler drew breath to get really going. Bryce reached across the arm holding him at bay and gently put his hand over Skyler's mouth. Skyler's eyes grew wide as he stared at Bryce over the top of the intruding hand.
"Love, stop." Bryce said simply. Skyler's eyes narrowed and light began to flicker in their depths. Bryce yelped as teeth sank into his fingers. He pulled his injured digits back and blew on the wounded flesh. Skyler had just missed drawing blood. Ethan took that opportunity to slip between Skyler and Joshua. When Joshua started to say something, Ethan calmly planted a foot onto the top of Joshua's, hard. Ethan shook his head violently from side to side, hoping that Joshua could take the hint. Joshua snapped his mouth back shut and let the air hiss out of his clenched teeth. Ethan had nailed his arch.
"What do you think you are doing?" Skyler rounded on Bryce.
"Keeping you from making a mistake you will certainly regret later. Apparently at risk of limb if not life..." retorted Bryce as he examined the teeth marks in his fingers.
"I will not accept that. Joshua had no business going after Jeremy, much less with this," Skyler emphasized his point by jabbing the arrow pieces at Bryce. Bryce paled as the arrow point nearly impaled his injured hand. He yanked the hand out of reach and stepped back.
"Skyler, do you understand what you hold? It is dangerous, though not as you think. There is power in the arrow. Please handle it carefully. The poison can still effect you," Bryce warned warily.
"What do you mean?"
"The arrow is meant to chastise the wicked. It causes remorse for the wrongs they do in the name of love. It does not matter how minor the wrong, the poison will magnify it to deadly proportions," explained Bryce. He then realized his tactical error. Skyler's eyes widened and blazed now. No longer a flicker, the internal fire was nearing the inferno of rage.
Skyler whirled back to Joshua only to find Ethan instead. His anger nearly blinded him until Ethan put a hand on his shoulder. The contact brought sanity back to Skyler's whirling mind. He looked down at the arrow splinters in his hand and spat in disgust. He let loose the anger inside and poured it into his hand. The arrow caught fire and quickly burned to ash. Skyler then took the ash and poured the last vestiges of his indignation and hurt after the anger. The ash turned to glitter in the new flame and then faded away.
"Let me make it perfectly clear. I will not accept harm to anyone that I personally know, by any of you. I will prevent, by any means necessary, harm from taking place. Do not test my resolve. Do not think that my being mortal will make it easy to get around me. Do anything that harms anyone and you will regret it. I may be too angry right now to talk to, but talk we will, once I can hear past the red," Skyler turned on his heel and walked into his room, carefully shutting the door. Bryce sighed desolately as he heard the lock turn. It appeared the couch was once again his.
"Don't even open your mouth, buster," Ethan snapped at Joshua as he began to say something. "I don't know what you did tonight, but it apparently was questionable. Skyler does not get this angry over trivia. Keep in mind that he IS my brother. While I love you with all my heart, I will strike you down myself if any harm comes to Skyler. That includes mental, emotional, spiritual or just plain physical. You can explain everything to Bryce. Then you can talk to me tomorrow. Enjoy your evening boys and hope it is long enough to sort out what the hell is going on. See you in the morning," Ethan departed for his own room. Joshua flinched as another lock turned.
Ethan sagged against the door. It broke his heart to have to leave Joshua out there. Still, a night locked out wouldn't really hurt the fool. He sighed to himself. Fool, the real fool was himself. How in the hell had all of this happened? He wished he knew what exactly had gone on. Ethan wished even more that Skyler hadn't gotten involved. He couldn't think of a person more deserving of old-style, ironic, poetic justice than Jeremy Johnsted! Ethan chuckled at the thought.
He pulled himself upright and went to the bathroom. The door at the far end was only ajar, rather than latched shut. Ethan crept quietly through the bathroom and peeked into Skyler's room. The light was out, so it took a few moments to let his eyes adjust. Once there, he could see Skyler sitting in the dark, staring at the wall. Ethan scratched softly on the door. By doing that instead of knocking, the twins had long ago established the offer to talk without intruding if it was not wanted. Skyler blinked and glanced over at Ethan. He smiled wearily and nodded. Ethan pushed his form through the door, only opening it enough to get through before putting it back the way it had started.
Ethan came over to the bed and crawled onto it. Skyler scooted over and patted the space he had vacated. Ethan took it and leaned up against the headboard. He and Skyler sat silently, their bodies touching down the length of their sides. Often, when words would cause more harm than good, they sat this way, taking comfort in just the presence of the other. Ethan found himself drifting.
"Just so ya know, Sky, Bryce has company for the night. I locked Josh out," Ethan offered into the silence. He smiled sadly as Skyler's head came down to rest on his shoulder. He let his own head lean onto Skyler's. They sat that way, in the dark, for a long time. Ethan could hear Skyler's breath deepen toward true sleep. He sighed. So much for talking things out. Just as he neared sleep himself, he heard Skyler whisper.
"You didn't have to do that."
"Well, yeah, I did. I know you. He had to have done something incredibly wrong for you to be as angry as you are. I trust you. I trust your judgment. I admit, I wouldn't shed a tear for Jeremy, but if you told him no, then he should have honored the request." Ethan explained.
"Hardly matters. Eventually some kind of conflict would've come up with something. Maybe you and Bry, or me and Bry, you and Josh, whatever. It just happened to be this way."
"Why do you think that?" Ethan was really curious now.
"Though we love them, they're not human. They aren't mortal. They don't think the way we do. So, you do the math. What are the odds that one of us would have gone head to head with one of them at some point? So, it happened now instead of later."
"Oh... I guess I can see your point. Are you really mad at Bryce? I can totally understand about Josh."
"Actually, yes. I knew what he was going to do. He thought he was saving us all a lot of trouble, diverting me from Josh. I even knew he would do it. Still, he could have been more careful with his words. I am too tired to deal with him, so the couch will do it for me. I used a lot of energy tonight to save someone that would not have done the same for me. And yet... it felt so wonderful to be able to do it. Ether, there is no way to describe it," Skyler said. He twined his fingers with Ethan's, watching the pattern in the near black night. He rubbed his cheek on Ethan's shoulder, getting rid of an itch just as it started. His eyes really were beginning to shut on their own now. Exhaustion was setting in, stealing his energy and leaving a trail of fatigue running through him.
Ethan waited until Skyler was deeply asleep and then shifted him onto his pillows. He tenderly made sure that he would not wake up with a horrible crick in his neck and scooted off of the bed. He had a lot to think about. Skyler had made some points that really needed to be looked at closely. How the hell could they make this whole thing work if neither side understood the other. He carefully shut Skyler's door behind him.
He stripped down and got into his own bed. Ethan stared at the ceiling, playing connect-the-dots with the acoustic stuff that they always had up there on ceilings. He never did understand why they added glitter to the mix. He let his mind drift, hoping for an intuitive leap. When one didn't pop up right away, he sighed. The light went off with a faint thought from him and he turned onto his side. Everything would just have to wait for morning.
The immortal twins sat in the living room, talking on the ether, no sound coming from either one. The seriousness of the problems at hand had been impressed on them both graphically enough not to be shrugged off as mere mortal silliness. They hashed it out between them, back and forth through the entire night, puzzling it out and going over it again. In the end, even they decided to drop it until they knew more. Morning would come all too soon and at least one of them worried that the new day would only continue the prior evenings battle.
Ok, so ends a chapter that I had a hell of a lot of fun writing. It kept my mind off of other worries. Now guys, don't get all excited and think I will now be forever able to gift you with chapters every few days. Though I would love dearly to be able to spoil you all that way, let's be realistic. It is the whim of the Muses as to when divine inspiration strikes. These last two chapters flowed, and I mean flowed, so fast that it was almost scary! Let's not count on it being a permanent thing. I hope that no one gets too hopeful about what direction the story will take. I do have it all planned out, so be patient. All will be revealed in good time.
Tons of thanks for those that send in their comments. They are the life's blood of any author, letting them know their personal baby has been looked at. As always, drop me a line on how you felt about this chapter and/or the entire story so far. I can be reached one of 3 ways: vanyelashkev@pacbell.net , ICQ #11938988 , or through AOL Instant Messenger at Screenname VanyelAshkev.