Life After Nick: Part Nine
Many years, many thoughts.... Comments as always backbayguy@juno.com
CHAPTER ONE:
The G-550 came to a halt outside of the private hanger in Zurich. As the engines wound down, Jonathan came out of the sleeping quarters in the rear of the jet, stretching. He looked out the window to see a perfect Swiss day. With the sale of the company completed, he was free to do what he wanted to for the most part and what he knew he had to do and what was coming. The door to the jet opened and Jared went out first and looked around. A limo waited for them below. He could see the signature pin in the label of the driver signaling that he was from the security firm. Jared nodded back at him.
"We're ready Mr. Castleton" said Jared through lips that barely moved. Jonathan came forward and walked down the jet stairs. He paused to look at the sky and feel the breeze move past him. Dressed casually in jeans and a dress shirt, he felt relaxed; more so then in months. He opened up his mind to the mountains and the Earth and felt the peace of the countryside and the peace surrounding him. Could the world truly be so mad as the time table of the immortals was being moved up?
Despite the objections of the security firm, they had flown over in the smaller jet, without the Hummers. He wanted the freedom to come and go as he pleased or at least as freely as possible while in Switzerland. Granted he still had twelve bodyguards with him on the trip, but he felt free more so then the past. Karen and Anthony were on vacation as were Brandon and Mark. He had never felt so free. He walked over to the limo and got inside. He knew it was a short ride to the rail connection that would take them to downtown Zurich.
After a quick transfer it was barely an hour's train ride down to Lucerne. As they walked across the main transportation plaza Jonathan was once more reunited with Lucerne. The sights and smells of the ancient city were a pure pleasure to him. Getting into a taxi it was a five minute drive to the Eberele's hotel.
As if psychic, Frau Eberle was waiting outside for Jonathan.
"Ach, my world traveler son, welcome back" she said coming up to him and kissing him on both cheeks.
"It's good to be back" said Jonathan, genuinely meaning it.
"How long are you here for?" asked Frau Eberle.
"At least a week if that's all right" Jonathan replied.
"Of course it is all right. You are family" she said. "Do you want and early lunch?"
"That would be great" said Jonathan. "How about some of your famous Veal Eberle?"
"Give me about 20 minutes." She said. "Your rooms are ready. Go clean up and I'll have lunch out on the balcony."
"Thank you" said Jonathan.
They proceeded into the hotel and over to the elevators. Jonathan felt a peace here as well. For almost all of his life he had known this place and the Eberle family. It was a second home to him.
After changing and heading back downstairs, he went out to the patio to find his lunch waiting for him. Frau Eberle had as usual over loaded his plate. Along with the veal he found a salad, fresh bread and a bottle of white wine from the family's private reserve.
"You are spoiling me" said Jonathan as he sat down.
"Nonsense" said Frau Eberle, hitting him with her apron strings. "You are family and we don't see you enough. What is the point of growing the grapes and making the wine if no one drinks it?"
With that she gathered herself and went back to the kitchen.
As he ate, Danny came over.
"Do you have any particular agenda here that will no doubt drive us nuts?" he asked with a smile.
Jonathan poured him a glass of wine. "I want to run up to see the castle tomorrow" he said. "Beyond that it's up for grabs. I just want to wander about the country side for a while"
"I think we can handle that" said Danny. "I'll make the arrangements."
CHAPTER TWO:
The next morning after a more then filling breakfast, the group set out to head North towards the castle. It was a beautiful morning for a drive and for the first time in a long time, Jonathan actually took the time to take in the scenery. On more then one occasion, he made Erik stop along the road so he could take some pictures. This of course set Jared's teeth on edge.
"Do we have to stop so often?" he asked as he got out of car for the 10th time in a half hour.
"How can you even ask that as you look around?" asked Jonathan as he strode up a hill. "I mean look at this scenery"
Jonathan was acting like a little kid. He hadn't felt this free in years. It was like a mountain had been lifted off of his shoulders. He felt as one with the earth, air and mountains.
"Very pretty, now can we get up to the castle?" asked Jared.
"You are absolutely no fun" said Jonathan as he came back to the car.
"Neither is getting shot. Both of us have had the pleasure of that experience and I don't think you enjoyed it. I know I didn't"
"Just no fun" said Jonathan. "OK, I'll behave. Onward"
Another half an hour brought them to the walls of the castle.
"Damn, this thing is big" said Jonathan getting out of the car.
"As far as castles go, this really isn't large" said Jared.
Jonathan turned and looked at him as he took off his sunglasses. "You know castles?"
"I took a few classes in college on ancient methods of building." Said Jared. "Plus once I heard about this place, I did a lot of research on castles, building them and such. You never know"
Jonathan shook his head. "You do amaze me"
With the closest thing Jared had ever done to a smirk, he twitched at Jonathan. "I try"
Jonathan started to say something and then decided not too. "Right, would you please unlock the door?"
Jared reached into his pocket and hit a combination on a numeric keypad. For a moment nothing happened, then the main drawbridge started to drop down.
"Now that's what I call home security" said Jonathan.
As the gate came all the way down, Jonathan started to walk across it. As he entered the main courtyard, he took the time to admire the castle. From towers and turrets to the manicured gardens towards the back of the courtyard it was beautiful.
"How long will we be here Mr. Castleton?" asked Jared.
"Not long, I just wanted to stop in." said Jonathan. "I needed to check some work I had done on the interior and then I thought we would just wing it"
"According to my schedule, you are having dinner tonight with the Eberle's onboard the Wilhelm Tell"
"Yeah, I know" said Jonathan. "You wouldn't believe what I had to do to get them out of the hotel for the night."
Jonathan continued around the castle for almost an hour. Finally he came back to the courtyard to find that Jared hadn't moved from the spot.
"You are almost inhuman you know that?" he asked as he walked back across the drawbridge.
"Meditation" said Jared. "I can be relaxed and alert at the same time. I was listening to the castle walls. I wanted to hear the sounds of the building."
"Yeah, OK" said Jonathan.
CHAPTER THREE:
It was the perfect afternoon in Schaffhausen. They were standing near the Rhine Falls. In all the time that Jonathan had been to Switzerland he had never been to them. Jonathan found himself at total piece with himself and the world. With several hours to kill before having to be back in Lucerne, Jonathan decided on a whim to keep traveling North and go to see the Falls. Walking along the trail leading to the observation deck he could not help but feel liberated somehow. Following behind a short distance was Jared and Danny. Danny had allowed himself the pleasure of going on this trip. Jonathan paused to watch the waters flow over the rocks.
"Could there be anything more perfect?" asked Jonathan as Danny and Jared caught up.
"You not stopping every five minutes" said Danny.
"This is Switzerland" said Jonathan. "I can't help it. We had an excellent lunch in town. You even said so yourself"
"True" said Danny
"The weather is perfect as is all of the country, the world is at peace here" said Jonathan. "It is truly a slice of Heaven".
"You have always come here after something big haven't you?" Asked Danny.
"What is that quote?" asked Jonathan more to himself then anything. "Oh yeah, "the greatest and most important problems of life are all fundamentally insoluble. They can never be solved but only outgrown."
`Very deep" said Danny as they resumed walking.
Jonathan walked over towards the edge of the platform and turned his back to it as he leaned against the railing. "And appropriate. It was a quote from the famous Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustuv Jung"
Danny started to say something as he turned to Jonathan. Before he could say anything the side of Jonathan's head seemingly became unattached and splattered all over Danny. Both of them went down as a monstrous hollow boom rang out across the water. Danny fell to the platform and Jonathan was thrown over the railing into the Rhine Fall. Jared had his hand in his jacket pulling the 44 magnum and was doing a 360 turn around looking for a target before he could even consciously realize it.
"Code Blue" he yelled into his radio. Danny tried to get up off the ground but realized that his shoulder had all but been shattered by what ever had hit Jonathan.
The other agents in the area began a full run down to the platform, pushing people out of the way, guns drawn. Jared bent over Danny to see that his shoulder was very badly broken, more shattered really, with bones exposed.
"Lie still" said Jared.
He spoke into his radio calling for more help.
"Where's Jonathan?" asked Danny through gritted teeth.
"Over the side" said Jared looking into the rushing waters of the falls.
"Do you see him anywhere?" asked Danny trying to roll over to look.
"Stay still" said Jared, pushing Danny back down. "There's nothing there. Maybe down river. The crew is looking for the shooter."
Sirens were coming in from the city now. The last thing Danny remembered was the rushing of water.
CHAPTER FOUR:
The room slowly whirled into focus. The first thing Danny noticed was the level of pain in his shoulder. It was above and beyond anything he had experienced. The second thing he noticed was Kristian standing next to the bed.
"What" was all he could manage to croak out.
"Easy, lie still" said Kristian. "This won't take long then I'll explain what happen. You weren't supposed to be a part of it"
As the pain drove him to near madness, Kristian laid his hands upon Danny's shirtless upper chest. Suddenly the pain was replaced with an enveloping warmth. As fast as the warmth came up the pain diminished. A strange pale light encompassed his body. Then it was over.
"How's that?" asked Kristian.
Danny slowly sat up in bed. He was weak from being exposed to the pain, but other then that he seemed fine. He very slowly moved his arm then his shoulder. All was fine and in working order.
"What did you do?" asked Danny.
"What was needed to do, you need not know more" said Kristian. "You were never meant to be shot. Only Jonathan"
"Where is Jonathan?" asked Danny.
"Dead to the world as he knew it and all that knew him" said Kristian. "Your work with him is complete. You have Ryan to take care of now. All you need know is that someone shot and killed Jonathan Castleton on this day at the Rhine Fall with a heavy caliber rifle shot to the head. His body has not been recovered yet; it is our problem now"
"Where am I" asked Danny.
"At the castle" said Kristian. "You were teleported here after you were shot"
"But" started Danny
"No" said Kristian.
A bluish white light enveloped Danny and suddenly he was gone from the bed he was lying on. The next thing he knew he found himself back in the office in Boston.
"Son of a bitch" said Danny.
THE CONCLUSION OF IT ALL: It was four days since Ryan had flown to Phoenix and the house at Boulders. He had spent most of the time pushing himself as hard as it was possible in the pool or running in the desert to tire himself out so he could sleep without the nightmares. This did not necessarily sit well with the bodyguards who had to stop him on more then one occasion from dehydrating himself too badly. It had been a month since Jonathan was killed. He no longer knew what was reality and fantasy when it came to that day in St. Thomas when Jonathan had told him about his immortality. Maybe it didn't happen, maybe it was the truth but didn't work when something was planned. He no longer knew. Who knew anything any more. All he had been told was that Jonathan had been shot in the head by someone unknown and fell more then 100 feet over the Rhine Fall. The body had never been recovered.
Being restless and realizing what he doing to himself was not helping he approached Brandon in the office area of the house.
"Brandon?" he asked.
"Hi Ryan" said Brandon, getting up from his chair. "What can I do for you?"
"I think I'd like to go into Phoenix" he said. "I need to go back to that alleyway you guys found me that night"
"Are you sure?" Brandon asked.
"Yeah, I want to go see where this all started for me again" said Ryan.
"Give me 10 minutes and we'll have it all set" said Brandon reaching for the phone.
"Thank you" said Ryan and turned away
Ryan was still very uncomfortable with this wealth, this power he had acquired. It was almost incomprehensible for him to mentally accept the massive changes in his life. He wandered into the living room. Looking around, he still saw remnants of Jonathan here. He could remember spending evenings in here listening to Jonathan tell him stories of things he had done.
As Ryan looked around at the various statuaries, painting, and nick knacks he could remember stories about each one.
He sat down on the couch, looking into the fire. Anthony came into the living room and threw a log on the fire, before turning and looking at Ryan.
"You know, I once was in the same position as I am now, in a different house, looking at a different person staring alone into the fire." Said Anthony.
"Oh?" asked Ryan, with more interest in his voice then he felt.
"It was Jonathan" said Anthony. "He was lost in a mental funk, much like you are now"
"What did you do?" asked Ryan.
"Pretty much told him to stop being a jackass and follow his gut" said Anthony. "You have been given a rare gift Ryan, a new life, a powerful life and the resources to make it your own. Maybe it is about time to start"
With that Anthony stood and left.
How to feel like you are 10 years old in one instant thought Ryan. Maybe Tomorrow, maybe tomorrow.
Brandon interrupted any further thoughts as he approached.
"The Hummer is out front and ready to go" said Brandon.
"Thanks" said Ryan, standing. "Have I been an ass?"
"No" said Brandon. "Different people heal differently"
"I just can't believe that he is gone and hasn't come back" said Ryan. "I know that you know about his immortality. I just wonder if it was all just a story."
"It was a pretty gruesome death" said Brandon. "He told me once that if an immortal has done something very very bad to die, they might not be able to come back."
"I am beginning to think so" said Ryan as they walked outside. He noted Erik standing by the door to the Hummer and his two usual bodyguards also waiting.
"The funds I set up at his request haven't been touched in a month" said Ryan. "Maybe the magic doesn't work."
"Hang in there Ryan" said Brandon, his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "It will get better."
Brandon had not voiced his own concerns; not even to Mark. A month was a long time in the scheme of Jonathan's life. He could pack so much energy into just one day it was inconceivable that no one had heard or seen from him in a month. He watched the Hummer drive out of site before returning inside to his office.
The trip into Phoenix was conducted pretty much in silence. Ryan stared out at the desert and watched the end of the sunset. No matter how many times he saw it he was still blown away at the colors of the sunset. After about 45 minutes, they were driving downtown in Phoenix. Erik made the final turn and pulled to the curb near where the alley way was. The twins, as Ryan called his primary bodyguards, got out first and walked into the alleyway to check it. They came back inside of two minutes and allowed Ryan out. They followed a short distance back from him, but allowing his privacy.
This is where it all started Ryan thought to himself. He walked down the alleyway; the one that he almost died in. His mind flashed back to that night; the pain, the shots, the confusion. Looking back towards the entryway of the alleyway he could just about remember seeing people standing there that night in his mind; through a haze of red; his blood dripping down into his eyes from the beating he had taken. His hand touched the brick wall, lost in thought.
"Ryan" came a voice behind him.
Slowly he turned deeper into the alleyway; towards the voice in the darkness. At first he was suspicious but noted that his bodyguards didn't move; almost as if they were expecting this.
"Ryan" came the voice again; a voice he knew.
"Jonathan?" came the hesitant reply.
Dressed all in black he stepped out of the shadows. His features had changed slightly, his hair was now black to match what he wore. A very short beard or a couple of days' growth of beard completed the change.
"I told you I'd be back" said Jonathan.
Ryan ran up to him, hugging him. "It's true" he whispered.
"Yeah it is" said Jonathan, surprising himself with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry it happened so fast, before I could explain anything to you. I didn't even have any warning. The times are changing and it is happening fast. I wanted to come back briefly to tell you that I'm here and I'm alive and I'll always be around if you need me"
"You're leaving?" asked Ryan, tears of his own running down his face.
"For now" said Jonathan. "I have work to do. You'll always be able to find me if you need me. Right now you are the face of the dynasty I've left behind. You are surrounded by people who will help you, take care of you, and make sure you will never have to worry about anything. The world is yours for the taking and I'm here to make sure it will be here for you to enjoy it"
"I don't know what to do" said Ryan.
"You will" said Jonathan.
With that he faded back into the darkness. As Ryan followed into the shadows he encountered only a wall. Then in his head he heard an ancient voice.
"Your deepest fear is not that you are inadequate. Your deepest fear is that you are powerful beyond measure. It is your light, not your darkness, that most frightens you. You ask yourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. You are meant to shine, as children do. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as you let your own light shine, you unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As you are liberated from your own fear, your presence automatically liberates others."
As the words sank into his consciousness, Ryan found a calm he hadn't known before. Turning his back to the wall, he emerged from the shadows to find his own body guards standing before the Hummer. Getting out of the second Hummer stood Ian, Anthony, Karen, and Danny. Even Sebastian was sitting there, his tail curled around his feet.
As he walked towards Hummer One, Ryan heard himself saying "Take me to where we need to be."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TO all of my readers, friends and others who have passed though my life during the almost nine years of writing this story, I thank you for all of the comments, love and sharing of your lives though out this time. Many times I have said that this is the end of the story line. This time it is the end; or at least for a very long time. I have returned to the beginning of this work and over the past year or so have been re-writing, re-working the story adding to it, having it grow from the stroke story it started out as to a body of work. In conjunction with an editor we are working towards national publication of the story in book form. I hope to have this done by the Spring of next year. This is where my time and talent is going. Nick, Jonathan, Brandon, Mark, Danny, Anthony, Karen and of course Sebastian will forever be a part of me, my life and my love.
As this story is finally finished, I would like to dedicate it to the one who gave me my life back after the real Nick died. To my husband, who found me through this story, who gave me the strength to realize what life is all about, to learn to love again, to receive love again when I thought it was lost, I pledge my eternal allegiance to you, eternal love and eternal grace, forevermore. Our relationship is all the more special because of meeting through this story as the story was told. Peace to all of you.