Lachesis' Falderal

021. Greed

2011-01-30T16:36:00.001-05:00

Title: Angels’ Cloud (Part 7)
Type: Series
Genre: Steampunk
Characters: Zachary Harrison Decker, Damian Reyes Cortez, Angeline Summer Edwards, Pavia, Mortimer Julius James
Prompt: 021. Greed
Word Count: 1,350ish
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Mortimer's more than he first appears to be
Warnings: Nasty family life

Mortimer sat in the chair near the fireplace. “Thank you. As I said, my name is Mortimer James; I’m the eldest son of the banker Eustace James.”

“I know Eustace James, and I’ll agree there’s some resemblance,” Zachary said.

“You know my father, how?”

Zachary smiled; he had no desire to give this kid a lot of information, but perhaps a little would get them at least moving this along. “My family’s rather well-off and we conduct our business affairs in his bank.”

Mortimer nodded, “Then you know my father. You know he drinks hard and sleeps with any woman who so much as looks at him.” He stopped and looked at Angeline, his cheeks turning red. “Excuse me, ma’am.”

She smiled, “Not a problem, Mr. James, and my name’s Angeline Edwards, this is my uncle, Damian Cortez, and since he neglected to tell you his name, this is Zachary Decker.”

Mortimer reached down and touched Pavia who was sitting near his chair. “And this fine fellow?”

“My dog, Pavia.” Zachary looked at the mastiff, sometimes he wondered just how much sense that dog did have.

Mortimer smiled and nodded turning back to Zachary. “As I was saying, my father drinks hard and plays hard, as does my younger brother. They both have an insatiable appetite for making money so they can play and live in the fashion that suits them both.”

Zachary looked around, “And obviously you have a love of learning and care not for those things.”

Mortimer smiled, “And you’d be correct. It’s not that I don’t think money’s important, I do, and I feel it should be invested in proper fashion to ensure it always being there. But as for going out and making more and more of the stuff than I could ever use in three lifetimes, that I don’t understand. I’m also not interested in women or drinking or gambling.”

“You don’t like women, Mr. James?” Angeline asked.

Zachary chuckled; did she actually sound crushed at that thought? Well, damn, who would have thought the ever so irritating scientist could be attracted to a poor bookworm locked up in an insane asylum?

Mortimer looked at her and smiled, a wide charming smile that Zachary was sure had just melted Miss Edwards’ icy heart. “Oh, I like women, Miss Edwards, a lot. I just’ve never understood the need to use them, or to go through them like one goes through a mediocre book. Enjoy for a bit, and then move on without ever picking it up again.”

“Can we get back on track here?” Damian growled.

“Sorry, it’s just I haven’t actually talked with anyone in ten years, I’m afraid my social skills are a bit lacking.”

“Ten years?” Angeline said. “But you said my father’s here.”

“And so he is, and yes I’ve spoken with him off and on over the past six months, and at first he was sane and we had many jolly conversations about all manner of things, but still there was nothing social about it; and because the Super was here when he arrived, I thought he was just another poor soul.”

Zachary rubbed his hand over his face, confused, this conversation had wandered all over Christ-creation, he had to get it back. “Enough, please, we just need an explanation. How about I ask questions and you answer, will that help?”

“Oh, yes, I’m sorry, I’ll try to do better.”

“Thank you. Now, without a lot of side trips, how did you get here?”

Mortimer smiled, “Okay, I’ll try to remain on the road without wandering off the trail.”

“Thank you. My question”

“Yes. When I was fifteen and my brother thirteen, my father decided there was just no hope for me, so, he called the Super here, apparently he’d heard of this place at his gentlemen’s club, and paid a lot of money to have me disappear. Which as you saw, is easy to do. Unless you stumble onto the path, or are brought here specifically, no one even knows this place exists.”

“Why not just kill you?” Zachary asked.

“Oh, my father could no more kill me than the families of the others here could kill them. Most of us are sane when we’re brought here, but most go mad within a matter of months. You see, once you get through the door, there's no way out. You’re stuck here until you die.”

“There’s a way out,” Zachary said with conviction.

“You feel it in your bones or you know what it is?”

Zachary had to smile, the kid was clever and he most certainly had all his faculties about him. “I know what it is.”

“Ah, but do you know where it is?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Oh, I was so hoping this was the case. I just knew you three had not simply fallen through the darkness.”

“No, we took the path purposely, as you’d already gathered,” Angeline said.

Mortimer nodded and rubbed his chin. “Good. Anyway, my father never expects to see me again, but that is not my plan. I know where the exit is, but I have no idea how to get it to work.” He looked at Angeline, his expression softening. He shook his head, “And neither did the Professor. I had such hopes when he came in saying he was looking for Angels’ Cloud.”

Angeline sucked in her breath, “Did you take him to it?”

Mortimer snorted, “Of course not, it’s only a myth. What in the world would it be doing here? Besides, if I knew how to get out of here, even if it took me to another dimension, I would’ve been long gone from this place.”

“Angeline, it’s never been here. Your father didn’t have all the information, the only thing that’s here is the Spirit Sphere.” Zachary realized he should have told her that before, but he was used to keeping information to himself, and sharing wasn’t his first thought.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“It’s the key to activate the crystal once we find it.” He rubbed his hand over his face because this was the one part he really wasn’t sure about, “I’m also hoping it will lead us to the crystal.”

“Damn,” Damian said. “We still don’t know where the crystal even is?”

“No, not really.”

Mortimer raised his hand. “I might be able to help with that?”

“How?”

“Can I see the book that brought you here? I’m assuming you have it with you.”

Zachary’s hesitation must have been obvious, because the kid snorted, “Oh, come on, look at me. Do you really think I can get past you two and the dog? The only way I could achieve that would be if I had the ability to teleport myself elsewhere, and believe me, if I had that ability, I wouldn’t have grown up here.”

“Are you saying you’ve been here since you were fifteen?” Angeline asked, clearly shocked. “And you’re still sane?”

Mortimer laughed, “My being sane may be debatable, but yes, I’m still very much aware of my surroundings. There’s a reason for that, my father wanted me locked away, not destroyed. There was always the possibility I might be needed to return to the bosom of my family, and being crazy might not have worked out too well. So, my father continues to pay the Super extremely well to keep me in such luxury. In other words, I’m able to have any book my heart so desires, or anything else, for that matter. I’ve been writing my memoirs, hoping someday to find my way out of here.”

Zachary removed the book and handed it to the kid who took it as though he’d given him a piece of the finest silk. He actually stroked the fine leather cover. “I do so love these books the most. There are such treasures in them, and if I could only leave, I'd seek them out.” He looked at Zachary and smiled. “I’ve learned of many such treasures, but alas, I’m bound to this one wretched piece of earth thanks to my father.”
Angels' Cloud Part 6

045. Enigma

2010-12-05T19:30:00.025-05:00

Title: Angels’ Cloud (Part 6)
Type: Series
Genre: Steampunk
Characters: Zachary Harrison Decker, Damian Reyes Cortez, Angeline Summer Edwards, Pavia, Mortimer Julius James
Prompt: 045. Enigma
Word Count: 1490ish
Rating: PG-13
Summary: They didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't this.
Warnings: Crazy people

"I simply must get through!"
"Sorry, you're much too big. Simply impassible."
"You mean impossible?"
"No, impassible. Nothing's impossible." Zachary mumbled half to himself as the bottom of the door began to slide up.

“What the hell does that mean?” Damian asked as Zachary started to kneel so he could get through the door.

Looking up, Zachary’s voice showed his impatience. “Don’t you ever read anything but the race forms?” The man was seriously beginning to get on his last nerve.

“Yes, I read the paper as well.”

“Well, you won’t find the quote in either. Lewis Carroll wrote novels, you might try one once in a while.”

He crawled through the opening and entered a large empty room, gleaming in its white cleanliness. The walls and floors were shinny as glass. He looked around for a moment hoping he’d find the way out preferably before Damian could open his mouth.

“The door’s over there, at the end of the hall,” Angeline said.

Thank the gods she wasn’t like her uncle. He could actually get to like her. Maybe. Zachary nodded and led the way to the two-story door, Pavia’s toenails sounding loud as bullets in the empty white space.

He wasn’t sure exactly what he’d expected when he pushed the door open, but what he saw was actually ten times worse than anything he could have imagined. The sterile white they’d entered through hadn’t prepared him for the decrepit appearance of the large room they’d entered.

There were poker tables and pool tables in abundance, so apparently this was the rec room. But, frankly, none of the stray beings standing here and there (or crawling) looked like they had enough brain power left to know how to use the items in the room. Most of the occupants seemed to be crowded around a TV at one end of the room.

“These poor souls,” said Angeline standing beside him.

He heard a sniff and turned to see Damian pull his brandy out of his bag. A look of repulsion distorted his features. Yes, it smelled bad, but the man was being rude. At least he didn’t have to live here. When this was over, he could return to his favorite leather chair in his well-appointed men’s club and read his damn racing form. Unlike these poor fools who looked like they’d been here so long they’d become part of the furnishings.

The sound of heels clicking on the worn tile floor caught his attention as Pavia leaned into his leg. He reached down and patted his friend on the head, offering what comfort he could.

Zachary watched a young man approach them. He bright blue eyes were alight with wary anticipation. Unlike the others, this man didn’t look like he’d checked his sanity at the door, but had insisted on bringing it with him. Perhaps he hadn’t been here long. He was, admittedly dressed oddly, but he was clean, and rather good looking. He had the features of an aristocrat, which really made Zachary start to wonder just what the hell they’d fallen (literally) into.

“Hullo,” the young man said cautiously, as though they were a puzzle he was trying to figure out. Well that made two of them. “I didn’t know the Super was due to pick up more unfortunates, especially not a group that included a dog.” He bent down and held his hand cautiously out towards Pavia. Without more than a cursory sniff, Pavia moved forward and allowed the man to pet him.

Zachary raised his eyebrow, he’d never seen Pavia take to a man that way. The dog had no problems with women, but he was generally leery of men. He accepted Damian because they’d known him for years.

“Who are you?” Zachary asked the man.

Giving Pavia a final pat on the head he stood and held out his hand. Zachary took it, the man’s grip was firm and his hand warm.

“You could call me the welcoming committee, but that’s because I’m the only one here who’s ever been able to put a coherent sentence together for more than a few months.” He looked at Angeline and his eyes lit up and his smile widened. “I’m Mortimer James.”

Zachary watched as Angeline blushed and smiled, “How do you do, Mr. James.” She apparently thought he was handsome as well.

“I do fine now that someone as pretty as yourself has shown up.” He turned back to Zachary, “So how did you wind up here since the Super’s not here and isn’t expected back for the rest of the week.”

Before Zachary could answer, Angeline reached in her bag and pulled out a photograph, “We’re looking for my father, has he come through here?”

Mortimer smiled and nodded, “The Professor, yes, I should have guessed he’d just wandered in here, but since the Super was in residence when he showed up, I wasn’t sure.”

Angeline’s face filled with so much pleasure and hope she practically glowed, “He was here then? When did he leave?”

Mortimer’s eyes grew sad, “Yes, he’s here, but I’m afraid he didn’t leave, or at least not in the physical sense.”

Zachary looked around and got a really bad feeling. Angeline’s face crumpled and this time the tears came as she buried her head in Damian’s shoulder. He looked at the young man, “He’s dead then?”

“No, unfortunately for him he’s very much alive, only his mind is dead, just like everyone else you see around here.”

Zachary was becoming very suspicious of the man despite Pavia’s sniff of approval. “What about you, who are you and how long have you been here? You seem to be completely in touch with reality.”

Mortimer laughed. “You could say that. But not here, please follow me, I’ll take you to my room and we can talk.”

“I don’t damn well think so, we need to find my niece’s father,” Damian growled as he held Angeline to him.

Mortimer smiled and nodded. “We will, I promise, I wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt such a delicate flower who smells so wonderfully of roses, but please, let me explain first. You’ve just stumbled in here, haven’t you, you don’t know anything about this place, and that makes you all too dangerous to be wandering around.”

Suddenly a door closed nearby and Mortimer looked panicked. “Please, we can’t stand here, you must come with me now, or all will be lost, for you and for me.” When he tried to move them along, only Pavia went with him. “Please that’s an attendant, there aren’t many, but there're a few and if they see you, I’ll only have to find you and free you, if you still have your wits about you, that is.”

Zachary looked at Damian who shrugged and said, “There are two of us and the dog, I somehow doubt this scrap of a boy can bring harm to us, and if he’s correct, we need to be somewhere much less obvious, the people wandering around us are no longer existing in the same dimension we are. Did you see the one crawling on the floor stalking the man in the brown coat?”

Zachary nodded, “Unfortunately, yes, I did.” He looked back at the kid, who probably wasn’t much younger than he was, “Okay, lead the way, but you better not turn us in.”

Mortimer shook his head, “Believe me, I need you more than you need me. I knew eventually providence would come my way, and I’m not stupid enough to punch it in the face.”

They followed the kid who skittered through the hallways like a gazelle. They took two stairways before they ended in a room at the far end of the hall on the third story. “I like to be by myself. At the moment no one else lives up here but me.”

He opened the door to his room and Zachary was amazed. The walls were lined with books, there was a desk covered with stacks of papers, pens, books. His suspicions came back full-blown. He rounded on the kid, “Who the hell are you?”

“And where is my father?” Angeline was no longer distraught, she was mad, just like he was, they’d all been made a fool, and more fool him because he was trusting Pavia’s instincts as much as his own.

“Wow, don’t attack. Christ, just let me explain.” He looked at Angeline and his eyes softened once more. Zachary wanted to snort, the man was smitten with Angeline. Well if he’d been locked up in here, even for a day, although by the looks of the room the man had been here years, he’d be looking at any woman with an ounce of sanity that way.

Reluctantly they all took a seat; he actually had a nice sitting area, and a fireplace. The room was very large, more like a suite than a bedroom in an insane asylum.

Angels' Cloud Part 5

Angels' Cloud Part 7

010. Dark

2010-04-28T20:30:00.004-04:00

Title: Angels' Cloud (Part 5)
Type: Series
Genre: Steampunk, Fantasy
Characters: Zachary Harrison Decker, Damian Reyes Cortez, Angeline Summer Edwards, Pavia
Prompt: 010. Dark
Word Count: 1400+
Rating: T
Summary: The path to the Vortex takes an unexpected direction
Warnings: Extreme fantasy elements, visions, swearing, the "f" word

(Since it’s been seven months since I’ve last visited this story, a bit of a recap:
Angeline Edwards and Damian Cortez have asked Zachary Decker to help them find Angeline’s father and in the process hopefully the find Angels' Cloud, a crystal that purportedly opens a doorway into an alternate reality. Zachary does research and finds that if they appear on Morrison Mountain on the next full moon, they’ll find the path to the Vortex of Insanity where they’ve discovered they need to go first. After arguing about money, and Angeline threatening to end the search if Zachary doesn’t take her money, we find them standing on the mountain with Zachary wondering if they’re going on or leaving in the morning.)

Angeline’s expression crumpled and for half a second Zachary was scared to death she was going to cry. Her anger he could handle, but tears were completely beyond his ability to deal with. He was raised by his father and uncle; he had no experience with women since his mother had abandoned him and his father to their books and travels when he’d been no more than five.

To his eternal relief, Angeline squared her shoulders and looked at Damian, “No, we’ll go forward. Do what you damn well please about the money; I just want to find my father.”

“Fine, then we ‘walk into the darkness with the rising fullness of the moon’,” Zachary said refusing to acknowledge that she hadn’t been talking to him.

“What the hell does that mean?” Damian asked.

Zachary rubbed his hand over his face. Christ, what had he gotten himself into? An emotional female he didn’t know how to handle and a dandy who was going to piss and moan at every turn.

Damn his insatiable curiosity. The weight of the book in his bag pulled at him. If only it hadn’t made such a convincing argument that the crystal did exist. He didn’t want to travel through it, he was happy as hell in this reality, he enjoyed his computers and technology; but he just couldn’t help needing to know if it really did exist.

Such was the curse of the Deckers. Because of the men’s crazed obsession with knowledge not one of them had ever been able to stay in a relationship with a woman. Every woman they had ever married had left taking the female children with them and leaving the males behind to be corrupted by the curse. It was the very reason Zachary had every intention of being the last Decker; the line would end with him.

A beautiful woman suddenly appeared before him, forming in the cool mist that was settling over the mountaintop. She was so clear he swore he could touch her. Her vibrant hair reminded him of flames in a hearth on a cold winter’s night; her eyes were the clear blue of a cloudless sky and freckles sprinkled across her pert nose.

Zachary had absolutely no idea who she was.

He started to raise his hand to touch her, when the vision faded as Angeline answered Damian, “It means we head east.” She gave Zachary a dirty look before following Pavia who was already moving in that direction.

“Oh, of course it does,” Damian muttered. “Anyone could figure that out.”

“It’s only as logical as it needs to be, Damian,” Zachary barked as he cautiously took the lead behind Pavia. The vision had jarred him; he knew he was seeing the damn future again. What could she possibly mean to him? The first answer to enter his head he rejected. Despite what his father and uncle had always told him, he had most certainly not just seen his future wife. Fuck.

Pavia stopped, his tail straight. Zachary walked up and stood at the dog’s side, shoving the woman out of his thoughts. Now was not the time, he’d deal with it if he ever met her. In this case, he really hoped his vision was unreliable. “What is it, boy?”

He no longer heard the ground crunching behind them, so fortunately Angeline and Damian had both stopped as well. Pavia growled low in his throat and Zachary looked into the darkness ahead of them. Ah, good. “Well my children, we’re here.”

“And that would be where, exactly?” Damian asked.

“At the Path of Darkness, if I’m not mistaken,” Angeline said, excitement lacing her words. It was obvious she shared his love of discovering the unknown.

“Exactly,” Zachary nodded, trying to see beyond the deep, rich blackness that sucked in every ounce of light surrounding it.

“Okay, now that we’ve found it, what next?” Damian asked.

“It’s a path; we follow it, of course.” Zachary fought his desire to leap into the darkness as he took Pavia’s collar in his hand and cautiously stepped forward along with the dog. Curbing his excitement, he hoped this was not going to be a major mistake. They were standing on the top of a mountain, after all, and he was placing all of their lives in the hands of a book he only believed was accurate. Taking a deep breath, they walked into the blackness and discovered what was without a doubt a perfect example of the first step was a doozy.

He held tight to Pavia’s collar as the ground dropped from under his feet, and they fell slowly through space. He felt like Alice falling in the rabbit hole only this hole didn’t have cupboards on the walls and there was no orange marmalade jar, empty or not. Only endless darkness. He certainly hoped the others had followed, or they’d be parted forever. Or at least until he could get back to them.

The instant his feet touched something solid, he let go of Pavia. Good thing because his knees buckled and he impacted the ground, hard. The first thing he noticed was the intense fragrance of flowery cinnamon followed by a combination of thousands of other floral scents; the second was that he could see again.

If they’d followed the path of darkness, it had led them into a world of extreme and intense beauty. He was in a patch of carnations, but flowers in every color of the rainbow covered the ground illuminated by a bright full moon. He pushed to his feet and inspected Pavia who was standing on his left. At least wherever they’d landed it was still night.

“Oh my, this is the most beautiful spot I’ve ever seen,” Angeline said as she landed on her butt beside him.

He held out his hand to help her up, but she barely noticed as she let him help her stand, all her attention on the surrounding area.

“Damn, that was a ride,” Damian said as he rose from where he’d unceremoniously landed in the flowers.

Beautiful or not, these people were his responsibility and he had no idea where he’d led them, not to mention Pavia’s well-being. “Hum, interesting. Too bad the moon is so bright I can’t see the stars, but it does look like it’s pretty much in the same place as it was when we were on the mountain, so I’m assuming we haven’t gone too far from where we were.”

“We sure as hell aren’t on a mountain anymore,” Damian said.

“No, we’re not. But that doesn’t mean anything.” Zachary removed his bag and put it on the ground, pulling out the book that had led them this far. “Okay, we’re supposed to walk into the eye of the moon.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Damian asked with his usual sarcasm, which was growing very old, very fast as far as Zachary was concerned.

“It means we walk to our right,” Angeline answered as Zachary put the book back and stood. He looked right and saw what she meant. On the face of the moon was a shape that looked exactly like an eye.

“Lead the way then, Angeline,” Zachary said, motioning her forward.

Walking through flowers that in some places were as tall as Pavia, Zachary felt like they were wandering through a fairy tale.

“I thought we were supposed to be in the Vortex of Insanity,” Damian mumbled.

Zachary snorted, “I don’t know about you, but this place seems pretty insane to me. Seriously, do you think miles of intense flowers growing and none of them dead is normal?”

“Damn, you’re right; they’re all in perfect bloom.”

Angeline had stopped and was examining one of the blood red flowers. “They’re night blooming flowers.”

“They only bloom at night?” Damian asked.

“Yes, during the day they close up, they might even die off. I know there are some species of flowers that die during the day and come back to life at night. Some have jokingly called them Vampire blooms. I believe this is one of them.”

They continued to walk for what seemed hours, but the moon never changed positions in the sky; Zachary pulled out his pocket watch, midnight exactly.

Suddenly the flowers disappeared, and an old three story building with cracked brick and barred windows appeared. It stood alone among a forest of trees reminding him of sentinels behind it; nothing was in front of it except for long, uncared for grass.

“The Vortex of Insanity, if I’m not mistaken,” Zachary said.

Angels' Cloud Part 4

Angels' Cloud Part 6

016. Death

2010-01-15T20:39:00.029-05:00

(Edit 1/21/10: If you've received this in your feed again, I'm sorry. I just realized I had the wrong title on it. Duh. :/)

Title: Late Spring, Time of the Askr - 1390, Morana, Forests of Acantha, Dagon
Type: Stand Alone
Genre: Fantasy
Characters: Kerrin Draonight, Cael Tin’ine, Wizard, Faunus, Chryses Tin’ine
Prompt: 016. Death
Word Count: 1470-ish
Rating: T
Summary: Kerrin always knew the Forests would be the end of him
Warnings: Language

(This is a companion piece to my ongoing story Sea of Moons. One small comment, I'm sure this is probably obvious, but "hatchling" is a derogatory term. -Lachesis)

Kerrin Draonight watched the man across from him. He was bluffing, there was no doubt; and for once in his miserable life, Kerrin wasn’t. He actually held the cards that would win him the game. He looked at the men around the table, once more gauging the way they’d accept losing.

A Chandra Elf and a Wizard, neither would cause him problems even if he did bluff. Followers of Sundara magique were peaceful and would take losing in stride; but the vampire across from him, the one that was so obviously bluffing, was a different story. He didn’t know if he followed any teachings, and it didn’t matter, either way the man was dangerous, very dangerous. That was why Kerrin had been careful about bluffing this evening-time. He didn’t want to become the vampire’s next meal.

Kerrin was good at bluffing, had done it all his life to survive and he never cheated. His mother would have been sorely disappointed in him if he cheated; but bluffing, that was just the name of the game. And he was good, damn good.

Kerrin was a non-magique human, the unwanted son of a thief who’d made the wonderfully brilliant career choice of robbing a member of the Guidance of Twelve for fifty fucking pieces of gold; and if robbing him wasn’t enough to ensure a future in the Forests, the stupid bastard had killed him.

The Forests, in turn, had killed his sweet, loving mother and turned his bastard father into a werewolf when Kerrin had seen no more than fifteen springs. Whatever became of the man who’d spawned him was less than he deserved for what he’d done to his family; leaving Kerrin to find whatever means to survive on his own for ten long years. He made his living with cards. He traveled from town to town in the Forests finding a card game and making enough money to stay indoors and eat hot meals.

Kerrin looked at his hand again. He’d been very close to following in his father’s illustrious footsteps; but the memory of his mother’s soft voice always held him back from taking that final step into the abyss. He’d never killed anyone, at least not outright. If a man died days later from his injuries, Kerrin was unaware of it.

He watched as the Elf asked for another card. At least he made enough money playing cards he no longer had to steal. It’d always made him feel dirty because he knew his mother wouldn’t have approved. How he wished she’d lasted a little longer, but his life had never been that forgiving or giving. The Forests were cold and damp; sun rarely penetrated their depths making it the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of disease that was found nowhere else in Neith. His mother had been too delicate for the Forests and she’d become wracked with disease, dying during Winter Season.

“Fold,” the Wizard said, pulling Kerrin’s attention back to the game. They’d been going at this for hours and he was getting tired, his mind wandering. It would be dawn-time soon and vampire would have to move on. Kerrin was ready for rest as well. With this one last hand, he’d win enough to live for a few turnings.

As the Wizard took his winnings, going to the bar for a drink, the Elf said, “I will raise one hundred.”

“I’m in,” Kerrin tossed his chips on the table.

“I’m in and call,” the vampire said throwing his chips and cards on the table. “It’s almost dawn-time and I need to see what this young hatchling thinks he has in his hand.”

Kerrin finally smiled as he placed his royal flush face up on the table.

He reached for the chips as the vampire grabbed him, his nails digging into the back of Kerrin’s hand.

“What the hell?” Kerrin said, looking into the cold ice blue eyes. The man hadn’t been human even before he became a vampire. Damn, he should have been more careful choosing this game. He snatched his hand back, scratches ran across the back from the vampire's nails.

“You cheated,” the vampire growled, showing his long white teeth, his eyes glowing even more.

Kerrin had won fair and square, he never cheated, and the anger that was his father's only legacy burned through him. “Like hell. If anyone at this table has cheated, it’s you vampire.”

The vampire stood; before Kerrin could blink, the man had skirted the table and grabbed him by the throat, shoving his chair away from the table. “You’re dragon shit, little human.”

The Elf stood, putting his hand over vampire’s arm. He face didn’t show any signs of strain, but the grip he had on the vampire must have been great as the vampire winced in pain and his hold loosened. “The young man did not cheat, Faunus, as you very well know. You can still go home to your life’s companion without fear; you did not lose that much this evening-time.”

The Wizard laughed from his place at the bar. “Nah, your losses this evening-time can’t begin to compare to that time the Siren passed through here.”

Faunus squeezed once more before dropping his hand, “Take your winnings, hatchling, and be gone from this place. Consider this your very lucky night.”

Resisting the urge to rub his throat, Kerrin reached for his chips gathering them up, anger still ruling his tongue. “Fuck you,” his voice was horse from the near strangling.

Not to be pushed from any tavern, Kerrin ordered an Absinthe and casually sat at the bar drinking it while he waited for the bartender to exchange the chips for gold.

Tossing the bag onto the bar, more gold than Kerrin had seen in years, the bartender said, “You might want to take that and leave now. Faunus’ friends can control him only so far. You look like a good kid. Take the money and find an honest living. Playing against beings like Faunus will only get you killed.”

Kerrin set his empty glass on the bar; taking the bag he stuffed it in the inside pocket of his coat as he rose, “I’m not that easy to kill, people have been trying all my life.”

“Don’t be so cocky, hatchling; you’ll lose your awareness.”

Kerrin smiled as he left the bar an hour before dawn-time. He pulled the collar of his coat around his neck, small help against the cold dampness of Late Spring in the Forests.

Without warning, a hand appeared from nowhere around his neck. Damn, he really was going to die just as he was considering taking the bartender’s advice. Didn’t his life just suck?

He didn’t see the vampire, but he knew it was Faunus when he was pulled off his feet just before the man’s teeth ripped open his neck. He didn’t stand a chance as he felt the life drain from him. Damn, he was going to be killed by this fucking Forest just like the rest of his cursed family.

“Kid, kid, wake up or you are going to smolder into a million pieces.”

Kerrin slowly opened his eyes. He was hot, and his neck hurt like hell. He put his hand up and felt the raw, torn skin.

“Kid, look at me.”

Kerrin followed the voice, looking into the bright blue eyes of the Chandra Elf. “I’m not dead?”

“Hatchling, you were not lucky enough to stay dead, but if we do not get you teleported somewhere safe, where we can get you underground until we can find you a coffin, you will be.”

“Father, mother sent me to…”

The young voice broke off and Kerrin looked at a small, delicate copy of the Elf.

“Chryses, my child, help me lift this young fool. I am teleporting him to our cellar, be sure to follow me home.

Chryses’ eyes grew wide as she looked at Kerrin, then a smile of such wisdom spread across her face just before she said, “Do not worry young vampire, your life will run a long course and when the Spirits deem you ready, you will find happiness.”

Fear froze Kerrin’s no longer beating heart; he was burning up and freezing at the same time. He didn’t want to, but he had to know. He ran his tongue over the sharp points of his teeth. “Ah, fuck!” The Forest had made him one of its cursed creatures.

019. Past

2009-12-26T15:15:00.002-05:00

Title: 1815 – The Meeting
Type: Stand Alone
Genre: Paranormal/Vampire
Characters: Kai Gillpatrick and Shani Rahotep
Prompt: 019. Past
Word Count: 1,230ish
Rating: PG
Summary: The beginning of a questionable relationship
Warnings: None

(The WVB governs the laws for all vampires, and a soleil is a non-vampire. The legend I used as basis for Shani’s search can be found here. –Lachesis)

This is certainly not one of your brighter ideas, my dear. There’s no conceivable way the magic amulet of Setna is anything beyond pure myth. It doesn’t matter in the least that he supposedly used it to defeat Neferkeptah’s mummy and steal the Book of Toth. You’ve always gone after tangible artifacts; this is just a waste of time, and that’s precisely what you should have told the man. But no, you saw only the amount of money he was willing to pay.

Because of her insatiable need for money, even though she had far more than she could ever spend, she’d taken the job. Here she was, once again using mind tricks to get the guards to let her into yet another closed building after hours. This time to find an artifact that couldn’t possibly exist. A myth that was as intangible as the story that spun it.

Perhaps it is, indeed, time for another career change. Breaking into these places is starting to get really borin- “Ooof!”

Vampire. She looked up at the man she’d run into. How had she ever gotten this far without realizing there was another vampire in the room? Because you were lost in your own thoughts and not paying any attention to your surroundings. It was mistakes like that that would get her caught. Not that she couldn’t get out of any situation, all she’d have to do is erase a soleil’s memory of her; but it was a game she played, and she only won if she didn’t get caught.

“Are ye alright, lass?”

“Wow, I thought I’d run into a wall.”

“Now, I’ve been called a bit thick from time to time, but I’m no’ a wall.”

“No…, no… you’re definitely not a wall, but you are big aren’t you?” She was tall, very tall for a woman of her century, and having to look up at anyone was rare indeed. He was an old vampire, not as old as her, but centuries old. It was an odd ability to be able to judge the age of another vampire. One a vampire only obtained after many, many centuries; and she’d seen more than most, hundreds more than the man in front of her.

“Aye, I’ve been called that, too. Is there anythin’ I can do for ye?”

“My, that’s an open question, but no thank you.” His midnight blue eyes widened a bit at that and his mouth crooked into a small smile. He was absolutely one sexy Scott. Too bad she really did have to get rid of him.

“Tell me, lass, what’s a vampire doin’ wanderin’ about the British Museum? This does no’ seem to be the kind of place ye’d find interestin’ enough to make after-hours arrangements to visit.”

She couldn’t let this man know who she was, and what she did, even if it meant having to come back another night. Something she hated to do since she’d promised her buyer she’d have the amulet tomorrow night. She had to find some way to get him out of here so she could continue on. “I could ask the same of you. Just because I’ve lived history doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a stroll down memory lane every now and then.”

“I have business here.”

“Oh well, me too. I was told a rare artifact might be in the Egyptian exhibit. Something people of today wouldn’t understand. I do help out from time to time, just ask the directors.” Well she did occasionally come in after hours and help out. What do you know, she could actually tell the truth sometimes.

“Aye, and ye being Egyptian, ye’d know such things?”

“How do you know I’m Egyptian?”

“Well, yer certainly no’ British now, are ye? It’s no’ like ye’ve gone out of yer way to hide your heritage. Rather, I’d say ye’ve gone out of yer way to let people know.”

“You British are so pale and pasty. I don’t want people to make the mistake of thinking I’m one of you.”

“Nay, lass, I’m Scottish, as ye well know. Ye’re just tryin’ to annoy me, and I’ve been nothin’ but nice to ye. I could turn ye in ye know.”

She thought back, she hadn’t done anything yet he could turn her in for. Unless he’d been around when she entered the guards’ minds, but she would have sensed him she hadn’t been preoccupied with her thoughts then. “For what? Being a vampire in a museum? Since when is that a crime?”

“Nay, for headin’ to the basement. What do ye expect to find in the collections? What is the magic amulet of Setna?”

“Damn you, get out of my head!”

“Nay, lass, I can no’ do that. Ye’re plannin’ a crime are ye no’?”

“In the name of Horace, I’m leaving now.” Tactful retreat was called for here. This was a very powerful vampire; she’d never had one get into her head without her either knowing or allowing it.

“Ye’d only come back another day, and I can no’ let ye do that.”

“What are you going to do to stop me? Stake me right here?”

“Nay, I’m goin’ to take ye to the basement and let ye look around. If ye find what yer lookin’ for, then we’ll see what can be done about it.”

She stopped walking and turned around to stare at him. “You’re going to let me take a priceless artifact from the British Museum? By the gods, what kind of a fool do you take me for?”

For the first time in millennia, she actually became afraid. She was old, but his power as a vampire was much, much greater than hers. How he came to possess such power was a mystery to her, and one she had no desire to be around any more than necessary. She’d learn more about him later, after she got out of here.

“No fool at all, lass, but I know ye, ye’ll just return and get yerself caught by a guard.”

“I’d never get caught by one of these worthless guards; and if the impossible did happen, then I’m just as capable as you of getting into soleil’s minds.”

His words penetrated, and she felt the breath leave her. “How do you know me? Why would you know me? I don’t know you.”

“Ah, lass, don’ delude yerself, the WVB is very aware of who ye are.”

“Oh, gods, you’re with the Worldwide Vampire Bureau?”

“Aye.”

The WVB was the one group of vampires she went far and wide out of her way to avoid. No wonder he had such power. The WVB still knew all the magic vampires had once been able to cast, and had long forgotten even before her time. Modern vampires knew only a small portion of the magic they had once been able to manipulate.

“Fine, I’ll swear right here and right now, I won’t go looking for the amulet any more. Will that get the WVB off my back?” She was right, now was the time to take on a new project. She’d tell her client the amulet didn’t exist; he could keep his money and she’d return to Egypt. Before the end of the week.

“For now, aye.”

“For now?”

“Well, lass, ye never know what the WVB will do, now do ye?”

“Fair enough, I’m leaving. Have a good evening Mr.?”

“Gillpatrick, Kai Gillpatrick, Shani.”

“You people are scary, I’m leaving now. Good evening.”

033. Honor

2009-09-12T22:38:00.034-04:00

Title: Angels’ Cloud (Part 4)
Type: Series
Genre: Steampunk
Characters: Zachary Harrison Decker, Damian Reyes Cortez, Angeline Summer Edwards, Pavia
Prompt: 033. Honor
Word Count: 900ish
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The group get off to a rocky start
Warnings: Language

The sun had already dipped past the horizon when the basket of the balloon touched down on a flat rock in the center most spot of Morrison Mountain. Zachary looked down as Pavia groaned. He was sure the poor guy was more than happy to finally have his four paws on terra firma.

“Thank the gods,” Damian said stretching being the first out of the basket so he could help Angeline hop out.

Zachary lifted Pavia and handed him to Damian who sat him on the ground. Pavia shook himself and trotted off to the nearest tree to take care of business.

Zachary turned toward the pilot, handing him the money he owned for the trip. “Thank you, it was a smooth flight and we’re here in plenty of time.”

“My pleasure as always, Mr. Zachary. Just let me know when you need to be picked up. It doesn’t have to be from the top of a mountain, you know. If you find yourself in the city, just let me know.”

“Will do, Jake, no problem.”

Zachary turned and hopped out to join the others.

“What's next?” Damian asked. Zachary was still trying to figure out why the man was on this trip. He never believed in any of what he called “hocus, pocus.” Which was exactly why Zachary couldn't understand why the hell the man had connected with Angeline in the first place.

“Next, we find the Path of Darkness.”

“With a full moon?”

“We won’t find it without the full moon.”

“Okay.”

“Damian, why the hell are you still with us? You hate getting your suits wrinkled, you hate doing without your expensive brandy, and most of all, you hate the unknown.”

He patted the case slung over his shoulder. “I have my favorite brandy; I have no intention of doing without.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“He’s my mother’s brother,” Angeline answered.

“You’re her uncle? Why did you make out like you barely knew each other when you came to me that first day?”

Damian snorted, it was not the usual gentlemanly sound Zachary expected to hear from him, “Would you have helped her if you thought she was my niece?”

“Why wouldn’t I? What, are you afraid I won’t keep my hands off of her, is that why you’re still tagging along?”

“Hardly, it’s just that I promised my sister I’d keep an eye on her.”

Zachary wasn't sure if he should be insulted since the man so obviously thought him anything but a threat to his niece's virtue. He decided to ignore the comment. “You must really love your sister to leave your club to follow us around.”

“My sister’s dead. I promised it on her deathbed. I trust you, but I couldn’t in good conscious let her go on her own. I want to know what happened to my brother-in-law as well.”

“That’s honorable. Aren’t you a little young to be related to this woman’s mother?”

“My mother, Angeline’s grandmother, was widowed when she married my father; Angeline’s mother was a teenager by then.”

“Ah great, now I have family complications to deal with. I really fucking don’t need this.”

“Don’t worry; I won’t get in the way.”

“Too late, your being here is in the way.”

“How is my uncle being in the way? He’s never stopped you from anything or done anything to make you think that.”

“I know your uncle. Just wait.”

“You’re really an ass, did you know that Mr. Decker?” she said as she walked up a slight incline.

“Actually, yes I do and you’re going in the wrong direction.”

She turned giving him a dirty look and he watched as she stalked past him and to the south.

“There are two other directions to go, you know, are you sure you’re going the right one?” He smiled, damn, she was easy to goad.

She stopped and stared at him. “Okay, you lead the way, that’s what I’m paying you for.”

What the hell had the man told her? Confused, he looked at Angeline. “You’re not paying me.”

“Yes I am."

“Oh, shit. All right I told her you had to be paid.”

“What, I never take money, except on very rare occasions when the person I’m leading is an ass.” Angeline was staring at him like he had two heads. “Although, perhaps in this case that might be the case.”

She turned to Damian. “What do you mean ‘you told me he had to be paid?’”

“I knew you had too much pride to just let him help you without paying. I also knew you wouldn’t allow me to pay for you, that’s why I told you to give me the money and I’d pay him.”

“I don’t want her damn money.”

“I know that. I was going to put it back in her account just as soon as we found her father and returned home.”

“You have access to her account?”

“I’m her legal guardian should something happen to her father.”

“Would you two please stop talking about me as though I’m not here?” She looked at Zachary. “If you don’t take the money, I’m not going any farther.”

“Well, that’s fucking fine with me, but we’ll have to wait for morning for Jake to be able to come back.”

Angels' Cloud Part 3

Angels' Cloud Part 5

042. Deception

2009-08-30T17:47:00.022-04:00

Title: Payback (1920’s)
Type: Stand Alone
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Marcus Barnett, Cori Larkin, Ethan Boutin
Prompt: 042. Deception
Word Count: 1,134ish
Rating: PG
Summary: It took centuries, but with patience comes payback
Warnings: mild language

Marcus Barnett stopped to look at the stone relief. Gerald had some of the most exclusive and well-preserved pieces in the world in his New Orleans antique shop.

“Ah, mon ami, do you see anything you’d like to take home with you today?”

Marcus smiled; the man asked him that same question every time he walked through the door. “Not today, Gerald, although, as always your pieces are very fine.” Just nothing Marcus considered unique. He had homes throughout the world and different names to go with them. A large number of the pieces in Gerald’s collection had come from him, anonymously, of course.

“Nothing in furniture, then how about a beautiful piece of jewelry for your lovely lady?”

“I have no lovely lady, Ger…”

He looked at the piece Gerald was showing him. A ruby and diamond necklace, so unique in its design it could only have belonged to one woman. Involuntarily, his hand went to his chest. He swore he still felt the bullet as it entered his heart.

Damn the woman, she owed him for his waistcoat even more than his exile from Paris for nearly seventy years. The last time he saw that necklace must have been fifty years ago. Corinne had kept it for more than a hundred years, what had caused it to end up in Gerald’s antique shop in the heart of New Orleans?

Whatever the reason, providence had put it here for him to find, and as luck would have it, he knew she was here. It would be Mardi Gras soon, and she could never pass up the opportunity to rub shoulders with the rich and bejeweled. Especially their jewels, which she’d liberate from them without so much as blinking an eye.

Yes, he’d waited centuries to pay her back for that stunt, and with Ethan’s help, who was also in New Orleans at the moment, he had an idea that would surely piss her off, if things worked the way he planned.

He looked at Gerald and smiled, “I believe I do have a lady-love who’d be very interested in the ruby necklace. Put it on my bill.”

“Would you like it wrapped?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

***

Sébastien opened the door smiling. “Thank you for coming quickly, Ethan.”

“Okay, Sébastien, what’s so damn important you had to pull me from a poker game?”

“Were you winning?”

“Ah, no, not at the moment.”

“Had you ever been winning?” Sébastien led the way into his sitting room.

“Damnit, no, and you know that. I’m the worst poker player; I don’t know why I keep trying. Every time I sit down to a game, I wind up having to sell another piece from my attic.”

“You know, Ethan, you’ll live a happier life if you don’t spend all of your money. You have a long way to go, you know.”

“Yeah, but antiques will always bring in some money.”

“What’d you have to sell this time?” Sébastien waved his hand indicating Ethan should sit. He walked to the sidebar and poured wine for them both.

“My watch,” Ethan answered taking his drink with a grateful smile.

“Ethan, you must take more care.”

“It’s not your problem, I didn’t ask for this curse, so what did you want to see me for?”

“Do you remember Catherine Labrun?”

“The Egyptian princess? Yeah, I saw her at one of your gatherings somewhere around 1870, shortly after I met you.”

“Yes, as I told you then, her name is Corinne Laroche, although truthfully, I have no idea what her real name is because she was born at the time of Ramesses II. In fact I was told she was one of his children, which since he had more than forty daughters; I believe that to be quite possible.

“She’s the daughter of a Pharaoh?”

“Ramesses II, the most prolific pharaoh in history. I’ve even heard she was Nefertari’s daughter Baketmut.”

“So? She was way out of my league, that’s what I remember about her.”

“Did you talk to her?”

“No, you refused to introduce us, and like I said, she was out of my league. Why did you bring me here? Certainly not to talk about a woman I’ve never met.”

“Actually, in a roundabout way, that’s exactly why I asked you here.”

***

Okay, Ethan had no idea what the hell he was supposed to say to the woman if she answered her door. Oh, sure Sébastien had told him what to say, but then he wasn’t Sébastien and never would be, even if he lived as many centuries as the man had.

“Yes?”

Damn, she was beautiful. Somehow looking at her across a room had not made that evident. “Are you Corinne Laroche?” Sébastien had told him using the name she’d gone by in the seventeen hundreds would get her attention.

“That depends. And you are?”

“Ethan Boutin. I was born in 1792.”

“And you’re telling me, why?”

“Because I know of a necklace you may have lost recently.”

“A necklace, just what kind of a necklace?”

“Rubies with diamonds, all uniquely cut.”

“Yes, I may know of that. A little thief of a maid took it from me. She has now paid for that necklace.”

Ethan did not want to know how. “I know who owns it.”

“How do you know it’s mine?”

“I saw it on you 50 years ago in London at the Queen’s ball.”

“Yes, I was wearing it then. Please, come in, would you like something to drink?”

***

Sébastien watched as Corinne entered the room no more than a shadow. The woman had millennia to perfect her stealth, and she’d done exactly that.

Slowly, quietly she walked to the wall safe; he’d changed the combination recently, made it easy, but not too easy. He wanted her to take the necklace, not leave it because she couldn’t get into the safe.

A smile crossed his face as she efficiently and quickly found the right combination and opened the door, pulling out the necklace, which was in reality, the only thing in the safe. She carried it to the window where the moonlight was shinning in clear as daylight. Clear enough he saw the seductive smile as she gently caressed the rubies. He’d learned early on that of all her possessions, the necklace was the most important, which was why he hadn’t understood how he came to buy it, until Ethan had told him. One thing he was sure of, the young woman who took it would never be found.

As she turned to leave the room, Sébastien turned on the light next to him, and quickly crossed the room, taking the necklace out of her hands.

“What the hell, Sébastien?”

“Mine, Cori, I’ve paid for it twice now.”

“Why the ruse?”

“Because I wanted you to think for just one moment it was yours, and now you must live with the knowledge it will never be yours again. Too many people have died for this necklace, it ends here.”

Previous

028. Garden

2009-06-27T20:54:00.033-04:00

Title: Lunch in the Garden of Montgomery Manor
Type: Series - The Patient (Part 6)
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Alexander Justice, Melissa Lane
Prompt: 028. Garden
Word Count: 970
Rating: G
Summary: Alexander’s Fate is Determined
Warnings: None

(I want to thank S.B. for the beautiful garden. A perfect setting for what, at the moment, is the final chapter in this tale.)

Alexander was standing near the entrance to the Garden restaurant at the Montgomery Manor waiting for Melissa. He’d been seeing her for a month now, meeting every morning at Kate’s Coffee Shoppe, but that wasn’t going to complete his assignment, he couldn’t bring music back into her life sitting and drinking coffee.

He asked her to lunch, but she wouldn’t let him pick her up. Which he was sure was a good idea as he really couldn’t drive. Guardians didn’t need to know how to drive, they just needed to know how to prevent a vehicle from getting into an accident. Not the same thing at all.

He had no idea exactly what time it was, but he had a feeling Melissa was late. Would she come? This was a long way from her normal route. She’d either have to take a cab to get here or her friend would have to bring her. Had the thought of venturing so far caused her to back out?

He blinked, surprised at the direction of his thoughts, and even more surprised at the direction of his feelings. He was really concerned that she wouldn’t show up. Actually, he was becoming scared that she hadn’t shown up. Amazing. Ever since he’d become corporeal, he’d been experiencing things he’d never seen or felt before.

Because he now had to stay on earth, Gabriel’s staff had set him up in an apartment near this place. It was interesting having to actually eat and sleep; and he wasn’t even really human, his body just seemed to have needs now. Fortunately, instincts had taken over and he knew what he had to do and how to do it, even if he’d never done it before. But he was still connected to the celestial world. It was a very strange place he was in at the moment, linked to both the human world and the celestial one, not quite fitting into either of them.

A taxi pulled up and the heart he could now feel seemed to skip a beat. Funny he’d heard that expression used by humans and thought they were just saying something strange as it didn’t seem possible, until now, until he felt it himself. Yes, very interesting. Was he falling in love? Another concept he’d never fully understood until now.

Melissa stepped out of the cab and handed a paper to the driver, he wrote on it and handed it back. She smiled reached in her pocket and handed him money, “Thank you,” he heard her say as she stepped back from the door and came around behind the taxi. He walked forward and her face lit up.

“Hi,” she said, not bothering to sign anymore because he’d told her he’d only learned ASL because of someone he knew; he could hear.

He answered, signing. “Are you hungry, or do you want to walk around a bit?”

She looked around, “Walk around I think, it’s really beautiful here.”

He led the way and they walked companionably through the garden. They reached a pond and she stopped. “This is beautiful, thank you. I’ve been so lost in my own darkness, I’d forgotten such beauty still existed.”

He smiled and pointed to the bench nearby. “Would you like to sit?”

“Yes, thank you.”

For the first time, he noticed she didn’t have her cane. After they sat, he asked her about it.

“My leg wasn’t hurting, so I thought it would be easier if I left it home. Unfortunately, I wasn’t expecting to walk this much.”

They sat for a moment, Alexander enjoying her profile as she looked around, smiling.

“Describe the sounds here, please,” she said, the request taking him by surprise.

“Okay, the fountain sounds like the rhythm of a flute and the birds are singing in harmony.”

She looked surprised at first, and then laughed. “I can image that, thank you.”

Another sound caught his attention and he pointed to the squirrel near a bush, “And he’s the voice of disharmony. Apparently, something has made him very unhappy.”

Alexander stood, giving into the most irresistible urge. He held his hand to her. She didn't know what he intended, but to his relief, she took it and rose. He smiled realizing she trusted him.

Without giving her warning, he started dancing. At first her feet faltered, and she refused to move, giving him a hard look, but he persisted. She could read lips somewhat, better than she gave herself credit for, and he began singing the song he’d heard that day in Gabriel’s office.

Finally, she caught on and started moving with him, knowing the song, hearing it in her head because her steps were sure and her rhythm intact. Then to his amazement, she began to sing.

Startled, he stopped, almost causing her to trip. She looked self-conscious, “Am I that off-key?”

“No, I’ve heard your recordings, but I had no idea your voice is so beautiful. Recording it does not do it justice.”

She smiled, “Do you want me to continue, then?”

“Very much so.”

Suddenly, Gabriel appeared. “Very well done, Alexander. Enjoy your life.” He waved his hand, and disappeared as suddenly as he came.

In that moment, Alexander lost all connection with everything celestial. He was now firmly based in the human world, and he knew he was human.

For just a second, he thought he saw a smiling woman in sapphire blue before she too disappeared.

Suddenly, a little voice inside his head whispered, “Tell her the truth, she needs to know why this has happened to her.”

He looked around, but saw no one. He knew someone from the department had planted that thought in his head, but who? People he could trust or his enemy. Now that he was no longer connected, he had no idea. Damn.

The Patient Part 5

032. Sunset

2009-05-23T21:49:00.019-04:00

Title: Dying Sucks
Type: Stand Alone
Genre: Drama
Characters: Jacob
Prompt: 032. Sunset
Word Count: 946
Rating: T
Summary: How did I spend my life to end up like this?
Warnings: Crude language, simulated blood (This makes up for all those updates without swearing ;))

I seriously fucked up this time. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong fucking time.

Chasing that asshole in here was like running down a blind alley. I knew the timing was wrong.

I’ve been chasing him so damn long. Months have turned into years; the reason for the hunt blurring as the days flow along in an endless stream of searching, finding and then losing. Originally my intentions could have been considered noble, but I’m afraid time and desperation have destroyed any nobility in me.

Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t spent all my life chasing him. I’ve lived my life as well. A good life for the most part, although now that I’m actually facing the possibility I may end it here in this dismal piece-of-shit warehouse in the section of town affectionately known as hell’s fire, I’m beginning to wonder if I couldn’t have done some things different. Loved the one woman who ever meant anything to me better.

They say when you’re about to die you reflect on your life, the good as well as the bad. Good, hum, that could be difficult.

I watch as the sunlight from the nearby window passes near my feet, the dust motes dancing in the drafty old building and smile.

Dancing. That was a good moment; the moment when I met my love. Not much good had been going on during that time of my life until I walked through the door and looked to the left. The most beautiful woman I’d ever seen was standing at the edge of the dance floor apparently watching someone in particular. I hoped it wasn’t one of the men as I moved toward her, drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

Damn that’s a fucking old cliché. But in all fairness, I’m sure it came to me because I’m burning up. I feel like I’m on fire and the blood from my injury just keeps flowing. I had hoped if I just found a dark corner and crawled into it the blood would eventually clot and the bleeding would stop. But no such luck. I’ve never been in a situation like this before, I don’t know what to expect. Seriously, I’ve never been stabbed, how can I know how long it takes for stab wounds to stop bleeding? I press my rolled up coat closer to my side, beginning to feel the stickiness as it reaches my fingertips.

The smell of my own blood is nauseating; or maybe it isn’t the blood so much as the weakness. The same weakness that forced me to hide in this corner.

Or perhaps it’s feeling like any minute I’m going to burst into flames and turn in to a pile of dust like the one I can see across the room. I watch as the square of sun on the floor slowly works its way on past and once again feel a slight cooling as the room grows darker.

Do I hear someone outside the building? That doesn’t make sense; no one ever comes down to this end of town. The buildings are falling down, half of them condemned. Nothing lives here but the rats, and even they know enough to stay hidden during the stifling heat of the day. Damn, I hope no one is here. Anyone coming to this trash heap can’t be good.

I pull myself further into the corner, hoping I blend in as a kid, can’t be more than fifteen, comes into the room. I can’t imagine what he can be looking for as he looks around, but then I understand clearly when he pulls out a gun and a wad of money. He counts it and carefully folds it.

Standing he puts the money and the gun back in his pocket and walks back into the shadows kicking the pile of dust. I know he's left when I hear the door slam shut.

As the dust settles back to the floor, scattering in the now fading sunlight, I realize my life does have one fuckin’ bright spot finally. I’ll never have to chase the bastard again. Of course, something good finally happens when I’m just about to die.

The room is beginning to turn dark as the sun sets, and I look toward the window. Finally, night is arriving. The heat of the day will pass. As the window grows darker, the heat and pain beating through me subside.

I begin to feel cool, the bleeding stops.

I slowly push to my feet. I made it, the healing will now start, and I’ll live for centuries.

I kick and spread what’s left of the dust pile, which in reality, is the fucker who stabbed me. I doubt he thought I’d pull the knife out and stab him in the heart with its wooden handle. A vampire’s weapon, immobilize with the silver blade, then with vampire speed finish off with the wooden stake. Unfortunately for him, I hit him in the throat, then quickly removed the knife that had only slashed through flesh and muscle, no organs and plunged the wood into his heart as he gasped for breath. His last breath as it turned out. But the affects of the silver left me too weak to find my way home before dawn.

In the end, however, I won. The bastard that turned me into a creature of the night then killed my only love is dead. Now maybe I can finally live, but first, I need to find where the rats are hiding. Feeding on rats disgusts me, but it’s better than dying. I know that now. Dying sucks.

018. Colorless

2009-05-17T20:59:00.019-04:00

Title: For the Children
Type: Stand Alone
Genre: Fantasy
Characters: Soleil & Terre
Prompt: 018. Colorless
Word Count: 575
Rating: G
Summary: All must be corrected.
Warnings: None

The land was awash with hues of gray, black and white. It was the middle of the day, but the earth was dying. If this were allowed to continue, scarce generations of children would continue without the sun; they would soon die.

A gray ash fell over everything, blotting out the rich colors of the world.

She could fix it; her ancestors had always been the chosen. The council had come to her, begged her to use the sphere. She could put color back into the world, but she couldn’t do it alone.

She’d traveled through the night to reach this place before the sun would once again set. She knocked, asking the rulers of the sky that he be home.

She stepped away form the door and looked toward where the sun would set in a few hours. This must be done before another night passed. Otherwise it would be too late and the colors would fade forever.

“Yes?”

She turned toward him, noticing he’d shut the door behind him. Whoever had come to visit, he would not let in his home. The years had been kind to him, but time had not lessened his anger with her. She had treated him poorly and unfairly and now she needed him.

With a trembling hand she pushed back her hood.

“I can’t say I’m surprised to find you at my door, but I’m going to guess it’s not your idea.”

She smiled; at least she wasn’t going to have to beg. Or she hoped she wasn’t. “No, my being here is not my choice.”

“You’ve come for it, haven’t you?”

“Yes, the time has come.”

“I won’t give it to you.”

“You must or the world will die.”

“Then let it die. They deserve it; they’ve brought this on themselves.”

“But the children haven’t. I must do it for the children. Please.”

“The sacrifice is too great, and even if you do succeed, they will only repeat it, they always do.”

“Then my daughter’s daughter will have to make the choice.”

“Our daughter’s daughter.”

“I’m sorry, my love, I must. I can't let the children die, I don't care about the powers, just the children.”

His star-filled eyes clouded with pain. “I’ve always known this day would come, ever since you left it with me. Come in.”

“No, I’ll wait here.”

He returned with a black, lifeless ball in his hands, silently beseeching her not to touch it, but she had to.

She took the crayotic sphere in her hands and as it began to glow, the color faded from her hair, her very being.

Slowly the sun filled the now brilliant blue sky, the gray ash burned away in its warmth.

The world once more became awash in vibrant, almost over bright color as the woman faded finally disappearing into the shadows of the trees.

Slowly, the man sank to the ground staring at the ball that had fallen when she was no longer of enough substance to hold it. It had long stopped glowing. Would he be able to give it to his granddaughter when the ones in power once again polluted the world to destruction, or would he finally end the cycle? Only the rulers of the sky knew what he would do, for he did not.

He turned to the newly formed shadows of gray and black that held Soleil, his only love, in its grasp for eternity.

001. Beginnings

2009-04-22T21:10:00.056-04:00

Title: Angels’ Cloud (Part 3)
Type: Series
Genre: Steampunk
Characters: Zachary Harrison Decker, Angeline Summer Edwards, Pavia
Prompt: 001. Beginnings
Word Count: 1,000ish
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After weeks, Zachary finally locates the proper direction.
Warnings: Language

(The book Zachary looks at and which appears on Angeline's coffee table are from "Stock from =yana-stock" simply because I couldn't find what I wanted in cc. I'm sure it's out there, but this worked great and looks great.)

Pulling down the heavy tome, Zachary moved to the only free spot he could find to place it. The library was the largest room in the house, and the fullest. Generations of Deckers had searched the globe for objects that weren’t supposed to exist.

For more than a century they had collected books, manuscripts, grimoires and parchments from all over the world. He had the most extensive library available, and yet, he’d spent nearly a week searching for some conclusive clue as to where the Vortex of Insanity was. He even had Miss Edwards searching her father’s things; talking to people he knew.

The man had gone somewhere, and if it was to the Vortex, then he had to have had some idea of its location before taking off.

Mary entered with a tray and sat it on the only clean surface in the room. “Your coffee, Mr. Zachary.

“Thank you,” he answered momentarily glancing up before returning to his reading.

Closing the book, finding nothing useful, he decided he needed that coffee. Crossing the room, he realized Mary had turned up the lanterns.

He took a sip and pulled back looking down at the cup. Cold, why would Mary bring cold coffee? The clock struck seven, and he looked around blinking, suddenly realizing the coffee hadn’t been cold when Mary brought it.

Damn, he’d lost track of time again, and he was starving. Setting next to the coffee was a sandwich wrapped to keep it fresh; when the hell had she brought that? Six o’clock, that’s when she always brought the food. He unwrapped it and ate as he walked over to another bookshelf and examined the volumes crammed onto its shelves.

A book caught his eye; one book in the sea of books seemed to stand out. He trusted his instincts, he always did; precognition had taught him to do so. He stuffed the last of the sandwich in his mouth and carried the volume back to his desk. Pushing aside a pile of books, he placed the book in the bare spot and sat.

Yes, finally this was it, the answer. Closing the book and reaching for his bag, he rose calling for Pavia.

As he reached the front door, the dog appeared.

“Come, boy we’re off to the lion’s den. I have the answer.”

The street lanterns barely penetrated the darkness. The first quarter moon was just beginning to make its way across the skies as he pulled up in front of the ramshackle house. Getting out he looked at the weeds overtaking what few flowers were left in the flowerbeds. The only growing thing that seemed prosperous was the greenhouse where the vegetables were a luscious green.

He and Pavia approached the house, Pavia regarding him. Was the dog expecting him to tell him there was danger afoot, or was he just picking up on Zachary’s unease. He shifted the book bag he was carrying over his shoulder.

He reached for the knocker giving it a resounding knock, and turned away looking up and down the street. The house and grounds were neglected, but the neighborhood was comfortable middle class. A little old, a little tired, unlike his own in the better part of town.

“Yes?”

He swung around, realizing he should have been paying more attention to the door and less to his surroundings.

“Miss Edwards,” he said giving a slight bow. The look on her face making him very uncomfortable. Had he come at an inopportune time, was she with someone, Damian perhaps? Suddenly uncomfortable, he said, “I should have called.”

“No, it's perfectly fine that you just showed up.” She stepped back, giving Pavia a pat on the head. “I can only assume you’ve found something.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because, Mr. Decker, I’m sure there's no other reason you would have come to my home. Certainly you didn’t come just to visit, you’re not the type.”

He stopped as she took the lead, moving forward to the parlor. “What type am I?” For some reason, he was genuinely confused as to what type she thought he was, and that bothered him.

“You're the type to not get involved socially with anyone who doesn’t share your passion for finding lost treasures, or your passion for books.” She motioned for him to sit. He reached in the bag and set the book on the table in front of them.

Sitting, she continued, “You’re the type to lose yourself in research to the exclusion of everything else and then rush to someone to share that find without thinking about time or convenience.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Decker, have I inconvenienced you? We can leave and come back tomorrow, or you can visit us at your pleasure; but since this involves your project, I don’t think that would be in your best interest as time is of the essence. We have one week to reach our destination. We must be on Morrison Mountain prior to the 9th as that is the night of a full moon.”

“Morrison Mountain, but it will take us longer than a week to be there even if we leave right this minute.”

“Yes, but if we don’t make this full moon, we’ll have to wait one more month. We can do that, I can do more research, but I believe I know where we’re going.”

“Oh, I don’t want to wait another month, but how can we get there?”

“We can fly, of course.”

“Fly, but no plane can land on Morrison Mountain.”

“No, but a balloon can get us there.”

“Oh, yes, and we’d still have time to prepare.”

She looked down at the book he’d placed on the table. “What have you brought, Mr. Decker?”

He looked at her and for some reason he couldn’t begin to understand, he smiled at her at said, “Zachary.”

She smiled back as she rose and sat next to him, her expression making his palms sweaty.

“Angeline, then.” The scent of roses engulfed him.

Angels' Cloud Part 2

Angels' Cloud Part 4

031. Sunrise

2009-03-14T10:36:00.026-04:00

Title: Sunrise (Angels’ Cloud Part 2)
Type: Series
Genre: Steampunk
Characters: Zachary Harrison Decker, Damian Reyes Cortez, Angeline Summer Edwards, Paiva
Prompt: 031. Sunrise
Word Count: 952
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Sunrise brings the answer to the first question
Warnings: Language

Zachary stared at the blank page trying to examine it, wondering just what the hell he was doing out here, in a “mystical” part of the damn woods hours before he would normally be awake.

The woman had gone beyond reason insisting that he couldn’t subject the grimoire to his normal experiments to gauge the authenticity of it. Hell, she wouldn’t even let him see it before she placed it on the pedestal in the middle of friggin nowhere. That made him suspect. The book could be removed from the spot, but the pedestal was unmovable. How this entire area had survived for millennia unharmed was an even bigger mystery than the location of Angels’ Cloud.

He’d inspected the area as well as he could, also in the damn pitch dark of a new moon, and everything looked authentic as far as he could tell.

It’d been one month since the lovely Miss Edwards and Damian had invaded his home. He wasn’t sure what part pissed him off more, that they had invaded his home, or that he’d bought into it enough to start researching the myth, only to find that perhaps it wasn’t so much of a myth after all.

Paiva came back from wherever he’d trotted off to and sat at his feet yawning wide. “You and me both, buddy.”

“Talking to your smarter half again, Zachary?” Damian asked as he and Angeline returned from placing mirrors so that they faced the western most mirror.

Legend had it that when the sun rose just above the horizon, it would strike the mirrors, creating lightning, which would then bring forth the location of the Angels’ Cloud onto the blank page before him. Ah, UV sensitive ink, how terribly clever.

“Well, at least he’s smarter than you are at any rate. Miss Edwards, were you here the morning your father supposedly found the right location?”

“No, but when he came home he was more excited than I’d ever seen him. He said he’d found it, and took off a month later without telling me where he was going.”

“Why wouldn’t he tell you? You’re his daughter.”

“Because I, too, am a scientist, and he was afraid I’d follow. I came to you because he didn’t tell me the ritual needed to complete the circle of lightning.”

He’d been trying hard to push aside his dislike of the woman and her kind, but he wasn’t succeeding. “I’ve done research on you and your father. Seriously, I’m only doing this to prevent you both from your usual high-handed ways. You care nothing for the artifacts you find, you only care for the end result. I’d call you both tomb raiders rather than scientists.”

“That’s not fair. We only look for items of great scientific value. If uncovering the science behind the artifact destroys it, that’s not our fault.”

“Once again, I will not have Angels’ Cloud or this grimoire destroyed just to satisfy your damn science. That’s why I’m here, and let me make this perfectly clear, it’s the only reason I’m here. I want to see these items get the respect time and lore dictate they should.”

How the hell he was going to keep all these wonderful artifacts safe from the destruction of science? As far as he could tell, the only way to do that was to continue on the path he’d started and arguing with the woman would not keep the items safe.

He took a deep breath, shoving his dislike of her kind into the dark corners of his mind before he continued, “As far as I can tell there is no ritual, per se, just the proper placement of the mirrors in relation to the columns that have remained in this spot as mysteriously as the pedestal. There was nothing else available, and once again, this was only reported as being part of the myth in an old, unsubstantiated book I just happen to have lying around.”

“They remain because they cannot be seen without the book in hand.”

“Well, that’s certainly interesting, invisible ink and invisible objects. This is just getting better and better.”

“Are you always this cynical, Mr. Decker?”

“No, actually, he’s usually much worse. Which tells me that he thinks this might just work.”

“If I didn’t think there was a possibility, no matter how remote, I wouldn’t be here, and I certainly wouldn’t have subjected Pavia to this trip into the woods.”

“The sun is breaking the horizon,” Miss Edwards said, pulling down her goggles.

Reluctantly, Zachary followed suit. If nothing else, he was going to need them when the sun struck all the damn mirrors at once, they’d be blinded. If anything mystical happened, they’d never know.

He squatted next to Pavia, “Go into the woods, boy, if you stay here, it’s just going to hurt your eyes.”

Pavia licked his hand before trotting back into the woods.

“Does he always obey like that?” Angeline asked.

“Yes, we’ve been traveling together for the past five years, I found him as a puppy when I was digging for the Ancient Orb. Ever since then, we’ve been inseparable and he always listens when I tell him it’s dangerous.”

“Smart dog.”

“The best.”

“Did you find the Ancient Orb? I’ve heard tales about it; I’d love to see it.”

“No.”

The sun reached the horizon. A beam of white light connected the three mirrors and streaked from the westward mirror striking the book. The trio slowly approached the glowing book.

Printed on the page that only moments before was blank was: The Vortex of Insanity.

“Oh, shit,” all three said together as the book stopped glowing and the woods once again became normal and the page blank.

Angels' Cloud Part 1

Angels' Cloud Part 3

023. Sin

2009-02-21T14:46:00.031-05:00

Title: The Debt (Mid 18th Century France)
Type: Part 2 of 2
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Sébastien Brun, Corinne Laroche, Marquis de Laugier and Marquise de Laugier
Prompt: 023. Sin
Word Count: 714
Rating: PG 13
Summary: Such a small price to pay for such exquisite sexual pleasure
Warnings: Mild Language, Sexual Connotations

Since Sébastien had no idea what time he had arrived at the Marquis’ château, he had no idea what time it was when he heard the door unlock and the Marquis appeared. He’d long since sobered up, cleaned up and decided to enjoy whatever happened next.

“My lord,” Sébastien said standing and bowing to the older man. Older being a relative word, to be sure, but the Marquis was well into his sixties.

“Don’t mock me, you bastard,” the Marquis said. “You’ve cuckold me, and I will not stand for it. You are no longer welcome in any of my homes. If I ever hear of you approaching my wife again, I will cut you apart.”

Damn he wasn’t planning to challenge Sébastien to a duel after all. That would never do. Sébastien had a dept to pay, and he’d decided he wanted to pay it.

“It does take two, my lord. I don’t recall her putting up a fight. In fact, I do believe she crawled into my bed first.”

“Damn you, man. You’d rub this in my face? I offered you the comfort of my home as a friend and this is how you repay me?”

“I believe I paid your wife for the comfort of your home.” Sébastien wanted to laugh, just how the hell much more would the man take? He was beginning to wonder if he would have an apoplectic fit before he actually challenged him.

Suddenly, the luscious Colette entered the room hesitating in the doorway before she ran towards the Marquis, landing in a heap at his feet. “Mon dieu, George, you cannot do this. I have not been harmed, you cannot kill this man.”

“You and this man have sinned against me. I will listen to you no more woman. Once this is done, you’ll move to Paris and I’ll stay here. It’s an arrangement which will suit us both admirably. As long as you’re discrete and your whoring ways do not reach my ears, your remaining days will be your own. But you will never return to this house.”

“But this is my family home.”

“That matters not.” He turned to Sébastien, “You will give me the satisfaction due me.”

“Pistols, I think.”

The Marquis nodded. “It’s nearing morning, I’ll leave you to prepare. Come woman, I’ll not leave you here to disgrace me further.”

Shortly after they left leaving a footman just outside, the door opened and Corinne entered.

“By the tears streaming down the young Marquise’s face, I’m guessing you did not talk your way out of the duel?”

He gave her a quick kiss. “On the contrary, he wasn’t going to challenge me after all, until I gave him no other choice.”

“So, it’s your plan to go through with this?” she asked with a smile, rubbing against him.

“Yes, my beauty, I do. I’ve decided to give him back his honor since you’ve informed him of our liaison.”

“But you will have to leave France.”

“I believe it’s time to return to Japan for a while. I have an old friend there I’d like to see again.”

“Ah, that would, indeed be best, but I’ll miss you so. I’ll see to it that your body is properly handled,” she added with a laugh.

“I would appreciate being taken back to my lodgings so I can collect my things and make arrangements to travel.”

“My men will do that. I think I shall go to Paris with Colette, somehow I do believe that will, indeed, be much pleasure.”

“Take care, mon amour, I will see you again.”

“Oh, that you can count on, ma belle. Someday you will pay my price for your rubies.” He smiled and her eyes glinted with mischief, but she said nothing.

After she left, Sébastien found the brandy and made himself at home.

***

Three days later, Sébastien climbed in the beautiful Marquise’s window of her Paris home.

“Mon amour, George said he’d killed you. While you left the monster completely unharmed.”

“Ma belle Colette, his aim is very bad, indeed.” Damn he wished it had been, he’d put a hole in his favorite waistcoat.

“Oh, I’m so very happy.” She cried jumping into his arms and pushing him back onto her bed, removing his coat as they fell.

Previous

011. Betrayal

2009-02-18T21:09:00.022-05:00

Title: The Price of Diamonds and Rubies (Mid 18th Century France)
Type: Part 1 of 2
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Sébastien Brun, Corinne Laroche
Prompt: 011. Betrayal
Word Count: 1,170
Rating: PG 13
Summary: Sébastien is the price for a shiny trinket
Warnings: Mild Language, Sexual Connotations

(I do admit, this is a bit long, but it just couldn't be broken up. I thought it was time for Sébastien to have a bit of fun. -Lachesis)

“Je vous souhaite le bonjour, Monsieur Brun.”

“Bonjour, Jacques, et merci beaucoup,” Sébastien said as he pressed the coins into the man’s hand.

Sébastien took an unsteady step forward and looked around wondering which way he needed to go to get home. D’accord, perhaps he should have left last evening, long before he finished that last bottle of fine brandy.

His next step sent him to the ground and he considered giggling.

Horrified by the thought, he rose as best he could. Did Jacques think him some foppish ass? But Jacques had gone back inside the exclusive men’s club, leaving him to find his own way home.

Turning back toward the street, Sébastien finally remembered that at this point in his life he had rooms to the east and looked up. Damn, not my lucky night at all. Not only had he lost all the money he brought to play, but it was still too dark and he couldn’t pick out anything in the sky to help him get his direction. In fact, his sight was so blurred from drink, cards and smoke; he could barely see the sky. Looking around, he realized it was still too early even for the servants to begin their daily chores. All he saw was one lone carriage coming down the otherwise deserted street.

It pulled up beside him and the coachman jumped down, while the lackey leapt from the back. Sébastien stepped back wondering which of the gentlemen were leaving.

In one fluid movement, the door was opened, and Sébastien was thrown into the carriage landing in a heap on the floor between the two seats.

Too drunk, too tired and too taken by surprise to react quickly enough to get free, he was still lying on the floor, a tangled mess, as the carriage lurched forward and moved far too quickly through the quiet streets.

As the morning wore on and the carriage didn’t seem to stop, not even to change horses, Sébastien finally sobered up enough to crawl onto the carriage seat. Once curled up on the seat that was nowhere near the comfort of the bed he’d hoped to be in by now, he fell into a deep sleep, just short of passing out.

As suddenly as the carriage started, it stopped, once again throwing Sébastien to the floor in a heap, fully waking him.

The door opened, the lackey grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Picking him up, the lackey forced him to walk along to the château in front of him. Sébastien considered taking a swing at him and fighting his way out. But with sobriety came curiosity. Who the hell could he have angered this much? He couldn’t image what he’d done recently as he’d only been back in France about a year.

Also, immortality brought with it a certain lack of fear. When dying was a remote possibility, it was easier to take each day as it came and let it unfold as it would. In the past 200 or so years, he’d found that if he were patient he could learn from every experience. If he hadn’t, it would have been a very boring existence indeed.

The night was completely dark, no clouds filled the sky, but neither did the moon. There was very little to see, and even less as he was thrust through the front door and up the stairs, pushed down the hall, through an open door and once again thrown to the floor, the lackey removing his hat as he fell. As Sébastien stood, the door was slammed shut and the lock clicked in place.

Looking around he was surprised to see an old acquaintance.

“Corinne, damn, I should have known.” Not a new enemy, but an old lover he’d left without so much as a goodbye.

She smiled and rose with centuries of practiced grace. She was a rarity, he’d only heard of one or two female immortals ever existing. For whatever reason, it took many generations for a new immortal to be born and almost without fail; it was the first-born son in a family. She was older than him by centuries. It was said, she was an Egyptian Princess, and daughter of whatever Pharaoh it was that had more children than one man should ever spawn.

“Why the hell did you bring me here?”

“Oh, my dear Sébastien I did not bring you here. I’m merely here to get my payment.” She held her hand to a ruby and diamond necklace surrounding the beautiful neck that he wanted to strangle.

“Payment for what exactly?”

“I really did want to keep your secret; but he offered and I just couldn’t resist.”

She had never been able to resist anything that sparkled, and the more gold it was worth, as far as she was concerned, the brighter it sparkled. “Where am I, Corinne?” He was beginning to get a very bad feeling about all of this.

“I’m sorry; perhaps you’ll now believe what I tried to tell you last time we met. I am not to be trusted, mon ami. I will always betray you for the right price.”

“And how much has this trinket of yours cost me?”

She knocked on the door as she answered, her voice very soft, very alluring, “Your life, mon amour, merely your life. Such a small payment for such a sparkly treasure.”

The door closed behind her. “Damn.”

He had no idea how long he was going to be kept here, and there was no telling where in the hell he was. He started to wander around, picking at things here, poking at things there. Then, he passed the dressing table, and that’s where he saw it. Engraved on the lid of a music box, the crest of the Marquis de Laugier.

Bon dieu, he was good and truly caught in the spider’s web.

Mais, the Marquise de Laugier, she was such a delectable morsel, and so ambitious under the covers, and in the woods and all the other impracticable and dangerous places she’d insisted on. Perhaps giving the Marquis some small measure of satisfaction as payment for sharing his wife’s many enjoyable talents and delicious body, was not too great a price after all.

Ah, but sooner or later, he’d collect his payment from Corinne. He was a patient man, and time was on his side.

Previous

025. Strangers

2009-02-13T23:09:00.016-05:00

Title: Kate’s Coffee Shoppe
Type: Series - The Patient (Part 5)
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Alexander Justice, Melissa Lane
Prompt: 025. Strangers
Word Count: 849
Rating: G
Summary: Six months have passed, and Melissa's life is going nowhere
Warnings: None

Melissa looked at the cup in front of her. Six months, it'd been six months since the accident, and she still wondered why fate had decided to pick on her.

She was sitting outside, and if it weren't for the wind blowing on her face, she might just as well be inside, or in a dark room alone. Alone in a world of silence, a world without the one thing that she'd held dear for her entire life. The one thing that had kept her sane when the world around her collapsed.

Music; she was without her music. She'd never hear the soulful notes of a saxophone or the rocking sound of a guitar ever again. She'd sung the old standards, and many said she had a voice like Billie Holiday.

Did she still have that voice?

She'd had many friends, but soon learned that most of them were unable to deal with her pain or her loss. Most looked at her as though they didn't know what to say, or exactly how to get the point across, some even treated her like she was mentally handicapped, not merely deaf. She'd told them she could still read, but they just couldn't handle it and quickly faded away. Only her true friends remained, although the number was much, much smaller, their worth was much, much greater.

She smiled at Kate as she walked by. Her best friend forever owned this coffee shop, which was why she came here. She didn't have to try to get across what she wanted. Kate would just get it for her.

Kate also helped her out when she could, going to unfamiliar stores with her in the beginning. But it hadn't taken Melissa long to stop going to more than just a few places. She'd needed Kate's help as long as her leg was in the cast, but as soon as that came off, she really didn't need her anymore, and the internet had become her friend. Except for days like this when she walked, with the aid of a cane, to Kate's coffee shop, or the nearby grocery store, where the personnel were always very helpful and understanding, she never left home. She paid her bills, shopped for clothing and anything else she needed online.

The only time she still depended on Kate now, was to go to lessons. Sign language was beautiful, and if she'd been able to chose to learn it, she would have enjoyed it; but having it forced on her, her stubborn nature fought against learning it. And why, the amount of people who could actually understand were slim, if not non-existent. Which was most likely why she seemed to be so slow in learning it.

Then there was lip reading. Impossible didn't even cover the description for that. She'd never realized before how many people mumbled when they spoke. Seriously, she didn't think she'd ever get the hang of it.

A shadow passed over her and she looked up expecting to see Kate with a refill, but, instead saw a face she hadn’t seen in months. She’d wondered what had happened to him, he’d just stopped coming to see Cassie.

She smiled and signed hello, just like always. He smiled in return and then seemed to pull a rose from nowhere, handing it to her with a smile and a bow. He made her laugh, but he always did. Being in his presence always made her feel so good, like there was still music in the world when he was near.

“May I sit?”

His hands always moved so gracefully, he made sign language something even more beautiful than it already was. She, on the other hand, could make sign language look like she spoke with a stutter, even after all these months. “By all means.” She spoke as she always did, but she didn’t even know if he could hear.

“I was passing by, and I saw you sitting here. Is the coffee good?”

He spoke as well as signed, and she watched both, finding that she could easily read his lips. Was that because he spoke slowly, or because she couldn’t take her eyes from his mouth? “Melissa, did you understand me, or was my signing as awful as I think it is?”

She was pulled out her haze and stared at him. “I’m sorry, no, I understood you very well, your signing is beautiful. Yes, the coffee here is very good, and so are the danish. How do you know my name?”

“I asked Cassie, of course.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t know yours.”

“Alexander Justice,” he answered holding out his hand to shake hers.

She felt a smile coming on, just as it always did in his presence, and she reached out and took his hand. Only to be struck by a warmth that radiated up her arm and into her heart. She stared at him, and felt for the first time in her life that she’d met her destiny, that they were no longer just strangers, but something more, something that was meant to be.

The Patient Part 4

The Patient Part 6

035. Sixth Sense

2009-01-31T09:52:00.026-05:00

Title: Angels’ Cloud (Part 1)
Type: Series
Genre: Steampunk
Characters: Zachary Harrison Decker, Damian Reyes Cortez, Angeline Summer Edwards
Prompt: 035. Sixth Sense
Word Count: 743
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Zachary really wishes he hadn’t opened his door.
Warnings: Language

(At this point, this is all the story I have. I was interested in seeing what I could do with the Steampunk genre and this is what came out of whatever deep corner of my mind these things come from. -Lachesis
Note 2: As you can see, I have decided to continue the story. -Lachesis)

Zachary set the cards down. He really didn’t need them, they were merely a means to focus his thoughts. He would look at the individual cards and try to divine the meaning of each and why they were appearing in the order they were.

But did he believe they told him the future? Absolutely not, he got that from an entirely different source; it came from inside his head. As it had just a few hours ago; but as usual, it was just cryptic enough he had no idea what it meant.

He was going to get a visit from a handsome, dark stranger? He snorted causing his dog, Paiva, to lift his head. Not interested.

Now, if the stranger was dark and beautiful, emphasis on beautiful, then he’d be interested. But not some fancy-ass coming to see him. Precognition did not enhance the quality of his life, it was actually a pain in the ass. Perhaps if it worked better and filled in more blanks, then it would be helpful, but as far as he was concerned, it was a plague.

He looked at the clock over the fireplace. There should be a knock on the door just about…

“Ah, Christ, just once I wish these visions would be a little clearer, if I’d known you were coming I would have gone to the bar.”

The man smiled, “Then you would have missed out.” He moved aside and the “emphasis on beautiful” stepped forward holding out her hand.

“Mr. Decker, my name is Angeline Edwards and I need your help.”

“Forgive me for being blunt, but, of course you do, why else would you be here?”

Damian pushed his way in, “Because you’re such a damn fine host, she just had to come and see you. Mind if we just barge in.”

Zachary moved back, “Oh, by all means, please come in and make yourselves comfortable.”

“Thank you, I will.” Damian moved over to the bar and made himself a drink. “Would you like a drink, Angeline, since Zachary will never offer you anything? You see, if you have something to eat or drink, you’ll stay longer, at least that’s his theory.”

“Damn right, and it’s a good one, too. Now that you have your drink, sit down so we can get started with this. Miss Edwards, what do you think I can do for you?”

Angeline sat in the chair near the fireplace, Paiva raised his head. Seeing no danger, he went back to sleep.

“No, thank you, Mr. Cortez,” she said and Damian set his drink on the table and sprawled in a nearby chair, making himself at home.

“Mr. Decker, my father went looking for Angels’ Cloud six months past, and I have not heard from him since. ”

“Angels’ Cloud is a myth.”

“No, my father found records and an old map in the Grimoire of Lightning. Yes, I know, that, too is a myth, but I have the copy.”

“Okay, show it to me.”

“I didn’t bring it with me. I was somehow under the impression you’d be happy to help.” She stared at Damian and he smiled at her.

“Hey I believe I said he was worth a shot, he liked looking for things that aren’t supposed to exist.”

“I like looking for things that have at least the possibility of existing. Angels’ Cloud is as substantial as what it’s named after. A damn crystal that will show us an alternate path that the universe could have taken, an alternate reality. Now that is a load of shit, and even if it isn’t a load of shit, who gives a damn? This reality is more than enough for me.”

“But a world where steam power was never perfected to encompass its full potential; where space travel and computers have never been invented? Or at least that’s the way the story goes.”

“I still say, who gives a damn? Really, a world without computers? That would be the dark ages.”

“You know, Zachary, there’s only one way to prove this point,” Damian said as he sat up and took a drink.

“I’m not wasting my time on a damn myth.”

“Even to prove you’re right? That a world without computers doesn’t exist in any reality. Or, are you afraid that precious gift of yours won’t work this time, too? That just when you need it, poof, knowing the future goes straight in the crapper.”

Zachary stood, “Shit.”

Angels' Cloud Part 2

029. Legacy

2009-01-26T21:34:00.021-05:00

Title: One More Battle
Type: Stand Alone
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Doc & The Soldier
Prompt: 029. Legacy
Word Count: 911
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The Soldier Learns his True Heritage
Warnings: Language and Bloody Situation

Doc watched as yet another young soldier covered in blood was placed on the table in front of him. By the looks of his uniform, a chest wound. Most of the surgeons here wouldn't touch a chest wound, they'd just keep the poor man comfortable until he died. But the soldiers from the field knew Doc tried to treat everyone, regardless of the type of wound, and his success rate was high.

He knew that was because his training was far more extensive than those surgeons around him, but they thought it was because he'd learned something special from "those fancy ass hospitals in England." Yes, England, and many, many other places over the years.

“Thank you," he said to the tired and dirty men, "Jenny and I can take it from here. There’s plenty of food over in the kitchen tent, why don’t you go get yourselves some before you head back to the battlefield." He looked at the nurse standing next to him, "Jenny, can you get me some fresh water?”

Doc was beyond tired, both physically and mentally. Having sent everyone but Jenny away he was left alone to care for the soldier sure to die no matter what he did. Yes, he knew more than most, but even he couldn't always win the fight against the destruction the minie ball caused to the human body. Man had perfected the art of killing each other over the centuries.

He picked up a knife and began cutting the uniform away from the man's bloody chest. Why in the hell had he decided to join in yet another battle? That was easy, because despite everything he’d ever seen, he was ignorant enough to still believe he could keep them alive.

He pushed aside the blood stiffened wool of the coat and picked up a clean cloth near him - his one instance was that he never used the same cloth from one patient to the next - and wiped at the blood.

“What the...oh, bloody hell.” The words were torn from him before he thought to keep them to himself. He looked around and saw Jenny just coming back into the tent.

“Never mind, Jenny, I’m not going to need that after all. Just set it down and go get yourself something to eat.”

“Is he dead, Doc?”

“Yes.” He was keeping his hand on the soldier’s shoulder, and when he felt the man move, he pushed down, holding him in place. One thing about Doc, he was strong, despite his deceptively slight frame.

Doc watched as the young nurse walked from the tent, shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

“I’m not dead, damn it.”

“Yes, I know, and you’re not going to die today or tomorrow for that matter.”

He helped the young man up, his chest completely free of even so much as a scar from the bullet wound.

“How long have you been around? Haven’t you learned yet, if you’re going to fight in a battle, then you’d damn well better crawl somewhere you won’t be found and brought to the surgeon.”

“I passed out, strangely enough. Why aren’t you scared?”

“Not now, not here. Come on, let’s get you to the woods, we can talk there.”

The young man kept his head down and his uniform pulled closed. With the blood, he blended in with all the other soldiers milling around the camp. One dead body more or less would not be missed.

Once they reached the woods only a short distance from the surgeon’s tent, Doc said, “Sit. I’ll be back in a little while with food and clothes.”

When Doc returned, the young man had propped against a tree and appeared to be dozing.

But he jumped to his feet as Doc’s foot snapped a branch on the ground.

“Yes, good reflexes. How long have you been alive?”

“Why, what do you know of me?”

“I know nothing about you, but I do know of our kind.” He threw the clean clothes at the man’s feet and handed him the basket that Margie had prepared for him. “Eat.”

The man looked at him warily, but was too hungry to argue. He put the basket on the ground and sat, pulling out a sandwich.

Doc continued as the man devoured the food, “My name is Sébastien Baudelaire and I was born in 1502 in Montargis and we are of the same origins.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means that you are immortal, and we all come from the same ancestral line. Were you taught nothing of the legend?”

“I heard stories of a crazy old coot that was supposed to be my great-great-great something, but I never met him.”

“What’s your name and when were you born?”

“Ethan Bourdin and I was born in 1792 here in the United States.”

“Yes, I've noticed that as the years have passed and civilization has learned more science, the legend is dying out in families.”

Sébastien paused and looked at the younger man. He wouldn’t starve to death, he couldn’t, but hunger was as uncomfortable for immortals as it was for mortals.

Finally, the young man turned to him, curiosity replacing his hostility, “Since you seem to know more than I do, what can you tell me about this curse that makes even my family fear me?”

Sébastien laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Yes, it is a curse, but it is also your legacy.”

Previous

041. Sanctuary

2009-01-20T22:00:00.044-05:00

Title: A Safe Haven (1795)
Type: Stand Alone
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Paul Matise, Kiko
Prompt: 041. Sanctuary
Word Count: 813ish
Rating: PG
Summary: Paul has found an escape from the self-destruction of France
Warnings: Bloody Description of War

He felt more than half a world away from the carnage he'd so recently left behind. He might just as well be on the moon. Here the horrors of the French Revolution seemed more a nightmare than the bloody destruction of humanity as he listened to the sounds of the brook, the fish escaping the water periodically; smelled the perfume of the flowers surrounding him and listened to the birds and insects reveling in the warm spring day.

It hadn't mattered to him that Louis XVI was put to death; it had nothing to do with him. But when word reached him in Scotland that France’s nobility was being brutally torn from their homes and the Revolutionary Tribunal began ordering deaths in 1793, he felt he must return.

When he arrived, it hadn’t taken him long to realize that his homeland had become unrecognizable. Almost 250 years had past since he’d last stepped foot on the land of his birth. He'd been born into a family that belonged to the same class of citizen the Jacobins were trying to remove from existence.

The Baudelaire family had once been a proud member of the nobility, consorts of the King himself. Now they were hiding, fleeing to England in terror. Even the immortals ran. There wasn’t much that could put the fear of death in an immortal, but Madame la Guillotine had accomplished what many a man could not.

France in the early sixteenth century had been such a time of excitement. A time of growth, of rebirth. Where had that gone? He’d spent an entire year in Paris trying to aid where he could, but still thousands died needlessly under the blade of the guillotine, and the blood-thirsty cry of revolution-frenzied citizens. When he closed his eyes, he still saw and heard the old women as they knitted, blood-lust shinning in their fading eyes as the guillotine fell over and over again.

He was pulled from the memory that would not let go - no matter how much he drank, or how hard he tried - as Kiko sat on the bench near him, quietly respecting his silent reflections.

He looked at her and she said softly, trying not to intrude, "Do you wish to be alone, Paul-san? I merely came to see if you required anything."

He smiled; Japanese was a language as beautiful when spoken as when written. "I would like you to stay and keep me company, if you have the time," he answered in the same language.

She smiled and he rose, settling in next to her. She said nothing, waiting, simply a companion.

"How is your great-grandfather?" he finally asked.

She laughed, "It is always so hard to think of a man who looks no older than you as my great-grandfather. He is doing well, as you understand more than most."

"Yes, being immortal can be difficult for most of us because we have to keep moving, but Toshiro is a wise man. He has found a place to call his own, and he does not have to be forced from it. Such a gift would make any of us as happy."

She smiled, "I remember when I was just a small child and you were living with my great-grandfather. Such a handsome man you were then, Sébastien-san."

"You remember my name after all these years?"

"Oh, yes, I have thought of you often through the years, wondering how you have gotten on since you left our village."

He smiled, "You said I was handsome then, what about now?"

"Paul-san…” a frown creased her brow, “what name would you like me to use?"

"Which do you prefer?" He really didn't care; all names were just to hide his identity. Paul Matise recently in France; Conner MacDonald in Scotland.

"Sébastien-san is so much harder to say, and so much more fun." She said as she laughed.

Dieu, it had been so many years since he found laughter that could actually lighten his heart. "You didn't answer my question, Kiko-san."

"Oh, now you look tired and defeated."

"I am tired and defeated. Centuries pass and this is the only place I can ever come to escape the horrors that man does to himself."

"Yes, Toshiro has made it as such, for you and other immortals he knows."

"Do you find the other immortals handsome as well?" he couldn't help but tease. He was feeling more and more lighthearted as she spoke.

"No, only you."

She didn't pull back as he leaned forward to kiss her; in fact he thought she'd moved closer to him.

The kiss lengthened and he found he was losing himself in her. In the peace, in the sanctuary she offered.

006. Choice

2009-01-17T17:03:00.032-05:00

Title: Destiny’s Choice
Type: Series - The Patient (Part 4)
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Alexander Justice, Melissa Lane, Gabriel, Sapphire
Prompt: 006. Choice
Word Count: 879
Rating: PG
Summary: Destiny Lays Out Melissa’s Paths
Warnings: Mild Language

They were a strange trio as they appeared outside the office door.

Alexander looked at Gabriel who was trying to hide his excitement at once again being in the presence of Melissa Lane; he was really taken with the mortal. Maybe this assignment should be his. Yeah, right, as far as Gabriel was concerned, this was Alexander’s mess and he was going to clean it up. And Gabriel absolutely never did field work anymore, not since his promotion to the top millennia ago.

Gabriel had the ability to make Alexander visible to Melissa; but only Melissa, so they always had to be sure she was alone when he appeared. The effect only lasted a brief time, but they'd made sure it was long enough to ensure that when Alexander made his final decent to earth, he wouldn’t appear as a stranger to Melissa and scare her off.

That was where the other member of the trio came in. Sapphire from the Department of Destiny had joined them this time—Alexander’s final visit—to plant a suggestion in Melissa’s mind.

Predictions had said that Melissa would be alone in the waiting room today, as the receptionist would call in sick. Alexander really wondered how much of that Department was actually predictions, and how much they manipulated things to appear as a prediction. Yes, he was cynical, but he’d heard rumors they worked very closely with the Fate Sisters, and who could trust anyone associated with those three?

Predictions are neutral, they work with all the departments, a melodic and soothing voice said in his head.

He stared at Sapphire. “I told you before to stay the hell out of my head.”

She merely smiled.

“If you two are done fighting, the hall’s empty, we don’t want anyone wondering why a door is opening itself.”

Gabriel waved his hand and a slight glow appeared around Alexander.

Once the glow disappeared he opened the door and the three entered the office. Melissa was reading a newspaper, as she did every day she came here to learn sign language and how to cope with being deaf.

He moved to sit beside her and when she caught his movements, she looked up and smiled. This wasn’t the first time he’d been here with her. She thought he was a client of Cassie’s as well.

"Hi,” she said as she signed the greeting.

He returned the greeting and smiled. She really was beautiful, even though she didn’t seem to bother with her appearance as much as she had prior to the accident. He remembered seeing her on a few occasions when he’d been assigned to guard her because her regular guardian was busy with another case, or Gabriel had sent him in specially because he trusted him.

A trust he was still feeling like shit over having betrayed. Even more so since he’d spent a few visits with her here while she was waiting. At first they hadn’t done anything more than smile politely at each other, but when he’d started doing a few simple, ridiculous slight-of-hand tricks, she’d actually laughed, the sound was like her music.

Gabriel had really been happy with him that day. He’d even said that for the first time he believed Alexander might actually succeed in giving her back her music.

Since then, they held polite conversations that covered the weather for the most part. He wasn’t usually there long, just shortly before she went in for her appointment. Melissa always made her appointments to be the first client after lunch, which made it easier for them, because once the receptionist checked it was Melissa, she’d return to her lunch somewhere in the back. Fortunately, the receptionist never seemed to notice that she was talking with herself when she came back from lunch and told her Cassie was ready for her. Or if she did, she most likely thought Melissa was practicing her signing.

However, they’d needed extra time today because of Sapphire. While Alexander kept her busy with simple tricks and conversation, he could hear Sapphire as she spoke softly so Gabriel and Alexander could hear her, but also, into Melissa’s subconscious mind.

“This man is your destiny. He’s here to help you, to be your friend and your confidant. You don’t know his name, but you know he’s important to you. When you meet him again, you will know that he can help you if you want him to. He can give you back that which you have lost. But, as always with destiny, it is your choice. You can choose to embrace his help or you can choose to let it pass you by.

“This is your choice and your choice alone, and only you can decide. May you choose destiny’s path that will make you happiest.”

Melissa gave no sign anything had changed, not even their conversation changed subject, but Alexander could have sworn he saw an inner peace appear on her face.

The door opened across the room, and he pointed and nodded in the direction.

Melissa rose and followed Cassie through the door; but not before she turned back to give him a beautiful smile that lit up her face, even her eyes.

Yup, it just never hurt to hedge your bets.

The Patient Part 3

The Patient Part 5

030. Angel

2009-01-12T22:40:00.047-05:00

Title: Gabriel
Type: Series - The Patient (Part 3)
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Alexander Justice, Gabriel
Prompt: 030. Angel
Word Count: 938
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Alexander’s Summoned to the Boss’ Office
Warnings: Language
(Thank you jarasing for sharing your wonderful picture)

Alexander sat in Gabriel’s clichéd white office waiting for the man to arrive. He’d been summoned here after his visit to Melissa’s hospital room.

Summoned, that was mild, how about ordered to appear before his grand majesty. Yeah, he screwed up, but hey, she wasn’t dead. She was deaf, so what, she still had her mind, all her body parts and the rest of her senses.

He'd been waiting a long time when the music that was coming from the iPod on Gabriel’s desk penetrated his otherwise occupied mind. The woman was singing about a lover she didn’t have or know. The voice had a haunting quality that touched something in him, tore at him and made him realize that he, too, was feeling sad because he’d never had no kissin’ and didn’t know what he was missing.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? The voice of an angel reaching deep into her soul and sharing it with you.”

Gabriel’s voice pulled him out of the music. He’d been so lost in it, he hadn’t even realized the man had entered the room and was now turning down the volume; but he didn’t turn it off, it was still there as a background to the conversation.

"That's her last CD, unless she recorded another that hasn't been released yet," he continued.

"That's why you're so pissed this time."

"Yes, it was your job to keep her safe. Just what was so damn difficult about keeping her out of that office building? I even had your supervisor tell you how to do it."

Oh shit, he was in even more trouble than he suspected. He messed up with one of Gabriel's pet projects.

“That office building shouldn’t have done anything more than catch on fire, if that,” Alexander said in his own defense.

Gabriel gave him one of those looks he was famous for, “Do you want to ask the Fate witches for an explanation?”

“Ah, no, I don’t think so.”

Gabriel nodded. "Since you can't undo what you've caused, and because time only moves forward, we have to proceed from here. As you know, this is your last assignment. Fail or succeed, you’re out of the field; you can’t be a guardian if your attention is torn away from the subject. So, how do you propose to give her back her life?”

“I gave her back her life. I carried her out of there; mind you, despite her size she’s not light, especially when she’s dead weight.”

Gabriel slammed his hands down on the desk and started pacing, shoving his hand through his hair.

Finally, he turned on Alexander, “Are you really this damn oblivious to your duties, or are you playing with me?”

As a rule, Alexander tried not to take anything too seriously, but for the first time in his life, he decided this might not be the place for any more flippancy. “No, Gabriel, I understand that I messed up. Believe me, I do feel like shit letting her walk in there like that. But I can’t give her back her hearing so she’s just going to have to learn how to go on.”

“The profilers say she doesn’t have that kind of a personality, that’s why I sent you there in the first place. Hell, I know you get distracted, but you’ve always done your job, and done it well. I trusted you to keep her safe.”

The quiet pain in Gabriel’s voice shook Alexander unlike anything else he could have said or done to him.

“The profilers don’t think she’ll put her life back together?”

“No. Her parents recently died in a car accident and her boyfriend left her for another. The only thing she had she could call her own was her music. Now that’s gone and we can’t give it back to her.”

“Shit.”

“Exactly. I’ve already called in a favor and the Fate Sisters have agreed to leave her alone for a while. Those little bitches were not easy to convince, they’ve been having too much fun playing with her, and you messing up only added fuel to their otherwise sick sense of humor.”

Oh, crap, that had to be quite a favor, the three Fate Sisters loved what they did, and they didn’t give up their hold over mortals that easily. Since Guardian Angels were constantly preventing their little schemes from having their desired effect, there was no love lost between the two departments.

In reality, that fact made this much worse for Alexander. He was really in deeper shit than he’d ever suspected. For once, he decided it might be best to keep his mouth shut and wait to see what Gabriel had to say.

The silence stretched. Was he expected to say something, or was Gabriel just collecting his thoughts? He had absolutely no idea.

Alexander was starting to get nervous when Gabriel continued, “Lisa’s going to watch over Melissa for a while. She guards Kate, Melissa’s best friend, so it won’t tax her abilities.

"The profilers don’t think Melissa’ll try anything like attempting suicide, but it’s best not to take any chances. The Fates are out of the picture for now, and you, Justice, are going to the trainer. There, you’re going to learn sign language. Once he thinks you’re good enough to pass, you’ll become corporeal and we’ll ship you down to earth.”

Alexander was lost, “What can I do?”

“Give her back her music, even if she can’t hear it, she should still be able to feel it.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. You’re good at pulling things out of the air. Do some of your damn magic.”

The Patient Part 2

The Patient Part 4

003. Broken

2009-01-09T13:09:00.017-05:00

Title: His Mistake
Type: Series - Continuation of The Patient
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Alexander Justice, Melissa Lane
Prompt: 003. Broken
Word Count: 492
Rating: PG
Summary: Alexander has to figure out how to correct his mistake
Warnings: Mild language

Alexander winced at the anguished sound of Melissa's tortured scream. The woman had been greatly acclaimed for her perfect pitch, but there was nothing perfect in this. It was a harsh, tearing sound that she would never hear, thanks to him.

Only a singer could hold the note so long and so true. Even if that note was shattering.

He looked around, wondering when the nurse was going to return and try to calm her. No one came. Only him, and she could no more see him than she could hear.

He was beginning to wonder if his ears were going to start bleeding, then suddenly, silence.

Such silence. Was this what she was experiencing? No, he could hear the nurses and doctors walking up and down the hall, the phones ringing at the reception area and the heart monitor beside her beeping too fast as her heart rate sped up, despite the medication the nurse had injected into her IV earlier.

He'd really screwed up this time. He was just lucky he wasn't standing in Gabriel's office right now shoving file folders into a stupid white cabinet.

He'd been warned, more than once, that messing around when he was supposed to be doing his job was going to get him in trouble, but no... he had to continue. Now here he was and here she was.

The assignment had been so easy, just whisper in her ear to go back and check that she'd locked her car. She would have turned around and been in the parking lot when the backhoe struck the gas line and blew up the office building.

But no... he'd been showing his new slight-of-hand trick to Jason who'd been hanging around waiting for his assignment to get out of the hairdresser's across the street.

He hadn't seen Melissa until she'd already stepped into the building and then it was too late. He'd tried to save the day by carrying her out of there, and now she was banged up and deaf, but at least she wasn't dead.

Although looking at her, he wasn't so sure she felt that was better than dead.

She cried quietly, the tears flowing down her cheeks. Wracking sobs wouldn't have affected him as much as the silent anguish that followed so closely on the heels of her earlier scream.

Damn, he'd really screwed up. Now here he was trying to fix it. And if he didn't succeed, he'd be trying to figure out where to shove "quinquagenarian" in that stupid white file cabinet. And if he did succeed, then he'd be joining the mortal world forever, or whatever his mortal lifetime would be.

That was his reward for succeeding? Neither was a choice he'd pick, but they were not going to let him make another mistake. One way or the other, he was off the streets for good.

But he broke her; it really was his responsibility to fix her.

The Patient Part 1

The Patient Part 3

037. Sound

2009-01-08T15:45:00.004-05:00

Title: The Patient
Type: Series
Genre: Drama
Characters: The Patient and The Nurse
Prompt: Sound
Word Count: 451
Rating: G
Summary: The Patient's life is changed forever.
Warnings: None

Slowly, she became aware of the throbbing pain that stretched from her right foot to her thigh. She tried to bend her knee to ease some of the pain, and was unable to accomplish even such a simple task.

Her eyes opened…slowly…painfully. The light shining over her blinded her. She blinked a couple of times, carefully turning her head. A hospital, she was in a hospital.

It was too quiet; not a sound could be heard anywhere. No machines, no voices, she looked at the heart monitor beside her. No sound, none anywhere.

Wake up!

She looked again at the monitor and saw that the peaks in the line were forming closer and closer together, still the machine made no sound. Wasn't that strange?

Wake up!

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest; feel its attempt to escape through her ribcage.

She had to wake up because if she didn’t, she was going to have a heart attack. She was no doctor, but she’d seen enough movies and TV to know that a heart rate that fast was not normal.

She felt someone touch her hand and watched as the young woman injected the contents of the syringe into the IV beside her. Slowly, she felt herself begin to relax; her heart no longer trying to explode.

The young woman smiled at her and patted her hand before picking up the chart at the end of the bed.

“Where am I? How did I get here?” Silence. Didn’t she say the words out loud?
Desperately, she willed herself to wake up.

The nurse smiled and picked a notepad and pen up from a nearby table. She wrote quickly and then held the paper toward her.

You’re in the hospital. Don’t worry, you’re doing fine, you’ll be out of here in no time.

“Why don’t you talk to me? Why did you write that?” She could feel the scream forming. The scream that wanted to deny the truth she was beginning understand.

The nurse shook her head smiling, putting the pad back. She held up a finger then left. Left her alone in the silence.

Alone to face the fact that she was awake.

She felt her breaths quicken. Her chest began to ache from the crushing weight of trying to breathe.

She looked down, there was a bump on both sides under the cover and although she could bend her left leg, her right still did not move.

But worse, worse than not having a leg. So much worse.

She was a singer who couldn’t hear the music.

The scream started, and though she never heard it, she felt it rip vocal cords that would never sing another note.

The Patient Part 2

Falderal and Fiddle-dee-dee...

2009-01-07T15:17:00.007-05:00

"Falderal and fiddle-dee-ee, and fiddlie, faddlie, foodle.
All the dreamers in the world are crazy in the noodle."
(Fairy Godmother from Cinderella (1965))

At least that's the version I know and love having seen it during its original airing in 1965. The wonders of color TV made it even more magical for an eight-year-old.

A dreamer I am. This site is my Simfic50 site and I can't think of any way better to describe it than the ramblings of a dreamer.

Some of my posts will follow characters along, some will not. It depends on how I feel, or how I'm inspired. The same is true as to when I post.

Lachesis' Tales and Sea of Moons are still the main storylines, and they will continue to update on schedule. Falderal will not interfere with them.

Presently, I'm working on the first entry, and hope to have it up before the weekend, as this is the week for OoT, OoT and that goes up on Sunday.

As always,
Thank you everyone for reading and take care,
Lachesis