Title: Wuthering Souls
Disclaimers: Sadly, I do not own anything or anybody related to CSI or the movie Freaky Friday.
A/N: This is a short story that was nagging me for some time now, so I decided to write it down and share. I love all kinds of tales so I thought you might like one with our favorite couple. This first chapter is a bit long for a prologue but is important for the later happenings. Hope you like it. If so, please tell me if it is worth to continue.
Chapter One - prologue
ca. 1334 BC, Royal Palace, Akhetaten, Egypt
Vagueness and fear had never been felt as acutely as Egyptian people felt it these days. The Nile seemed to run slower, its color looked darker and dirtier than ever. The sun was scorching like never before as if the great Aten, the god of the only Sun wished to punish the people of Egypt for the death of his living spirit, King Akhenaten.
The good king had died a violence death a year ago leaving his beautiful wife behind with their daughters and son. Many advisors had suggested that Nefertiti should return to the Egyptians' old and noble religion but the woman had refused to comply.
One day, Nefertiti went into the room of her only strong and clever son. The nine-year-old boy was playing with his wet-nurse in the middle of the spacious room when she entered.
"Maia, leave!" Nefertiti ordered and the middle-aged woman backed out of the room keeping her eyes strictly on the floor.
The black haired young boy looked up at the fair woman, "Mother?"
"Come and listen to me, Tutankhaten!"
The child followed the woman in all silk and then sat next to her.
"Our only god, Aten came to me last night and whispered a secret into my ear. Aten wishes you to be the new king of Egypt. Last night you were given eternal life, my child."
"I'll be the pharaoh like my father was?"
"Yes. You already are. You'll be cherished and worshiped by your people."
"And hated by others like my father was. Will I die, too?"
"Aten will hold your hands and will protect you, there's nothing you should be afraid of. Maybe your body leaves this world early but your life is of Aten. No one will forget you…ever."
"When?" the trembling child asked.
"When the time comes. Be ready then."
At that time, the young boy did not know that it was the last time he saw his mother. The next morning Maia rushed into his room and nervously woke him up.
"Wake up, my sire!" and this time she kept her eyes on the floor.
"Maia? Why don't you look at me?"
"I have no right to do that anymore, sire. It's happening, sire."
"Happening? Happening what?"
"You are the King of Egypt. You might want to be ready to…"
"Where is my mother?"
"With Aten, sire."
And the child knew. The night his father had died, little Tutankhaten had been told the same and he had never seen the great pharaoh again. And now, his mother was with Aten, too. Now he understood.
"Maia, I don't want it."
"You have to be grateful for the life you have. You don't know how many children would love to trade with you for the life you enjoy every single day. You'll never die, you're now immortal, and you're our one and only living God on this planet."
I don't want to be hated and then killed. Everybody was killed who used to be a god…Aten is a selfish god who always wants what is someone else's. I hate him, I will not worship him anymore, and I will not die for him…because of him, Tutankhaten thought.
"Maia, I'm afraid."
Still not looking at him, the woman said, "You have to see how lucky you're, sire. You…will live a wonderful life and no human can hurt you. I wish my child…"
"You have a child?"
Of course Tutankhaten had never heard about her descendant. He had been separated from the mortals' children. He could have only played with his own sisters or the close members of the royal family and Maia.
"Yes. But he is ill…very ill."
A sudden and very much dangerous idea popped into the young pharaoh's head.
"Maia, do you want your child to live forever?"
"Of course, sire but I'll be grateful if he lives long enough to see his next birthday."
"I want him to be me and I be him."
For a micro-second, Maia looked at the child, she got that surprised but then she lowered her head again.
"Are you feeling ill, sire? You must be sick. Did you eat something after you went to sleep?"
"I want to switch place with him."
"It's impossible! You're the king, you're Tutankhaten, the new pharaoh. Everybody knows your face."
"Maia, when I was a child, you told me a story about a crystal with magical property. You said…you said you knew where it could be found."
"No, child. You have to forget about it. I don't even remember it."
"Maia, I offer your child an eternal life or you would rather let him die?"
The faint hope of escaping the undoubted death drove Tutankhaten to give upon his wonderful life and the first ray of hope of giving her sick child a second chance to survive the deadly disease led Maia to consider the offer and finally, she agreed. She knew she was about to commit a horrible mistake but at the moment, she was a mother in the first place.
Witnessing the uncertainty in his wet-nurse's eyes, he gathered all his courage and said, "Maia, I ordered you to do it for me…for both of your child and me. I'm the pharaoh, you have to obey!"
The next night Maia carried her feather light child into Tutankhaten's room. She shushed both children silent. The poor boy could hardly sit; he needed support while Tutankhaten was sitting in his bed like a real pharaoh – just as he had taught. Maia closed her eyes and a lonely tear ran down her cheek.
"You sure, oh big and benignant king?"
"Do it!"
"But you have to know one more thing. The moment I pronounce the spell…"
"We have no time for this, Maia! Do it, now!"
The woman gave a marvelous and enticing quartz crystal to her own child. Then she asked both children to wish to switch bodies and minds. And then Maia started to murmur something in ancient Egyptian.
"The adventure now begins, the prize is in another's eyes. When what you see is what you lack and finally you understand the real you and the real him then selfless love and intention will change you back."
The two boys opened their eyes and both were terrified by what they saw. Tutankhaten's soul took residence in the body of Maia's child while the poor boy's soul looked back at Maia through the pharaoh's eyes.
"It's incredible," Tutankhaten said as he was watching his former body. There was something creepy in the situation.
"Oh, god…what I have done…you…you two need to know something…"
But as she was about to share one last important thing, several guards rushed into Tutankhaten's room. One man grabbed the sick-looking child and started to drag out of the room.
"You beggar…how dared to step into this sacred room? You wanted to kill the king! You will die!"
Both Maia and the child shouted their innocence but the guard stopped listening. The man's priority was to protect the pharaoh at all costs.
"Let me go! I AM the king! I AM Tutankhaten! Maia, tell him. Tell him, please!" the miserable boy cried as he was dragged away from the security of the room.
But Maia remained silent. Her own child was alive in the body of Tutankhaten, he was safe and for the first time in her life, Maia placed her child's interest before Tutankhaten's.
Maia covered her ears with her hands and let the men bring the real ruler away. She prayed for him…and for herself.
Maia's son always did what was told to him, returned to the old religion and he never mentioned that horrible night again.
No one had ever figured out that the pharaoh whose name in the meantime had been changed to Tutankhamen had been the wet-nurse's sick child.
No one had ever grieved the real Tutankhaten in foreign body whose dead body had been thrown that dark night into a lonely ditch with the magic crystal in his pocket.
CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR
2 August 1492, Palos de la Frontera, Spain
The next day was going to be a glorious day for the lanky explorer but tonight seemed to be a hard one that was seasoned with a desperate quarrel. Tomorrow the young Christopher Columbus would depart from the local harbor for a long voyage but he wanted to leave in peace knowing that his lady still was his. He loved his woman who was furious at the moment.
"You said we would spend more time together before you leave me again for spending our country's money!" Filipa Moniz Perestrelo cried.
"Filipa, please! I was home for ages."
"You just came home from that dirty Egypt! Why can't you just stay here with me?"
"Because I believe that I was born to sail the oceans to explore new lands for our country. I wish you understood me."
"Well, you are always on trip…only God knows where and you come back to me bringing me some nice knick-knacks or jewels and you expect me to be happy. No! I want you not some crazy crystal. I don't even know what it is."
"I told you. I found it in a grave; I think it was of a child…maybe he stole it…because his neck was broken."
"Great, now you became a grave-robber, oh Christopher…"
"Hey, it wasn't really a grave. I only dug for gold or some precious thing when I found it. I think that child really was a thief or he would have had signed grave. Isn't this crystal beautiful? It's quartz. As wonderful as you are."
Filipa held the crystal and soon she became mesmerized by the mineral. It was so clear, so beautiful and surprisingly warm. The woman smiled at the man at last and Columbus knew that he was forgiven.
"Will you be there tomorrow?" he asked.
"I will wave you good bye. I'll be here when you come back."
Within minutes, Columbus kissed his fiancée's hand and then bided farewell to her parents, too. Because the ship would swim out early next day, Columbus went straight into his bed. His last thought was his bright Filipa. He wished she understood his need for space and freedom.
Back in Filipa's bedroom, the young lady was crying. She loved this man but was not sure if she was as strong as she could wait for him for long months or years perhaps. She held the crystal up high and marveled its beauty. She wished her fiancé knew how she felt, understood her need for connection and stability.
.
The adventure now begins, the prize is in another's eyes. When what you see is what you lack and finally you understand the real you and the real him then selfless love and intention will change you back.
.
The next day a very bewildered and shy Captain stepped onto the board of Santa Maria. It seemed "he" had forgotten all of his crew's names or the traditional formality of sailing out of the port.
The Captain squeezed the crystal that was given to her last night.
"Oh god, what is happening to me? I'm not him…I'm…me. I have no idea how to maneuver this ship…no one would ever believe me," Filipa whispered to no one.
"Did you say something, sir?" an old sailor asked. "Sir! Captain!"
"Ah..nah. Just…just do your job!"
In the crowd, there was a young "woman" dressed in elegant attire but somehow, a few strips were off. "She" could hardly walk in her high-heeled shoes and her hair was weird.
"I'm cursed…god, I'm cursed. I'm Christopher Columbus and that is MY ship. I'm not…her…I'm…me. Filipa will be lost on the ocean…she will never find the right direction to Asia. Oh, god, she will travel to…land of nowhere."
And this was how the crystal reached the coast of America that had been explored by a brave woman in a man's body. Once, when the crew of Santa Maria had gotten into trouble with a local tribe, Filipa had traded the crystal for their lives. And the quartz crystal started its journey to a far part of North America.
CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR- CSI-GSR
1 March 2001 Las Vegas, the USA
Horrible cases were always hard to process both professionally and emotionally. The graveyard team had had two depressing cases. Catherine and Warrick had been assigned to piece together and explain someone else's case to the DA. It had been about a case of a fatal shooting coming up to trial. The CSIs' task had been to decide if it had been self-defense or a murder.
The other case had been waiting for Grissom, Sara and Nick to investigate. It had been an attempted murder of a woman found raped, shot in the head and then simply left for dead on the side of the road. Every member of this little team had taken the case hard as the woman had been young and had had the whole world and life before her. Grissom and Nick had had to step up when they had noticed that Sara had showed signs of getting emotionally attached to the victim seriously. She had been spending long hours with searching the internet in order to be able to identify the poor woman so they could inform her relatives. Sara had given the victim a name, Jane. Later, she had tried to explain her choice to Nick when he had mentioned that Sara had been on first-name basis but neither Nick nor Grissom had fallen for the lame explanation.
After many long days, Sara was walking out of the hospital room where she had been talking with Thomas Adler, the husband of the victim who was too tough to die. About mid-way through, she stopped walking. After a moment, with tears in her eyes, she continued leaving the overwhelming building. Sara felt as if she was bitten to faint. She could not think at that moment and did not want to talk at all; however, she needed some comforting words more than anything. She only felt something so painful that the woman thought her heart would split in any minute.
Sara did not know what she hoped for but instead of going home and finally getting some sleep, she headed for the Lab, specifically, for Grissom's office.
In her car, Sara decided that she was going to be strong in front of Grissom as she knew that the man could not handle a crying woman too well. She could keep to her promise right until she knocked on his door and sat into the big chair across the desk from him.
For long minutes, she was just sitting there silently. Grissom did not push her; he waited for her to open up, so he just listened intently to Sara.
"The husband doesn't get it."
And that was it. She broke her promise she had made in her car in the lot at the hospital. Sara started to cry and she could not care about how weak she must look.
"He's so happy she's going to live. He doesn't realize she's going to be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life," her voice broke. "And that kid Thorpe ... is going to be out of juvie in 48 months."
"Sara…"
"It's not fair," she whispered.
Grissom wanted to remain calm as he believed that his calmness would solace her. He was definitely wrong and he realized it the moment he answered Sara.
"It's the system."
"What kind of system rewards the suspect when the victim is too tough to die?"
Grissom had no answer for her. He desperately wanted her to stay even though he could not make her feel better. Simply her presence made him feel better. Grissom was worried about her, more than worried but he seemed helpless in this situation. The supervisor saw Sara standing up and heading for the door but his lips seemed unable to move.
In the nick of time, he stopped her, "Sara!"
Sara stopped and turned back. Her face reflected how much she hoped for Grissom to understand her and feel her pain. Her eyes almost begged for some comforting words.
"Sara ... you got to learn to let this go or you're going to spend all your time in hospitals trying to help the people you couldn't save."
Even a bucket of ice cold water that Grissom would have poured onto her could not have been as painfully disillusive as his words were now. Until now, she was hurt, angry, and desperate but now, she felt so lonely like she had never felt before. In a minute, anger ran through her veins.
"I wish I was like you, Grissom! I wish I didn't feel anything."
And without another word, she left his office. Almost running out of the building, her only wish was to get home, close the door behind her and sink into blissful unconsciousness. She welcomed the rare sleep, at least while sleeping, or the beginning of her sleep, she stopped thinking, stopped suffering.
Sara sought the crystal she had been given one day from Thomas Adler. The grieving man had given the exquisite quartz crystal to Sara. Mr. Adler thought that her wife would be happy to know that her heroine, Sara had it. The quartz had meant a lot to Pamela. According to her husband, Pamela used to be sitting with the mineral in her hand and just watching it for long-long minutes. She had bought it from a homeless child. The mineral had felt warm to Sara and she had wanted to believe that Pamela Adler's soul was in it, so she had accepted the gift.
In her bedroom, the young CSI was crying. She loved Grissom but she was not sure if she was as strong as she could wait for him forever. They had been so close back in San Francisco and now, he had told her this cliché. Why could he not say something like 'Sara, you're right and I'm upset, too but we can't do anything about it. Let's go home and have a drink' or something? But Sara felt that he had been as cold as a stone. Sara held the crystal up high and marveled its beauty. She wished Grissom knew how she felt, understood what her problem was.
At the same time, Grissom woke up for the thousandth time. Sara's eyes hunted him. He had wanted to hold her, to tell her that everything would be okay, to take her home – into his home and never let her go but again, he had gone into hiding behind his well-practiced mask: detached professionalism. He wished Sara knew how he felt, understood him and his fears, then she would know that he was not an emotionless robot at all. He wished Sara could read his mind rather than his words. He wished Sara saw his naked soul.
.
The adventure now begins; the prize is in another's eyes. When what you see is what you lack and finally you understand the real you and the real him then selfless love and intention will change you back.
.
Slowly both Sara and Grissom fell into a deep sleep unaware of what had just happened to both of them.
TBC