iCarly: iLearn A Love Song

Chapter 1: The Darkness

….

I don't own iCarly. Nor do I own Gryphon. And he doesn't own me. We're partners.

…..

My report continues. Time passes. Carly and I become closer. I sense that this displeases Sam somewhat, partly due to jealousy regarding what she sees as me intruding upon her relationship with Carly. I am not, of course trying to do any such thing, but human emotions are funny things. Sam is bright enough to realize this, however. But she still distrusts me because of my earlier "bad boy" acting. Well, I couldn't know this would happen.

It's hard to explain our peculiar relationship with time. We don't have to exist in just one point in time, nor in one particular spot in space. But some things we still miss. We're not omniscient.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say I didn't know this would happen.

Then comes the day I've dreaded. Aunt Maggie comes to me. "Angel Gryphon, you've been chosen to Speak against one who is deserving."

I'm speechless. "Isn't there some other way? I, I don't want to do this thing."

"You know there's not. I even offered to Speak in your stead. The answer was no. It must be you."

My shoulders sag. My worst nightmare…well, one of them. My truly worst is Carly finding out what I really am. "Very well," I say, "I am, and remain, obedient. I will Stand now." And I stand up.

As I said, words don't really convey our special relationship with time and space. Even as I stand there in the apartment, I also Stand beside the first humans, in the Great Snows of yesteryear, as they fight to stay alive. I wish I could help them.

I'm there when the pyramids are being built. I see the construction of the Sphinx, and know its true secret, one humans will not discover for another hundred years. And I'm there when they do.

I Stand before the battle of Waterloo, as the general known as Napoleon suffers defeat. I am there at Appomattox when General Lee hands General Grant his sword. I Stand at the atomic bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in Japan. I am there at the Fall of Rome. I witness the annihilation of Herculaneum and Pompeii by the volcano Vesuvius. .

I Stand before Columbus as he arrives at what will come to be called the "New World." I see the mighty works of the Aztecs, the Toltecs, the Mayans, and those who came before them, and I witness their dark human sacrifice. I am there on the first human galaxy-class starship, out beyond the star humans call Rigel, when the crew encounters the Bakori. I know the loss of life, the heartache that will result from this meeting, as the Terrans attempt peaceful contact with that warlike race, but I can say nothing.

For the briefest moment in time, I Stand before all of humanity, every single human being who has ever lived, or ever will.

None of them see me.

And I am there in London's East End, in 1891. It is dark, and there is no one about. Good. It would be dangerous for anyone to witness what is to come.

I see the figure, cloaked, shrouded in darkness, whose lines of potential are completely dark, so dark. It is normal for a human, even one consumed by the darkness, to have some lines that radiate upward; this figure does not. There is something in his hand.

He sees me.

I raise my hand, fingers held together, and pointed slightly towards him. And I Speak.

The lines of potential surrounding him explode in a geyser of fire, the blast smashing windows, and damaging the silent brick buildings nearby. The probability wave effect transforms the nearby streetlamps into crystal, and shatters them into thousands of shards. I'm careful enough, but when that much potential is released all at once, the effect is hard to contain.

As soon as I can, I return to the apartment in Seattle.

"Well?" says Aunt Maggie.

I sag slightly in relief. It's good to be back. "It's done. There will be no more killings, not from that one."

She comes up to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. "I know it was not easy for you."

"No, it was not. He was once a great doctor, and did much good. Aunt Maggie, how can the darkness so consume a man?"

She shrugs, sadly, I think. I hate that. I love my Aunt, and would never do or say anything to hurt her or cause her pain. "That, no one knows. Light outshines the darkness, but sometimes, for reasons we cannot know, men help the darkness. When that happens, after a while, the light…turns away. There is no longer any hope for that person. Now. Are you sure you were unobserved? Remember, we must maintain our cover."

I nod. "I am sure."

But within me, something nagged at me. A voice spoke up, warning me that I might have been a bit hasty in saying that…

Carly was asleep at home when the dream came to her. Griffin, somehow transported to Old London, holding out his hand against the dark, menacing figure, as though to stop it. Then…Words she couldn't hear, somehow, and the explosion, as if a bomb had gone off. The dark figure, destroyed so completely that there was not even a body. She woke up, gasping. What was that all about?

She dithered. She worried…what had this dream meant? Carly had never been one to believe that dreams carried some psychic significance, or metaphysical message or something, but this one bothered her. It had been so intense. Somehow she felt Griffin was in danger. Nothing would do but that she had to call him; she was now too wound up to sleep. "Griffin? Is…are you…I mean, uh, h-hello. How's it going?"

"It's going fine, Carly. Are you alright? You sound a bit…upset."

"Oh, it's nothing. I just had a, well," and here she laughed at herself. Here she was, calling her boyfriend in the middle of the night, because she'd had a bad dream! "I just had a, I guess you'd say, a nightmare. Couldn't sleep. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Oh, no. I'm a bit of a nightowl, you know, anyway. I was up. But I'm sorry to hear you had a bad dream. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just you answering the phone's a big help, Grif. The…the dream was sorta about you."

There was a brief pause. "It was?"

"Yeah. I dreamed you were in, like, Old London or somewhere, and there was this frightening creature in front of you. Then, it was like a bomb went off. That's when I woke up." She smiled a weak smile. "I know it's silly, but I had to make sure you were alright."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. For just a moment, she thought he wasn't going to say anything more. But then, "Well, I can certainly see why that would upset you. If it were me, and I dreamed you were in danger, I'd definitely be distraught. What's the expression? 'Fit to be tied?'"

Carly hesitated. Why would he be asking about a common phrase like that? "Uh, yeah. So, I mean, I just…you know."

"I know. You're not alone, are you?"

"Well, yeah. Spencer's out with T-bo, doing something, I'm not sure what. He said not to wait up. But, but it's okay, I'm okay…"

"Would you like me to come over? We could talk."

"I…I think I'd like that, Grif. Uh, yeah. You…you don't mind? I mean, I'm alright, just a bit, a little bit shaken up, I guess…that dream caught me offguard, there was just something, I dunno, scary about it, unusually so, I mean, but, but, I guess nightmares are like that…"

"It's no trouble at all, Carly. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes! You can't get here that quickly, you live across town!" Besides, I'd barely have enough time to get dressed and put on any makeup.

"Sure I can. I know a shortcut. And don't worry about your makeup; I'm not coming over to see your makeup. I'm coming over to see you." And he hung up.

Carly hurriedly pulled on a blouse and jeans, and splashed her basic face on as fast as she could. One thing she'd learned about Griffin was, he was punctual.

Much, much later on, it would occur to her that she hadn't actually said anything about makeup, in their phone conversation. But of course, there was a logical explanation for that. There had to be.

Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang. She hurried downstairs to let Grif in. As their relationship had progressed, she'd learned something pretty amazing about him, something unlike all the other guys she'd gone out with: he respected her as a person. Not once had he ever made a pass at her, or treated her, and her feelings, with anything other than the most gentle, almost tender, respect.

And to think, she'd almost passed him up as a bad potato.

She threw her arms around him even before he got in the room. "Whoa, Carly! You were this upset? That must've been some dream!"

She led him over to the couch. "Yeah." Now she felt herself getting the sniffles. Allergies, of course. It's that time of year. "I…I mean, it seemed like you were in danger, a-and that thing in front of you was…so dark. So scary. Like I guess a real-life Freddy Kruger or Jason Voorhees would be, you know, if they weren't just…fictional." She wiped her eyes and blew her nose.

He sat down beside her. "And you say I was in it?"

"Yeah, that's what woke me up! That thing in front of you, you holding your hand up, like you were saying, 'stop,' or something, and, and…" Her hands fluttered in exasperation. I must seem like such a twit, calling him over here this late, just because I had a bad dream.

But he was nodding in an understanding sort of way. "I know, sometimes dreams…can seem pretty real. Especially scary ones. I guess I've never had a really bad nightmare."

"Well…thanks for coming to my rescue." She placed a hand shyly, on his knee.

"Rescue? I really didn't do anything, but you're very welcome." She yawned, her hand automatically going up to cover her mouth. "Look," he said, "You're exhausted. Tell you what. Why don't you go on upstairs to bed. I'll stay down here on the couch, at least until Spencer gets back. How's that sound?"

She blushed. Other guys would've suggested another sleeping arrangement. One that involved a lot less actual sleep. Did he have to be so perfect? "Ah, it, it actually sounds kinda nice. You…you wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't be much knight in shining armor if I didn't follow through, you know. So, yeah. Just go on upstairs. I'll catch some zeee's here."

"Thanks, Grif." Impulsively, she kissed him, throwing her arms around him. He responded after a moment, as though he were truly surprised by her action.

On the way upstairs, she cast a look back at him, getting comfortable on the couch. Part of her actually wanted to invite him upstairs, but of course that just wasn't her. Perhaps someday… But as she glanced at him, in the space of an eyeblink, almost the twinkling of an eye, she saw him standing there, looking up at her, attired in a suit of golden armor that shone like the noonday sun. So real was the illusion, that she did a double take…

But it was only a trick her mind was playing on her. Another look showed her nothing unusual about him. Except the man I'm coming to love.

Still, that vision had been a powerful one, and she thought about it for a long time before sleep overtook her.

To be continued...