2nd Series 05/14 - Death and Life

by InfamousB

Ace's brush with death reveals more then just his own mortality.

Death & Life
by Laura Boeff

"Get the damn door open!"
Lieutenant Derek Vega paced. Madly. Endlessly. He was wound up tight as a spring as the cutting
crews worked valiantly on the reinforced vault door. Ten cups of the strongest coffee couldn't bring him to this
shivering restlessness. One phone call, from Ace Cooper, could.
Vega spun on his heel, longcoat snapping like a whip. Damn, damn, damn! One phone call. Not a
good one either. Ace's voice still rolled around his head. Thick, messed up. He said something about drugs,
trap, cold. And little else. The line was open, working, but Ace was not. So Vega had traced the open
connection to here. The Milo Medical Research lab. To the damn deep freeze storage unit.
He paused, long enough to see what the progress had been. Almost through. Almost, but not fast
enough. The cutting torch was a bright, painful light, that currently held everyone's attention. Vega's, the two
emergency medical crews on call, and the demolition team.
Time-lock. God damn time-lock of all things. Freidrichs was going to pitch a fit when he found out
what Vega was doing. Like hell if he was going to mention this to his moronic Captain until after he'd gotten
Ace out of there. Possibly Cosmo. Probably Cosmo. If the teen wasn't in there with his partner he'd surely be
out here with him, trying to get in there with his partner.
Drugs. Damn, damn, damn. Drugs were one of the few ways that did limit the magician's ability to
cast. It would be the only way to actually keep him in there. Both of them
"We're through!" The cry hadn't even finished echoing and Vega was already moving with half the
medical crew. The sheared reinforced steel door clanged loudly as they let it drop, the floor shaking from its
landing, but Vega was already crawling over it into the cold storage unit beyond.
He gasped involuntary. Cold. Damn cold! It was like running into a wall of ice. The air stung his throat
with its bitter touch, burned his eyes and nipped at any exposed piece of skin. And his friends were trapped in
here.
"Ace!" he shouted, breath clouding in front of him. "Ace!"
Vega slipped over the slick floor tiles, the warm air from the outside already condensing in the arctic
interior. The vault was full of shelves and boxes. Medical supplies and test samples for the whole bleedin'
facility. But that was not all the vault currently held.
Damn. Vega had found them. A dark spot propped against the wall.
"Here!" he screamed to the men behind him, dropping to his knees by the curled up bundle. Ace had
wrapped himself around Cosmo, protecting his smaller partner, the black cape enveloping them both in a
desperate attempt to save heat.
"Ace?" Vega hissed worriedly, touching the frost encrusted black fabric. There was no reply. Little of
either man was visible, both clinging tightly together. Vega carefully wrapped his fingers around the older
magician's shoulder. The cape was stiff beneath his touch, almost brittle. Not a good sign. Vega knew that
the cloak was more then mere cloth. Almost an entity of magic itself. Not good at all. Other hands were there
now. Gentle hands, pulling the two, still men apart.
"Stretchers," someone ordered as Ace was lifted carefully away. Cosmo was beneath him, on his
side, curled in a tight fetal position, ice forming on the red hair.
"I don't have a pulse."
Vega flinched. Ace! The magician's face was pale, lips blue, body stiff as the paramedics tried to lay
him on the stretcher.
"Outside now! I need the defibrillator," more voices screamed, as the emergency crew rushed to get
the frozen man outside the damnable confines of the vault. Vega watched with creeping dread, wanting to
follow, but Ace wasn't the only one here.
"Cosmo?" Vega called gently, fingers reaching along the frozen skin of the young man's neck.
Another medic was there, hand on the teen's wrist.
"I've got a pulse. Slow, irregular," the man announced as another stretcher was delivered. Vega's
eyes dropped briefly. Still alive. Barely. Thank god. They moved the teen, curled up still, onto the litter. Vega
wanted to help, but knew better to stay out of the way. He followed though, hot on the medics' heels as they
vacated the damn vault.
Outside the crew was already working on Ace. The white silk shirt had been simply cut and laid open,
one man working on manual CPR, while his partner prepared the defibrillator. Vega winced at the sick
straining sound of chest bones being shoved brutally down with every practiced push. CPR on TV looked
painless, safe. It wasn't. Bone and muscle had to be moved to make the heart keep its precious beat. Moved,
bruised and abused.
Vega stayed clear of the men and settled beside Cosmo, fingers wrapping around one cold, clenched
fist. The EMT's were injecting everything they seemed to have into the young man, blankets having appeared
from nowhere to encase the still living youth. Medical terms were being thrown around like so much confetti,
but Vega didn't even try to follow it. Things were not good. For either off them.
A sudden flutter in frost graced lashes drew Vega's attention down to Cosmo. Gray eyes opened,
wide, empty. Staring sightlessly toward his partner.
"Cosmo?" Vega called hesitantly, fingers tightening on the cold hand that had yet to uncurl. A pen
light shot across the glazed eyes and there wasn't so much as a blink. The black iris were mere pinpricks in
the clear gray pupils.
"I'm getting no reaction," the medic announced. Vega followed the blind stare to Ace. No, no reaction.
Cosmo wasn't seeing his partner, but was he feeling him? Was he feeling anything?
"Clear!"
Vega jumped as the electrodes were placed against the magician's chest. 21st century and you'd
think they find a better way to restart a man's heart. The snap crack of the defibrillator always set his nerves
on edge as the older magician's body spasmed madly under the electrical assault. Vega felt a mirroring jolt
run through body beneath his hand. No shields. No shields to protect Cosmo from the abuse his partner was
being subjected to. He tightened his hold, trying to offer some comfort to a mind that might, or might not, be
aware.
"Nothing. Again!"
"Clear!" Another jolting shock. Another mirroring spasm.
"Damn, he's destabilizing. Pulse going erratic, blood pressure dropping." That was Cosmo's medic.
The man was riffling his equipment madly for a cure.
"No," Vega breathed. The kid was slipping. Joining his partner. Giving in. He bent down, pressed his
face closed against the cold red hair, whispering urgently in one ear.
"No, Cosmo, you've got to hold on!" he demanded. "Ace can't come back if you let go. You have to
hang on."
He said it again and again. Prayed it. Begged it. The electric crack came again. Vega felt the spasm
run through Cosmo. A cold shudder of frozen muscles.
"Hang on, Cosmo. Hang on!" he kept whispering, eyes riveted on the magician beside them. The
medic was waiting, posed for another assault, as his partner checked.
"I've got a pulse!"
Vega closed his eyes and breathed for the first time in minutes. Pulse. Thank you Lord. Not out of the
woods, but a damn sight better than dead. He looked up to Cosmo's medic where the man was preparing yet
another hypodermic. This one landed straight into the young man's neck and Vega flinched in a pain that
didn't register in the body beside him.
"God, this is a mess," someone muttered, as blankets were starting to be layered around Ace. Mess
was not a fit enough description. Nightmare was. Vega could only bare witness as an oxygen mask was
delivered and strapped across his friend's face. One medic had become a constant attachment to Ace's arm,
guarding the pulse so dearly fought for.
"How is he?" Vega asked of Cosmo's medic. The man did not look happy.
"Hope you're not a betting man," was his answer. Some bedside manner, Vega thought darkly. But
these people didn't deal in idle wishes. They dealt with hard facts. And the fact was, his friends were in bad
shape.
Vega was displaced rudely, as an oxygen mask was delivered to Cosmo's own face, the dead gray
eyes still locked on his partner. Never blinking, never wavering. Vega stayed out of his line of sight. The kid
was holding on, so was Ace. It was enough for now.
"You're doing good, kid," Vega praised softly, resuming his position by his side as the medics moved.
Straps were being drawn across the blanket encased bodies, securing both men to their stretchers. Readying
them for transport. A small spasm tore through Ace and people jumped, but the medic at his wrist made no
dire announcement.
"Natural reaction," Cosmo's own medic explained at his desperate stare. "The body fighting the cold.
It's a good sign. Wish the kid here would do the same," he went on, snugging the straps. He turned and
waved someone over. "Ready for transport."
Vega was moved once again as Cosmo's stretcher lifted, two men guiding it through the milling
crowd. He let it go as Ace's own litter lifted. The medic guarding his pulse moved with him and Vega fell in
beside the man.
"How is he?"
"Hmm, slow pulse, not unexpected. Blood pressure to damn low. The real truth will come through
when we get his core temp back up. That's when the thermal damage will become apparent," the EMT
explained kindly. Vega never hesitated to climb in the back, the ambulance crowded with both men and their
support crew. He knew he was an unwanted presence, but damn it, these were his friends, family, and he
wasn't leaving them. So Vega made himself as small as possible -not an easy feat given his large frame- and
watched with desperate quiet as everyone tried there damnedest to keep these two alive.

***

Cold.
He was cold.
He didn't like it. Hated it. It brought fear and dim memories. Burning that had nothing to do with heat.
Lungs searing with every breath. Desperately aware of the world fading, of the body clutched tight in his
arms, the shivers long having stopped as hypothermia set in. Cold. He didn't want to be cold ever again.
A groan left his lips as Ace tried to move. Tried to turn his head and open his eyes. It was hard, damn
hard. Light seeped in past the slits of his eyelids. Bright, blurry. There was something on his face, tickling his
nose. He didn't like that either. Annoyed, Ace tried to reach the offending object. Felt muscles spasm weakly
through what he presumed to be his arm. It was hard to honestly tell.
"Easy there, Ace. You need that," a course voice laughed as his arm was restrained. Ace turned
toward the sound, trying to pry his lids back a little more.
"Who?" It was little more than a sick croak. A shadow cut across the light.
"It's me, Vega, Ace. Hang tight."
Some sound and more voices. Too many to keep track of in his muddled brain.
"Vega?" he rasped.
"Right here, Ace." It was reassuring. Vega was there. Like long ago. When he had been afraid.
Confused. Vega. His oldest friend. There. It helped him relax.
"Cold," he stated in complaint. Another soft laugh.
"I don't doubt. Your core temp still isn't up yet. Almost there, hang in there, Ace."
Core temp? Oh God. The cold. It was becoming clearer now. The drugs. Raging through his system,
cutting the magic off, making the power a distant, unreachable haze to his perception. Cosmo was just as
bad, if not worse. Same dosage, smaller body. The young man had been barely aware as they had been
dumped. In an icy tomb. Ace shivered and it had nothing to do with his still thawing body. Cold. Biting cold.
He had tried to get out. Tried to reach his magic and desperately found himself wanting. Mundane ways did
not work and his mind had been too badly messed from the chemicals. He had done all he could. Called out
for Vega. Called out for his friend and had waited. Protecting Cosmo, holding him close and praying. Praying.
"Cosmo?"
A hand came to his shoulder. He could decipher that much. A gentle squeeze.
"He's okay. He hasn't woken up yet, Ace, but he's okay," Vega reported softly. Ace let out a breath.
Alive. Cosmo was alive. But the cop sounded worried. Something must be wrong. Already Ace was fighting
back. Pain was seeping into his awareness. Pinpricks of agony from ever inch of his body; a dull throbbing
ache from his chest. Breathing made it worst, but not like he had any choice in that department. He blinked,
making his eyes open, making them focus. There was a little success as Vega's distorted form took on some
clarity. Even all blurry, he could tell, his old friend was worried.
"What's wrong?" he demanded. Vega patted him on the shoulder again.
"Nothing, Ace. Just rest. You need to rest," Vega stated simply. Ace wasn't satisfied.
"What's wrong?"
Vega sighed and looked about. That puzzled Ace, till the cop leaned forward, whispering softly.
"You were dead when we found you, Ace," he said softly, the hand tightening slightly on his shoulder.
"They had to bring you back. I'm worried about what that did to Cosmo."
Now the cop's caution made sense. Dead? Him? You think you would remember something like that.
He didn't. Better that way, he was sure. Dear God, what would that do to Cosmo? Not conscious at the time.
Cosmo had slipped away before him, an utter still point in his frozen arms. What would it do? How would that
register to his empathic apprentice?
"Where?" he muttered thickly. Damn it. He wanted to stay awake. He didn't want to sleep, but his
body was getting other ideas.
"Here." Vega moved slightly and Ace could just make out the bed beside his own. There was no
missing the red blur. His young friend.
"How is he?"
"Stable. He was still alive when we found you. You kept him alive, Ace." It was praise. Ace didn't
mind. It was his goal, to keep Cosmo alive, if nothing else, until help could arrive.
"You're both suffering frostbite, extreme hypothermia and a dozen other medical terms I can't
pronounce. You want me the get a doctor for you?" Vega continued. Ace shook his head, wincing at the
protest raised from stiff muscles. The other voices in the room. His physicians. No, time for them later. He
knew he wasn't in good shape. Having that confirmed wouldn't make him feel better.
"No," he muttered, fighting the exhaustion. "Not awake?'
"Not yet," Vega confirmed. "You were both drugged pretty bad on top of the cold. They dosed up
Cosmo pretty good, didn't they?"
He nodded weakly. "Same dosage," he muttered. The Vega blob nodded as well.
"Less body mass. That could be why he hasn't woken." The cop didn't sound convinced. Neither was
Ace, but he wouldn't worry, not yet. They'd been through too much. The body shut down. Knew when to call it
quits. Quite possibly Cosmo hadn't woken because it just wasn't his time. What would happen? What had
happened to his partner when he had died? How long had he been dead? No answer to that. It was vaguely
disturbing. How long *had* he been dead?
"Sleep, Ace. You need it," Vega called softly and Ace realized his eyes were closed again. Damn it.
He didn't want to sleep. He didn't want to.
His body had other ideas.

***

Warm.
He was warm.
It felt damn good. He released a small sigh and opened his eyes, again. How long had he'd been
asleep? He couldn't tell, but Ace still wasn't alone. Vega was there, in a guest chair at his bedside, asleep.
The old cop was hunched down, arms across his chest, snoring faintly. Ace blinked the remaining exhaustion
form his eyes, faintly aware of the breathing tube strapped to his face, tickling his nose. Nasal prongs. So that
what was annoying him. He left it alone this time.
Cosmo. In the bed across from him. The young man was encased, like him, in blankets. Graced with
the same breathing equipment and monitoring wires as him. Pale. Paler than normal, but alive. The heart
monitor beside his bed announced that, as did the visible rise and fall of his young friend's chest. Had he
woken up? He'd have to ask Vega to find out.
"Vega," he called. It was kitten weak and sickly, but Ace knew he could do no better. He called again.
"Huh? What?" Vega blinked fuzzily, shifting in his seat as he glanced sleepily about. A smile touched
his lips as he spied the awake magician.
"Hey, Ace. Up again, eh?"
Ace nodded. "Yeah. Cosmo?"
A negative shake "No, Ace. He hasn't woken up yet. His core temp's okay. So's yours. How do you
feel?"
"Like hell," Ace admitted. Vega smiled and chuckled slightly.
"I bet. You need anything?"
"I need Cosmo to wake up." Perhaps a touch petulant, but damn it, he was worried. So was Vega.
The older man's face darkened.
"Yeah, me too. Could it be like last time?"
Oh Lord, Ace hoped not. The last time Vega was referring to was the first time Cosmo touch his
magic, used it. It had left the teen comatose. Trapped in the dark confines of his own mind. It had taken days
for his partner to recover physically, months to come to grips with the emotional strain of the ordeal. Even
still, on the rare occasion, he would freeze up during practice, flashing back to that one, fateful moment. Ace
had always talked him out of it. Brought the teen back from the loop of his nightmare with a calm, soothing
voice.
"I don't know." He honestly didn't. That event was triggered by magic. The shock of using it. This was
different. Possibly. It could be the teen was just not rousing due to medical reasons.
"What do the doctors say?"
Vega shrugged "They don't know why. Dr. Beckett says he should have woken by now, but she's not
really worried, yet," he explained. Of course she wasn't. The good doctor had no idea about Cosmo's
empathic link to his partner. The strange mental tether that bound the young man to the magician. His death.
What had his death done?
A thousand little jabbing pains protested his movement -along with one large cop- as Ace surged
upright in his bed.
"Ace, what the heck are you doing!" Vega declared in exasperation, as the magician swayed
unsteadily, hands clutching the blankets as he tried to stay upright.
"Have to help Cosmo," he muttered. Something had gone wrong. Something *was* wrong. Call it
intuition, or just plain damn experience, but Ace knew.
"Damn it, Ace." Vega caught one trembling arm, wanting to push the younger man down, but knowing
he wouldn't stay there. So he offered his help instead. He got an arm around his friend's waist as Ace free
himself of his breathing equipment and eased out of the bed, standing on less than firm feet.
"Ace, you need to rest. This is a bad idea," Vega declared gruffly.
Yeah, it was. Being upright only made Ace nauseous, but he had to help his partner. He had to find
out what had gone wrong.
If he could find out.
"Just help me over," he muttered weakly, eyes closing against the swaying room. With a frustrated
sigh, Vega relented and Ace kept his eyes closed, one hand out, as Vega guided him slowly to the bed
besides his own. Fingers brushed warm fabric and his eyes open to find his hand resting on the teen's upper
arm.
"Oh damn."
Ace jerked at the softly breathed curse and saw what had startled Vega so. Cosmo's eyes were
open; staring straight at him. Through him. Flat, gray pools that showed nothing of the bright, vibrant man
they belong to.
"He was doing that at the vault. Just staring. Didn't blink or anything," Vega explained quietly. Ace
passed his hand experimentally over the dead gaze and shuddered. Nothing. Nothing at all-- not the slightest
reaction. Eyes of a dead man. No! Not his partner. Not Cosmo.
"What happened?"
Vega shrugged. "He just stared, straight at you, during the whole thing, even when they hit you with
the defibrillator. Poor kid, couldn't shield against it even."
Ace flinched and blinked. Shield?
"Why... why would he need to shield?" he muttered.
Vega looked curiously at him. "What'd you say?"
Ace stared at him, brow furrowed.
"I was dead, Derek. He shouldn't have received anything. There should have been no reason to
shield," he pointed out unhappily. Vega rubbed at his chin.
"Maybe you weren't brain dead. Not totally. We don't know how long your heart had stopped, Ace.
We just don't know."
Ace shivered. Dead-- him. It was something he didn't really want to think about. Now or later. Or ever.
"Perhaps," he murmured. But it still didn't answer their problem with Cosmo. Why wasn't his partner
waking up? It was more than just the cold or the drugs. Ace just knew it. He also knew of only one way to find
out. And even that method held no guarantee.
Ace started a relaxation technique, opening himself up partially to the lines of power of the magic
force.
"Ace... what are you doing?"
"Going to touch Cosmo's mind."
His teeth rattled as Vega shook him, disrupting him and making him gasp as the gathering threads of
power snapped away from his control. He glared at the disruption, but Vega only looked at him, deeply
concerned and displeased.
"Ace.. you're too weak!" Vega hissed worriedly. He was, that was true, but something spurred him on.
An urgent need to set things right. Vega, however wasn't looking at it that way.
"Touch his mind? I know he's an empath, but can you even do that? I mean, through the magic. Have
you done this before?"
Ace nodded, a faint, humorless smile quirking his lips.
"Yeah.. once. I did it once."
"And..."
"And.. I ended up out cold on the floor. When I did wake, I was introduced to the headache of the
century," he admitted, seeing the frustration cross the cop's features. There was a groan to go with that glare
and Ace, for some damn insane reason, smiled. Poor Vega, he thought kindly. The things he had to put up
with with the two of them. The man was made of stern stuff certainly.
"Crazy, Ace. You're completely crazy."
Maybe, but he was also determined.
"I have to try, Derek. Something's wrong. I just know it, even if I'm not an empath. Something's just
wrong and I've got to do something. Anything," Ace stated softly.
Vega scrubbed a hand over his face, glared, snorted and glared again.
"Okay, okay. But if anything happens..."
Ace smiled. If anything happened, it would be as much of a surprise to him, as it would be Vega. But
his old friend was flustered enough, without knowing that particular truth. He nodded and offered a brief smile
of appreciation before letting his eyes drop close again.
Ace relaxed once more, feeling the power rise up around him. A curtain of energy that was always
around him, but so few people could actually touch. So few; and for good reason.
His hand tightened on Cosmo's arm and Ace slowly opened his eyes, the magic rippling around him
as Vega tightened his hold on him. It was reassuring, his older friend's support, as he snaked a tendril of
power out to Cosmo.
Slowly, the power seeped out, slowly... cautiously...
He screamed.
"Ace!" Vega's cry was distant and desperate as the questing tendril touched and was consumed;
overrun. Agony spiked through Ace as something crashed into his mind. Fingers of power coursed through
his brain, digging, seeking. He screamed again and threw up a desperate shield wall, which was batted aside
with stunning ease by the intruding presence in his thoughts. Tremors rocked his body, the world whiting out
as Vega lowered him to the floor. The pain increased tenfold as the alien presence seemed to try to fill every
inch of him, tear him apart and rip into his mind. Pulsing, hot, violent. What was this? What the hell was this?!
Another scream ripped from him as he fought in vain against the intruding presence, feeling
something deep inside him stirring, pushing out, desperate, hurting like his own mind. The tendrils of intruding
power responded, lanced deeper, reaching. Everything was becoming a mad jumble. Fear pounded with the
pain; an aching pulse, matching every beat of his heart, as something broke free from the depths of his
mind.. reaching out. He couldn't even scream as the two entities collided.
Light.
It washed through him, around him. Warm, gentle-- soothing. The cruel pulsing intruder had not left,
but had changed, shifted, the sharp edges disappearing as the alien entity became simply a weight-- a
presence. Sifting through him, caressing over his thoughts with almost delicate skill.
-Ace?-
He could only breathe. It was all he could do and all he was aware of. The echoing memories of the
pain were still too fresh and sharp to his memories, stabbing at him, sending small shivers through tight
muscles. The warmth wrapped around him. Cradled him
-Ace?-
-You're alive!-
Joy. Pure joy touched every corner of his psyche. Love exploded through him and the last touches of
the pain were swept away with its light.
Cosmo? he wondered weakly. He wasn't hearing anything, he was sure of that. Wasn't even really
aware of the world around him. Everything was hazy... drifting. Floating in the magic. He was floating in the
threads of power, someone other than himself keeping the dangerous forces at bay.
-Ace!- Happiness rocketed through him with such strength that he winced and love swamped over
him at the negative reaction. Reassuring, gentle.
His mind. The voice was in his mind. Talking to him. Holding him. Warm, happy and enveloping-- and
familiar.
Cosmo. Cosmo was in his mind. The shear reality of that left him numb.
"Cosmo?" he rasped weakly.
-Ace!-
Never like this. Nothing had ever happened like this before. Even when Ace had accidentally touched
Cosmo's thoughts previously. More than just his own actions had brought about this result. Something had
driven the teen to unconsciously get into his head. Literally, it seemed, in a way Ace never had imagined.
Oh God. It was starting to make sense. It really was. The weight, the alien presence shifted and he
cried out. It didn't hurt, but it was just.. so.. so.. foreign. Not part of him. His mind rebelled against it naturally,
of its own accord, and he wasn't one to argue with it.
-Sorry-
Something deep inside reached out, assured him, soothed him as the formerly attacking fingers of
energy so very carefully started to recede. Gently pulling away with the most hesitant caution, leaving small
touches of happiness wherever they brushed across his mind. It made sense. Too much sense.
-Sorry-
Again. Very much so; Ace could feel the regret in the thought. Warmth washed through him, healed
him, as the weight withdrew. Slipped away softly from his fuzzy mind, taking its weight and presence with it,
leaving only the small, pulsing point deep inside that slowly dropped away from his perception. Before the last
finger of presence left, one last thought trailed across his mind. Soft.. grateful...
-Thanks, Ace-
Then that was gone.
Ace sobbed, eyes snapping open and staring at the polished tile floor beneath him, every breath
ripping from him in an agony.
"Ace.. Ace!" Vega was screaming in his ear and he wished he'd stopped doing that. There were other
voices around him and Ace could just make out Dr. Beckett crouching in front of him.
"What the hell happened?" she was demanding of the flustered detective.
"Okay," he rasped, wanting to stop the panic before the noise killed him. "I'm okay," he added, not
sounding at all convincing as his voice cracked, throat sore form his own screams. It was all starting to make
sense. He'd been so wrong. About so many things...
Weakly, he tried to get up, but couldn't seem to quite get his muscles coordinating with his brain. It
was a moot point as friendly hands lifted him and delivered him back to his bed. He sank into its depths in
relief, shuddering.
Made sense.
Dr. Beckett was there, trying to examine him and he batted at her arm in annoyance.
"I'm okay," he muttered, surly. Rude, yes, but feeling a new headache take residence in his brain,
along with his realization, did not inspire him to politeness.
"I find you on the floor screaming and you call that okay? I want to read your dictionary, Mr. Cooper,
because that's a new definition to me!" Dr. Beckett snapped. He smirked at that. A slight curling of his lips as
his eyes slid shut.
"Ace?"
All heads turned to where Cosmo was weakly trying to crawl out of bed. Trying to reach his older
partner. Dr. Beckett beat him to the protest, the poor woman looking absolutely flustered.
"Not you, too! Back in bed," she order firmly, planting a hand on the young man's chest and
preventing any further movement. He glared at her and Ace smiled at that as Cosmo feebly tried to fight the
small woman. Small yes, weak no. Cosmo found himself planted right back in the bed in good order.
"Ace," Cosmo called again, looking at him unhappily. Ace suddenly found a large hand planted on his
chest. A not so subtle hint that he was under the same orders as his partner to stay put. Ace smiled up at
Vega and Vega gave him on of his patented 'don't you dare' looks.
"You okay? I...I think I was... well..." Cosmo touched the side of his head. With Dr. Beckett in the
room he didn't want to elaborate further. Ace nodded and tapped his own temple.
"I'm okay, Cosmo. A little headache, but that's all," he called softly, the gray eyes watching him with
curious concern. No longer staring blind and dead. Thank God. Alive, vibrant and worried.
Cosmo understood and gave him a crooked smile.
"Hey, dude, sorry about the headache," he offered.
"Headache is right. Both of you," Dr. Beckett snorted, drawing the teen's attention back to her.
"I think we've upset the good doctor," Ace chuckled.
"Upset her? Ace, I'm pissed! Just what the hell happened?" Vega snarled, glaring down at him. Ace
let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry I scared you, Vega. I wasn't expecting that. I never had any idea," he offered calmly. Vega
frowned.
"Never expected what?"
Ace's eyes drifted to Cosmo's bed where Doctor Beckett was currently taking his friend's pulse and
talking to the young man. Cosmo was talking back, but he kept looking over to his partner in annoyance at
the attention. Ace offered a sympathetic smile and kept his voice low.
"What Cosmo's done. I've been wrong, Vega. I thought his ability to sense other magicians, and his
ability to sense me, were one and the same, but they're not.. They're not," Ace explained in slight amazement
and dread. Vega's brow was creased and Ace knew he had lost his older friend. He licked his lips and tried to
elaborate, eyes drifting over to where Dr. Beckett was keeping Cosmo busy with a dozen questions and tests,
now that his partner had finally woken up.
"I think.. I think Cosmo has somehow interjected a shard of his own consciousness in my mind.
That's how his empathy works. There's a living part of him in my mind. I have no idea how, or when he did it,
but that seems to be what's happened. It's not connected with his mage sense whatsoever. It's entirely
separate from that ability. That's how he can always sense my living presence. He's part of it." Ace took a
deep breath, mind racing over the realization. Kate, he had to talk to Kate about it. It answered so many
questions. That was why Cosmo could sense him, feel his emotions and his magic no matter the distance. In
an eerie way, he was always with him. No wonder Cosmo hated shielding against him, or vice-a-versa. It was
like cutting off part of himself. Even if Cosmo wasn't aware of exactly why. When had he done it? How had he
done it?!
"That's why he still felt pain. I was dead, Vega, Cosmo was not, but he was caught, separated...
trapped..." He gulped. Oh damn, that meant... Ace paled.
"Ace, does that mean..?" Vega pressed.
Ace nodded. "When I die.." Oh dear Lord. When he died Cosmo could become again as he had
been. Living death. He had wondered before, in the least pleasant of times, when he'd been forced to
consider what would happen to his apprentice upon his death. Now he knew and knowing made it all the
worse.
"Oh God, Derek," he whispered. A hand tightened on his shoulder, but it brought no comfort.
"Well, now that you know, maybe you can get Cosmo to undo it?" Vega pointed out.
Ace shook his head. It wasn't that easy. Magic never was.
"I don't think he even knows what he's done or how, Vega." Ace looked over and Cosmo smiled back,
a slight, worried frown on his face.
'You okay?' he mouthed, trying to ignore the doctor prodding him. Ace scrapped up a smile and
nodded, but Cosmo wasn't convinced, but didn't argue the point either.
'Sorry,' Cosmo mouthed. For the pain he meant, for the intrusion. Cosmo was watching him sleepily,
lids heavy. While awake, the teen definitely still wasn't running on all cylinders yet. Neither was Ace for that
matter.
So many questions. Ace had so many questions, but he would have to wait till the doctor left to ask
some of them. Kate was going to have a field day. He didn't know of this ever happening before in magic.
Empathy was not unheard of, but this specific, targeted link... Still, it just made too much sense. Ace knew
what he had felt in his own mind. The attacking force and the answering point in his mind, both were from the
same source. Both were Cosmo. As his magic strengthened, so did his shard and thusly his perception to the
point they were at now. It just all made too much sense. Yes, Kate was going to have a field day. A yawn
drew from his mouth on its own accord as Ace found his eyes dropping shut again. Damn it. Not again. He
had to get this sorted out. There was no time for sleep.
He heard Vega distantly chuckle.
"Go to sleep, Ace," he said as Ace fought it. "We'll sort it out."
Sort it out? He wasn't even honestly sure what was going on. His eyes had dropped shut, much to his
annoyance. Ah... damn.
He gave up with a sigh and slept.

***

"Ace?"
He grunted at the quiet inquiry and cracked open an eye. The room was dim, night having fallen, a
single light burning on the nightstand. The only other light was from the medical equipment and it did little to
add to the illumination. Cosmo was sitting on the edge of his bed, still dressed in the hospital gown, but
looking much more awake.
Ace frowned. His friend should not be out of bed. Even if he hadn't been the one to technically die.
"Cosmo," he sighed. "What are you doing up?"
The teen grinned, shoving back his red hair.
"I, well... I wanted to talk. Now that everyone's cleared out. Are you okay? I kind of remember a few
things now, but they don't make a lot of sense."
Understatement. Ace remembered everything and he still wasn't sure if he knew what was going on.
"I'm okay. How are you feeling? Do you know what happened?" he asked, unsuccessfully trying to
stifle a yawn. Vega was nowhere to be seen. Probably gone home for the evening, once he was sure the two
of them weren't going to go rampaging about.
"I'm okay, Ace, really," Cosmo assured softly, yawning himself. "Wish I felt it. Man, yawns are
contagious. What happened?"
"When? Earlier?"
Cosmo paused thoughtfully.
"Yeah, I guess that too. Are you sure you're okay, Ace?"
Ace nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, just got a bit of a headache. How did you do it, Cosmo?"
Cosmo frowned, uncertain.
"Do what? Get in your head?"
"No. I caused that, I think. Cosmo, do you have any idea why your empathy works?"
It was not the first time he had asked that question, and like all the times before, Cosmo just looked
at him blankly.
"You know I don't, Ace. Why?"
Cosmo had no idea. Had no idea at all. Ace pondered that. His partner's attachment had been
unconscious then, but very precise and very effective.
"Ace?"
"Do you remember anything, Cosmo?" Ace pressed.
Cosmo shrugged.
"I remember, I think, being in your head. You didn't like it. I'm not sure why I was even there, but
before that, the last thing I remember was a really nasty whack to the back of my head. There was something
about being cold, but that's all kind of fuzzy," Cosmo sighed. "Vega explained some of what's been going on
after you went to sleep." His hand tightened on Ace's arm. Dread flitted over his features, tinted with fear. "He
said you were dead, dude."
There was no missing the horror in his young friend's voice at that. He patted Cosmo's hand
reassuringly and smiled
"Only temporarily, I assure you."
A shudder went through the young man, but he tried to smile back.
"Nothing holds you down, eh, Houdini?" he joked weakly. Ace had to smirk.
"Not while I have a say in it. You don't remember anything else?"
Another shiver. Cosmo wouldn't look at him suddenly.
"Cosmo. I.. I know it may not be easy, to talk about, but it's important you tell me."
"Why?"
Ace took a deep breath. "I think I've figured out how your empathy works."
Cosmo blinked. "Really? I mean.. really, Ace?"
Ace nodded. "Yes, though I'm not sure how you managed it, I think you've succeed in attaching a
part of your consciousness to mine."
Cosmo gawked at him, stunned.
"Get out of town!" he declared. Looked at him and shook his head again. "You're kidding, aren't you,
bro? How, Ace? I mean, heck, I only know what I feel, not how. How did you figure that out?"
"By what happened when I died and afterwards. That's why I need to know what you remember,
Cosmo. Otherwise, I might be guessing wrong again."
Cosmo sighed and licked his lips uncertainly.
"I remember being... dead, even though Vega said I wasn't when they found us. Feeling empty. Not
much other than that. Wasn't even scared.. just empty," he tried. "Then I remember being in your head. That
was when I felt right again." A smirk came to his face. "Not in the right place, but not empty anymore."
Ace nodded. It went with his theory.
"I want to talk to Kate, but I do believe that you have planted a shard of... I guess of your own
consciousness, in my mind. It seems to be the only way I can describe what I felt when you entered my
thoughts. It was like, your own mind was trying to reconnect, as if my death caused a separation."
"Did I hurt you?" Cosmo interrupted worriedly.
"No, not bad," Ace lied to the best of his ability. "More, surprising, than anything."
Cosmo gave him a scrutinizing stare, but didn't push it.
Ace looked at his hands, clasped loosely in his lap. "I just wish I knew how you did it, Cosmo."
Cosmo shrugged and grinned. "No idea, bro! But then, that's pretty par for the course with my magic.
Hey. No big deal. I'm okay, you're okay and seems everything's back to normal. Unless I'm still hurting you?"
"No. No you're not," he assured quickly, but Cosmo's eyes narrowed, sensing his apprehension.
"Ace?" he prodded uncertainly. Ace sighed.
"I.. I think we should sever the connection, if we can find a way," Ace stated softly.
Cosmo flinched back, eyes widening in horror.
"What..? Why?! I mean, I respect your privacy, Ace. I can't read your thoughts and I sure as heck not
going to try!"
"No.. no that's not it, Cosmo," Ace interrupted hastily, hand raised reassuringly.
"Ace... I don't want to lose the link. I don't. I won't!" Cosmo went on heedless, voice rising in
desperation.
"Cosmo. I don't mind your attachment. I really don't. I'm just worried," Ace declared calmly. Cosmo
frowned, quivering slightly at the mere thought of severing the link. It made his heart clench, that unconscious
fear, but he had to let Cosmo know why.
"I died, Cosmo, and in a way, so did you. I... It's just not right, that you may lose your life, simply
because I lose mine," Ace explained gravely.
Cosmo calmed slightly, was silent, thoughtful, still shivering at the idea. He looked at his hands, then
reached out and touched Ace's arm.
"I don't care, Ace," he stated simply.
Ace blinked.
"I do, Cosmo," he shot back. "I was lucky this time. I will not drag you down into the grave with me."
"Ace..." Cosmo licked his lips and tried again.
"I'm an adult, right?" he asked suddenly. Ace nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"And I'm your full and legal partner, right?"
Another nod.
"And you're saying you don't mind my empathic link, right?"
This was getting redundant
"Yes, Cosmo. I've told you that before," Ace reiterated, lost.
"Fine. Problem solved."
"Cosmo?"
"Ace. I don't know how this link formed. I don't care! Even if you find the reason, which I'm betting
you can't since I did it and I have no clue, I don't want to sever it, even if it means I die when you die. If you
wanted me to sever the link because I was invading you privacy, or I was hurting you, I'd try to do it.. in a
heartbeat. But I won't sever it, if all your worried about, is what will happen when you die."
"Your life is more important reason than my privacy, Cosmo," Ace declared, almost angrily. "A sight
damn more important and a damn better reason than my privacy!"
"My choice, Ace!" Cosmo shot back. "I'm not a little kid, bro. I know the risks this link brings. I always
have, even before you figured it out. I accept them, like I accept the link. It is a part of me, Ace! You can't
conceive it, but it is a part of me, you are a part of me. I accept it, Ace. Plain and simple."
"Cosmo..."
"End of argument, Ace! Find out how, if you really want to, but I'm not severing the link just to protect
my own life. You have no idea how much your emotions, your existence plays in my life now. I've had this link
for almost two years, Ace, and while sometimes it can be a real pain in the ass, its blessings outweigh its
pains a thousand fold. I look at it this way; I'd be dead if you hadn't saved me five years ago. I've been living
on borrowed time ever since. If I die when you die, so be it. Seems pretty much fitting that just as you gave
me life, so my death will be tied into yours. It's my choice and I won't lose the link, unless it's for your good."
Ace stared at Cosmo, in horror, in wonder. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Will you help me try to discover how you did it, Cosmo?"
"Why?"
"Cosmo. What you did I believe to be unique in magic. It is important we document it. For future
magic user who might run across the same ability."
"Is that the only reason..."
"Cosmo.."
"Ace.."
Ace sighed. "Please, Cosmo. I just... it's your life, damn it, Cosmo!"
"Bingo, Ace. My life!" Cosmo snapped back defiantly. They glared at each other. Stubborn,
implacable. Cosmo gave a soft sigh, and brushed his hair back. His hand tightened on Ace's arm.
"Ace, I know how you feel. I'm not real keen on dying either, dude. Who is? But it is my choice. And
I've made it. You really can never understand what this link means to me. You just can't."
Ace dropped his gaze to the hand on his arm. Fingers slender, slightly callused with age and
experience. Older, wiser hands attached to an older and wiser young man. He sighed and forced himself to
nod.
"Very well. I know I can never imagine what you feel, Cosmo, but I still will argue with you to try and
change your mind."
Cosmo chuckled and grinned slightly. "Fair enough. Kind of a moot point though, dude, since we
don't even know how I did it. And I still don't think we'll figure it out," he pointed out.
True enough, much as Ace hated to admit. The link was nearly two years old and a one time event.
The possibility they could discover how Cosmo had done it were slim to none. But still... he had to make the
effort.
"Will you agree to help in trying to figure this out?"
Cosmo laughed and grinned.
"Yeah, yeah I'll help. Boy, Kate's going to have a field day with this one," he moaned good-naturedly.
Oh yeah, Ace had no doubt. Research was her life and Cosmo was about to become subject number one on
her list.
"We cool, partner?" Cosmo asked, faint worry in his eyes, even while he smiled down at him.
Ace patted his hand and smiled back.
"Yes, Cosmo, we're cool. I won't say I'm happy, but you're right, I really can't imagine how you feel."
"And I can't stop you from worrying," Cosmo added, then yawned.
"Don't worry so much, Ace. I don't plan on letting you die anytime soon anyway," he chuckled.
"Nor I you," Ace returned. "Though Dr. Beckett might kill you if she finds you out of your bed," he
pointed out.
Cosmo rolled his eyes. "Man, and I thought Vega was a mother hen," he moaned. Ace laughed and
gave him a friendly shove.
"Go on, get back to sleep, Cosmo. The sooner we're out of here the better."
Cosmo went with a last pat to his arm.
"That's the truth, Ace. Goodnight, bro."
"Goodnight, Cosmo."