Red Thread of Fate
Blue Monday
When Stormy woke up she was in a field with small violets all around her, swishing back and forth in the wind almost as if they were dancing. She was still in her pajamas and stood quickly, Where am I? And what about Silver and Gale and Jacob? Where were they?
"You look worried," A voice echoed in the field around her. "Don't be. I'm not here to hurt you." Stormy looked everywhere but still could find no one, "Turn around, silly," The voice giggled and it reminded her of the way rain sounded when hitting a metal object: sweet and harmonious.
This time when she turned there was a woman behind her, looking to be about the same age as herself. She had hair the color of storm clouds and eyes with clear irises that had a blue hint to them, just like rain drops. "I'm Tempest."
Stormy frowned, "Where am I?"
"A dream. See?" Tempest pointed to a pond, which appeared normal from far away, but once Stormy approached and got on her knees in front of it she could see her and Silver curled up on the bed through the water. "Cute, isn't it?"
"I suppose," Stormy murmured, watching Silver subconsciously rub circles on her back- right in the spot that was sore from her bending over and cleaning tables every day. "It's like he knows…" She mused.
"He does; he's just not aware that he does."
"What do you mean?"
"He's connected to you," She said softly, though it was easy to see she wasn't too sure how to explain it. She finally settled with, "In a way… he feels what you feel."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"Sometimes destiny doesn't. But just because something can't be explained doesn't mean it isn't true."
"Wait a minute are you saying Silver is my destiny? But-"
"Oh," Tempest frowned. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that." She sighed deeply and looked down at the puddle that showed Stormy and Silver still fast asleep and slowly it began to freeze over. Stormy looked back into it and saw her reflection. "It's a mirror."
"Reach out and touch it."
Without question she did as she was told and placed her right hand flat against the surface, shuddering as the freezing ice met her bare skin. Her reflection matched her every move.
"Now close your eyes."
The second her eyelids closed completely the biting cold on her hand become warm and comforting; for some reason it made her heartbeat increase and her cheeks turn a deep red color. She cautiously opened her eyes and gasped. Silver was now being reflected in ice and she wondered if Tempest had manipulated her reflection, however it did feel like her hand was really pressed against someone else's.
To test if this was merely an illusion she curled her fingers forward and- to her surprise- laced them into Silver's. He blushed madly at this but a managed a shy smile and intertwined his own with hers.
"He's real…" She breathed unbelievingly.
"It's only his subconscious. When he wakes up he probably won't remember this."
"Why are you-" Stormy stopped midsentence as she noticed a red thread tied to her little finger, where it wound all the way to Silver's pinky. "What's that?"
"The red thread of fate," Tempest began. "It links people that are destined to be soulmates. It's incredibly thin but it can't be broken, stretched out, or cut. It will never come undone."
"But I don't love Silver… I love Shadow."
There was a small gasp and Silver pulled his fingers from Stormy's while a look of pure betrayal crossed his face. She immediately tried to grab his hand again but hers hit the ice and Silver faded away. "N-no…" She kept her palm flat on the cold mirror and frowned. "Can you bring him back?"
"Why, so you can tell him how much you don't want him again?" Tempest asked with a furious glare aimed at Stormy. "I think he's heard that enough, don't you? All he does is give and give and give only to have you throw it back in his face in some way. You think you've got it rough? You should've been him for the last eight years!" Suddenly the ice was searing under her hand and she pulled it away in shock, holding it to her chest. The pond was now reflecting Shadow.
"It hurt, didn't it?" Tempest got on her knees next to Stormy. "Touching Shadow, I mean. That's what the love you two share feels like. Maybe it's just me, but… I don't think it's supposed to be that way." Stormy let the words that had been spoken sink in as she stared down at Shadow. The pain in her hand from the fire was spreading to her heart and she felt tears rolling down her cheeks. "I don't want to hurt anymore." She whispered while looking at Tempest.
"Stormy?"
Her eyes fluttered open, only to be face to face with Silver, who was looking at her with concern. "You're back." She whispered.
"I never left," He said softly, stroking away several tears. "Is everything alright? I woke up when I heard you crying. You kept saying something about not wanting to hurt anymore."
"I don't," She spoke softly under her breath and sniffed, trying desperately to blink away the tears. "I'm so tired of hurting." She pulled herself into a sitting position and Silver slowly did the same.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by that," He frowned, but Stormy seemed not to notice as she stared up through the blinds, watching the rain begin to fall. Silver began studying her face in the moonlight; the way it made her eyes sparkle; how her cheeks seemed extra rosy in the illumination. After an eternity of silence Stormy turned back to him, "I'm really glad you're here."
Once again he felt the heat moving its way into his cheeks, "Me too… I just wish I could help you more. It's obvious you're suffering and I want to be there but I just never know what to say."
"Silv you always say the right thing."
He didn't respond for a long time and Stormy began to wonder if she'd offended him in some way, but as she was about to say something he spoke, "Why've you all of a sudden started using my old nickname again?"
"I hadn't realized I'd stopped," She confessed guiltily.
"I guess I just thought I'd stopped mattering to you."
"No," She dropped her gaze, "I let Shadow come in front of everyone else; I acted like he was the only person that existed and that was wrong. I hurt a lot of people that cared about me."
"You loved him."
"But it's obvious he didn't feel the same, and when loving someone hurts this bad I'm not sure it can be considered love anymore. Silver-" He pulled her into his lap before she could finish and slowly started rubbing her back again; in just the right spot. Her eyes fluttered shut and she laid her head on his shoulder while fighting the urge to cry again.
"Stop tormenting yourself," He whispered in her ear, continuing to massage her back in a way that made innocent little moans escape her lips.
"How do you always know right where it hurts?" She asked lightly. "My back has been killing me right there for weeks." My back isn't the only thing… you know exactly where my heart hurts too.
"Lucky guess," He murmured, stroking her cheek with his free hand. In a way… he feels what you feel. Stormy remembered Tempest's words and smiled slightly and pulled herself closer to Silver, yet a few tears managed to escape her eyes, wetting his shirt with little droplets. In her dream she'd let him go and he'd disappeared instantly, but she wasn't about to make that mistake again. Stormy could feel his heart beating wildly at the simple contact of her skin on his and the warmth that seemed to radiate from his very being; it was just as comforting as his personality.
For a moment only the two of them existed, tangled forever into the embrace.
Then he pulled away with a yawn, leaving Stormy completely unsatisfied and wanting more. But what was she to do, ask him to hold her again? No, that wasn't right. She was married and being held by another man in bed was wrong, even if they hadn't been doing anything. Still, she found herself wishing she could stay eternally in his arms.
"Well it's only three," Silver muttered, rubbing his eyes. He chuckled, "I don't know about you but I think I'm going back to bed."
"Sounds like a good idea." Immediately she curled back into his chest and then gave the excuse that she was cold, to which he nodded and claimed it was rather chilly in the bedroom, though as he pulled the blankets over them it was evident to both that neither had been cold and instead just wanted to feel love; the way that didn't hurt.
When the alarm clock screeched at Stormy to wake up she found herself completely rested and ready to start the day. Usually she had to struggle to pull herself out of bed and groggily force herself to prepare for work, but today she felt energetic and genuinely happy; she also noticed that her back wasn't sore anymore and Silver's soft touch came to mind, bringing a feeble smile with it. Maybe she should've been guilty for sleeping in the arms of another man, but the feeling just wouldn't come. Instead she felt pure joy bubbling in her- something that had been gone for so long it felt foreign now.
The first thing Stormy did was brush her teeth and apply some eyeliner and mascara and placed a headband in her hair. Once that was done she changed into her waitress uniform, which was a hideous yellow button-down shirt that was tucked into a pleated black skirt at her waist, a few inches below her breasts. The skirt came halfway to knees and an off-white apron was tied around her front. She wore a pair of white tights to make the outfit look a little less trampy and a pair of black suede boots that came halfway up her shin.
She felt like a bumble bee.
And at least the outfit accented her hourglass figure. A few years earlier Stormy hadn't had a body quite like this, but having children had widened her hips some and made her breasts larger, which was a treat for most of the perverts at the restaurant.
"Good morning," She heard behind her, causing her to gasp and spin on her heel. Silver gave an apologetic look, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay Silv, I'm just not used to someone else being here in the morning," She was surprised by the loneliness in her voice.
"But you don't have to be alone," He said with all seriousness, and the conversation from the other day came back to Stormy.
"You know I can't move in with you." The defeated look that crossed his face broke Stormy's heart. You've gone and done it again. She thought guiltily, While you're at it why don't you just tell him how last night could never mean anything to you. "But maybe you'd be willing to sacrifice a couple things to stay here with me?" The words rushed from her lips and when she had a chance to reflect on them she was overwhelmed with a sense of relief. It was what she truly wanted.
Silver stared disbelievingly at her as blood rushed quickly into his cheeks. "D-do you mean that?"
"With all my heart," She replied. "And maybe, if you want, after work today we could run by your place to pick up a few things."
"I'd like that."
"Me too," She said shyly, biting her lip afterwards. Suddenly she caught sight of the clock, "Holy crap, is that the time? I'm gonna be late!" She quickly grabbed her coat, purse, and a doughnut, "Sorry I didn't have time to make breakfast but there are some leftover doughnuts right there." She planted a kiss on his cheek before rushing out the door, leaving him standing there touching the spot her lips had been as if he couldn't believe it. A small giggle pulled him into reality and he saw Gale peaking from behind the couch. Once she realized she'd been discovered she skipped into the kitchen.
"Is it true uncle Silver?" She inquired, tilting her head cutely, "Are you really gonna stay?"
He nodded and Gale squealed happily, jumping up and down while singing a little celebration song. The person in the apartment below them began banging on the ceiling and shouting at them to shut the hell up, he was trying to sleep; this sent Silver and Gale into a fit of stifled laughter.
"I like you uncle Silver," She stated matter-of-factly, "You make momma happy." After saying this she gave him a curious look, "Are you in love with her?"
He was taken aback, "Gale-"
"I won't tell nobody!" She pleaded, folding her and under her chin and poking out her lip while her hazel eyes glimmered desperately… Just like Stormy's always had.
"Yes," He confessed at last, "I have for a very long time."
"Why didn't you tell her?"
"Because she was happy without me," He recalled sadly, remembering how for the longest time Stormy seemed to have forgotten his existence entirely. For eight years he had struggled by, nearly committing suicide when it became too much for him. But something had pushed him on, though to this day he still didn't know exactly what it was, "And when you love someone you're willing to do anything to keep a smile on their face… even if that means sacrificing your own happiness."
"I wish you were my daddy." Gale murmured with a thoughtful look on her tiny face.
"Does Stormy know that?" A rush of shock consumed Silver at her statement. He knew Gale loved him but he'd never thought it was the same father-daughter love he felt for her. He wondered if Jacob felt the same way his sister did.
"No, she thinks I want my real daddy to come back, but I don't."
"You can't possibly mean that."
"I do!" She shouted, tears welling up into her eyes, "It's not like he even wants to come back anyways! I know he doesn't love me," Tears streams down her face steadily and when Silver dropped to his knees she charged into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck, sobbing, "And I don't love him."
"Don't… don't cry," Silver said softly, holding her close. He'd always wanted children but was never sure how to react to some of the things they did: this moment left him feeling unsure and emotionally exposed. Cautiously he continued comforting Gale and soon she was reduced to sniffling.
"Can I tell you another secret?" Silver asked, trying to cheer her up. "I wish I was your father too."
She smiled, "Well momma wrote my real daddy a letter the other day. I didn't understand most of it but I could read the part about her divorcing him and moving in with you if he wasn't coming back. I've been praying real hard that he'll say he ain't coming back so we can have you as a dad."
"She did?" Relief washed over him at that, because it held a message in it; one that said she may very well want to spend the rest of her life with him.
"What's all the noise?" Jacob asked sleepily, trudging into the room with a stuffed dinosaur clutched in his arms. "Did momma leave already?" There was sadness in his tone.
"Jay!" Gale hugged him, "Oh Jay the most bestest thing in the world has happened! Uncle Silver is moving in with us!"
"Really?" His voice was a mixture of surprise, joy, and loathing; three completely incompatible emotions all stuffed into one little word formed as a question. That was all he said before his stomach growled and he blushed, "I'm hungry."
"Well how bout we go eat at your mother's café? That way you can see her." Jacob and Gale cheered and ran into their room to go change clothes and Silver walked slowly into Stormy's. His clothes were dirty and the only things left to wear belonged to Shadow, but he wondered if that would make her angry with him. He didn't want that; things had been progressing so well between the two of them and he couldn't bear to screw it up now, he finally had a chance to love her. The thought made his heart hurt- eight years of suffering could be for nothing if he faltered even the slightest bit.
Stop being a baby. He scolded himself, You're overreacting. After saying this a few times over he managed to convince himself and found a dark blue pair of jeans that were slightly baggy with a few tears here and there, but nothing drastic. For shoes he just wore his black converse that he arrived in, but finding a shirt was the real problem. Most of them were either too punk for him or were too loose- Silver wasn't as muscular as Shadow, and he was beginning to see more and more why someone like Stormy would pick the ultimate lifeform over him.
He'd nearly given up hope when something caught his eye: a shirt shoved in the very back of the closet, crushed under a box of shoes… or maybe it was hidden. When he pulled it out he discovered it to be a burgundy shirt with light horizontal stripes and long sleeves that covered part of his hand. It was slightly smaller than all the others and looked brand new, almost like Shadow had put it there without wearing it. Silver was satisfied with the way it looked on him and walked out into the front room to wait for the twins.
The drive to the restaurant was relatively short and once there the kids jumped out of Silver's truck, ran inside, and found a nice booth by the window. Silver removed the keys from the vehicle and stuffed them into his pocket and walked inside, seeing Gale and Jacob hugging Stormy as she'd found the time to come over to their table.
"They wanted to see you," He said once she'd noticed him.
"And what about you?" She teased with a flirtatious hint in her tone, poking him in the chest. That's when she noticed the shirt he was wearing and a frown found a way to her lips. "Funny," She said, half to herself and half to Silver, "Shad told me he lost this shirt…" She knew immediately that she'd been lied to. Her hand was still on his chest, feeling the soft fabric underneath her fingertips. She sank into a deep silence, remembering how much she'd loved the shirt. She was so deep in thought that she hardly noticed the thudding heart under her touch.
Silver was waiting for the anger; the questioning as to why he was wearing her husband's clothes. Instead a smile lit her face, "You know what? It looks better on you anyway; brings out your eyes." But Stormy wasn't focused on his eyes, she was looking at how the shirt had molded to shape every muscle on his torso perfectly, and even though they weren't as impressive as Shadow's she found herself liking them more. Sure Silver was still cute like he had been when he was young, but the newly-found muscles revealed the sexiness behind the childish features.
He had blushed at her comment and sat down quickly, after being observed, in the bench across from Jacob and Gale. Something in his mind was telling him that Stormy had just undressed him with her eyes; part of him hoped it was true.
"You guys hungry?" She asked, pulling out her little notebook and pen to write what they wanted. Silver swore he heard something in her question aimed directly at him, but maybe he was just imagining things. Once they told her she took the order to the back and then walked back out to wait on another table. The group right next to the one she was at contained two teenaged boys, whispering back and forth while shooting glances at Stormy.
Silver looked up to see one of the boys reaching out to grab her butt while the other was staring anxiously while licking his lips. White-hot rage struck him and blurred his vision while the psychic turquoise aura erupted around one of his hands and when the rage subsided the youth who'd been reaching out for Stormy was on the floor, his chair yanked from underneath him. It was obvious he had no idea who'd done it, he was looking around frantically while his friend laughed obnoxiously and pointed.
Stormy was biting down on her lip and trying, but failing miserably, not to burst into a fit of giggles. She excused herself from the table she was currently waiting on to relieve her laughter in the back room. She returned with the food for the other table and then for Silver, Jay, and Gale.
"Thank you for that," She said sitting by Silver and, almost instinctively, grabbing a french-fry from his plate, "I'd have turned around and decked that kid in the face, then I would've been fired." After eating the first fry she grabbed another and then put it down, "Dude I'm so sorry, I'm totally eating all your food."
"You didn't have breakfast; besides I can't eat this all by myself," He handed her the fry back with a cute wink.
"But it's not my-"
"Break?" A woman interrupted, grinning. She was tan with soft gold eyes and really dark red hair. "Stormy all you ever do is work you're rear end off. Take an early break to be with your boyfriend." Stormy and Silver both blushed madly while Gale giggled knowingly, and even Jacob managed a grin; he'd talked with his sister the night before and realized that their father had made Stormy cry a lot and Silver did seem to care about her. Still, the fact remained that he would always love Shadow. The girl who'd made the comment chuckled and walked off.
"That's Ash, she's been like a mother to me ever since mine died; she and her husband, Nat- his real name is Nathaniel- just had a baby, a little boy. Looks exactly like his daddy," She said while grabbing another fry from Silver's plate. "You know… I think you should keep that shirt. Think of it as a gift for sacrificing so much to come stay in my shack-of-an-apartment."
"I'm not sacrificing anything," He said reassuringly while placing a hand innocently on her knee, which she looked down at. Unintentionally Silver's hand went up to her thigh causing a small breath to escape her lips, half surprise and half desire. He wanted to move, but at the same time he didn't; this was a completely foreign emotion to him… he'd never wanted Stormy in this way before and he was irritated that her stockings kept him from actually coming in contact with her skin.
Carefully Stormy moved her hand on top of his, lacing their fingers together. She knew his touch was warm but now it seemed to be searing against her, making her face turn all shades of red. Before it could go any further- and that was probably a good thing, after all the two of them were in a public place- the crack of thunder ripped them back into reality. Gale shuddered at the sound and Jacob clapped, delighted, but neither child seemed to notice the sensuality that had occurred in front of them.
Stormy cleared her throat and started eating, but every time she reached over to grab some food hers and Silver's eyes would meet, causing them both to grin and blush light pink.
"I'm excited," Stormy claimed in a sing-song voice, nearly bouncing up and down while watching the rhythmic motion of the windshield wipers on Silver's truck. Once she'd finished with work she'd come home, changed into a pair of light jeans, a black camisole, and black converse, and then got Amy to come babysit the kids while she and Silver ran by his place to grab a couple things. Now they were on their way home.
"I can tell," He chuckled but inwardly cringed as a boom of thunder shook the vehicle and lighting flashed in medleys of whites and purples across the sky.
"We could probably just give all Shad's old clothes to charity," She spoke but it really seemed more to herself than him. Then she turned to Silver, "I've come to accept the fact he's gone, and you know what the strangest part about it is?"
"What?"
"I'm not sad," She said simply, sighing. "All I regret is that I've lied to the children and told them he was coming back. But every time I think about him I can't find the least bit of sadness. I've finally moved on." The last part was meant specially for him; he could feel it.
"And your wedding ring?"
"Funny story actually… I sold it to get some money to help with the children. I called up some guy to ask about filing for a divorce and d'you know what he told me? 'Sorry, ma'am, but I have absolutely no record of you being married to a man by that name'. I couldn't believe it, but I guess since Shadow joined GUN he could've terminated out marriage easily." She had mimicked the man with a deep, comical voice that made Silver laugh.
A burst of joy shot through him. "He must have, though I don't know why he didn't tell you. But you know what you should do first? Buy a base for your mattress."
"Not a bad idea," Stormy mused as they pulled into one of the assigned parking places. When they reached the apartment Amy said that the children were fast asleep and in bed. Stormy thanked her and when she left, her and Silver carried up his stuff. After locking the door tight and taking showers the two met in Stormy's room.
"I'm not tired," Stormy said, hopping onto her bed. "You?"
"No," He said, crawling next to her. Their eyes met and the same flame of desire from earlier erupted in both of them again. "Can I tell you something?" He asked lightly, studying her face.
"Mmhmm."
He took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, "I…" He felt his face heating up as Stormy looked intently at him. "I love you," He confessed after an eternity, gently grabbing her hands and sandwiching them between his own. "I have for a very long time. I've been trying so hard to show you that but I just couldn't get it right. At least… not in your eyes. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong, but I've been trying to figure it out for eight years, and I think I may have finally got it… We've been so close lately but I have to know if you feel the same way about me, or if I'm just seeing something that isn't there."
"Eight years?" Stormy asked, her voice cracking as tears welled up into her eyes. "W-why didn't you tell me before…" Her voice trailed off as she tried not to cry.
"I was too afraid of being rejected. I thought I had time but when I finally went to tell you, Shadow had already taken the opportunity."
A sob escaped Stormy's throat and she lunged at him, her arms locking around his neck and she buried her face into his chest. "I've treated you like crap, but y-you never said anything. You just took it like it was nothing."
"If it meant being with you in the end, then it was nothing."
Without another word Stormy cupped his face in her hands and kissed him deeply, tasting the salt of the trapped tears between their lips. Silver gave into the moment immediately and grabbed her hips while pulling her more comfortably into his lap. Her legs wrapped around his waist. "I think I've fallen in love with you, too." She whispered as they broke for air, and he answered her with another kiss, this one much more passionate. They began pulling apart and coming back in for short, quick kisses and Silver felt a bit feverish.
"I was trying to hide my feelings," Stormy said between the kisses, trying desperately not to ruin the moment between them by crying harder, "But it was so hard to keep them bottled up; to keep hurting you like that."
"Make it up to me now," He whispered, guiding her so she was lying on her back.
Jacob had heard a rumor from his friend that when two people were in love, they did something. He wasn't sure exactly what it was; all his friend mentioned was that strange noises could always be heard and sometimes whatever the people did made a baby. As the small boy had walked to the door of his mother's room with his stuffed animal deep in his arms, he'd heard those so called strange noises coming from behind the door.
Immediately it made him wonder if his mother and uncle Silver were doing that thing, whatever it may have been, but he didn't dare look. It did, however, strike up his curiosity as to whether or not his uncle truly loved his mother in the way Gale claimed he did. He had been very kind to her lately and even took her and him and his sister out to a nice restaurant just because.
Maybe I was being too mean… Jacob's brow furrowed at the thought. He had said horrible things about his uncle to Gale, but he'd thought worse things. Truth was, he had no proof that Silver wanted to hurt his mom. His uncle had only done things to make her smile, after all.
After long contemplation a small smile brightened Jacob's face. Silver did love Stormy, didn't he? Well they were doing that thing, which the poor boy so desperately wanted to know about, but he had to admit he'd rather not find out now in fear of angering his mother. Whatever this thing consisted of was obviously very private for his mother to have her door shut so tightly and all the lights turned off. She didn't even have her music playing, and that never happened.
With a pleased sigh Jacob turned back around and trotted into his bedroom. His mother was being loved, and so was he and his twin- obviously in a different way than the way Silver was loving there mother at the moment, though. For once the little boy felt truly wanted. Perhaps it was because for the first time in his life he was part of a family. A real one. The nightmare from before slipped from his mind completely and he crawled back into bed. He wasn't scared anymore.
Gale was still sleeping soundly, sucking her thumb despite the fact mommy had begged her not to. It was a way that Gale showed she was content and even that she felt safe. The smile returned to Jacob's face and he snuggled up under his blankets, staring at the lighting that flashed across the sky. Maybe tomorrow he'd ask his uncle to forgive the hostility and perhaps he'd even let him call Silver daddy. Daddy… He'd never had a father that loved him before.
Jacob was actually… happy.