A/N: Before I begin, I just want to say thank you to all of you who have wished me a happy birthday, who have read and reviewed my stories, and for supporting me the way you guys have been. You're awesome. Okay, so here's another chapter of EV as I like to call it. R&R. Enjoy!
Chapter Six: Run
Randy stared down at John's sleeping form, running his hand along his bare back before he stood up and put a pair of pants on. He wasn't going to be going outside of the castle and all he needed was to tell Ted to release Wade so it made little sense for him to wear a proper outfit. Unlocking the bedroom doors, he glanced over his shoulder at John, still sleeping soundly and curled up under the covers. Seeing him like that made a ghost of a smile cross his face for a brief moment before he walked out of the room and closed the doors silently.
It was nighttime, late at night, but the darkness didn't bother him. In fact, he welcomed it; his senses were sharper at night and that was a good thing. Leaving his chambers, Randy made his way down the hallway and proceeded down the stairwell. Walking past the front doors of the castle, he opened a nearby door and stepped through it, shutting it tightly behind him. Before him lay a stairwell that continued down into the cells and chambers that were made to house criminals and offenders. Cracking his neck, he made his way down, slowly, deliberately, making sure that Wade heard him long before he saw him.
Wade…
He didn't understand why John was so taken with the man. After all, Wade wasn't his destined or anything of the sort so there was no reason for John to feel such an attachment for him. And yet he did. Even as Randy watched them being ushered up to them by Mike and his gang, he felt it and it annoyed him. No one, aside from himself, was allowed such close relations with John. But that didn't stop Wade. In all honesty, he had no intention of letting the man go; he was actually lying through his teeth when he promised John that he'd release Wade. However, he knew that John could read the emotions of those around him so that idea wasn't going to fly. Besides, he didn't want to lie to John, to keep secrets. His destined was very open and honest and overwhelmed at this point. So much had happened to him; the last thing he needed was for his lover to deceive him. Which is why he was doing this, even though he didn't want to.
Randy paused on the final step, looking around the long, open hallway that held numerous cells. At the very back was Wade's cell and he smirked when he saw Ted standing guard. Ted was his right hand man and the only person, aside from John, that he truly trusted. He was proud of the fact that the younger took great pride in what he did and did it very well. Someday, when Randy was either exiled or killed, whichever came first, Ted would become the leader of this clan, this tribe; it was only a matter of time. Upon hearing Randy's footsteps, Ted straightened up and looked at this leader and smile crossing his face.
"What're you doing down here, boss?"
"I'm here to keep my promise." Ted gave him a weird look which he ignored. Randy moved so that he stood directly in front of Wade who was sitting on the bench that was chained to the wall. When Randy's shadow fell upon him, Wade glanced up, his face expressionless, but his green eyes flaring. He knew exactly what Randy had been doing with John and that thought made the tanned man smirk.
"You know, I've half a mind to kill you right now."
"So what's stopping you?"
"John." Wade's eyes widened and he looked away. Randy's smirk grew wider; he knew that Wade was becoming attracted to John and the fact that he had no chance in hell of having him made him one smug bastard.
"He agreed to mate with me, but only if I let you go. At the time, I was lying to him, but I've changed my mind. I'm letting you go."
"Randy, wait a second." Ted spoke up, his eyes wide in disbelief and…fear?
"What is it Theodore?" Wincing at the use of his name, Ted continued.
"You can't just let him go. You gave Punk your word that you'd hold him here until-"
"I told Punk that I'd find him. Nothing more; nothing less. Don't go putting words in my mouth, Teddy. Remember what happened the last time?" Casting his eyes down, the younger nodded and Randy turned his attention back to Wade.
"Be grateful that my feelings for John have overcome my hatred of you for now. Ted, release him into the woods. Oh and Wade? If I ever catch you around my territory again, I won't hesitate to kill you."
Randy watched as ted unlocked the cell door before he turned around and made his way back upstairs. Following his footsteps, he returned to his room and closed the doors, locking it. If anyone needed him, they'd send word. Making his way back to his bedroom, Randy smiled at the sight of a barely awake John yawning loudly and gazing up at him with bleary, sleepy eyes.
"You left." Such a simple statement, but it made Randy smile a bit. Ever so slowly, John was becoming attached to him and that made him happier than he's been for decades. Taking off his pants, Randy crawled into bed and captured John's lips in a passionate kiss. Linking his arms around the taller man's neck, John pulled him down on top of him, moaning softly at the contact. Too soon the need for air overcame both of them and, reluctantly, they parted.
"I let Wade go. He's being released right now." John's eyes lit up a bit and he smiled up at his mate.
"Did you really? Oh thank God." Randy started sucking and biting on John's neck, marking his territory for the world to see.
"I told him that if I caught him around here again though, that I'd kill him."
"What if he just wants to see me?"
"Doesn't matter, baby. As the leader of this clan, I've got to abide by my own laws."
John didn't like that, but his mind wasn't too focused on much of anything aside from Randy.
Wade didn't like being dragged by Ted and Mark; he knew perfectly well where he was and he was more than capable of walking. Regardless of his protests though, they marched him away from Castle Lake and into the woods opposite of the Taback Forest. They were still on Randy's territory, but this portion of it wasn't guarded and for that he was thankful. When they had walked a decent ways from the castle, they threw him down onto the ground and Mark stalked away, leaving Ted to stare down at him.
"You heard what Randy said: he'll kill you if he catches you around here again. So be wise and get gone. Besides, Punk's probably on his way as we speak; the sooner you get lost, the better." And with that, Ted left, following after Mark. Wade stared after them for a few moments before he got up and brushed himself off.
His green eyes scanned the area; nothing looked out of place, no enemies were about, and all appeared calm. Breathing a sigh of relief he stared walking towards his destination. Wade knew, as soon as Randy appeared before him, that he'd be released. The price of that, however, was something that he wished John wouldn't have willingly paid. Yes, it was true that Randy and John were created almost back to back which is why they have the same numbers tattooed on their bodies. However…
Wade stopped his train of thought. Tilting his head to the side slightly, he listened to the sounds around him. Something was making movement, walking towards him, causing the local wildlife to cease making noise. Once it got closer, he smiled and shook his head, standing up straighter as he waited. Not even three minutes later, a cougar came into sight, the same one that John had seen, a fact that he knew was certain because he had been trailing Steve and John at the time.
"I was wondering when I'd see you again...Justin." Soft brown eyes connected with Wade's green ones and in a matter of seconds a shorter man was standing where the cougar had been. Stretching his body, Justin yawned tiredly before he shook his head, clearing himself of sleep.
"It took me a while to find Heath. He's on his way; got caught up in something on the way."
"Stalkers again?"
"Yeah. They wouldn't have bothered us had Heath not used his fire power to roast those fish we caught. It all went downhill from there." Wade nodded as Justin approached him, smoothing out his pants and shirt, trying to look presentable.
"So, where's John?"
"With Randy." Gritting his teeth, Wade frowned as he glared at the ground. Justin nodded in understanding and patted the taller man on the shoulder briefly.
"You know, it's not like you're not-"
"Don't. Just….please. Don't mention it." Nodding again, Justin looked up, gazing through the darkness and smiled as he saw Heath running towards them, a smirk on his face.
"Hey! Sorry 'bout that, Justin. I didn't know that they were around and watchin' us."
"Just be more careful next time. I'd rather not get side tracked again, all things considered." Wade looked up at the pair and remember something.
"Did you guys manage to track down Chris and Steve?" They both nodded in response.
"Chris is fine. He's at Maynard right now, looking for…something. He didn't really say what." Wade nodded, smiling slightly. He was genuinely glad that his mentor made it away from the Stalkers okay.
"What about Steve?" At this, Heath frowned and Justin chewed on his lip before he looked up at Wade. Although he saw the answers in those brown eyes plain as day, he needed to hear it out loud and Justin understood that.
"He didn't make it. We caught up to them when the battle was nearly over. Chris was protecting Steve who was covered in wounds and…" Justin's voice trailed off and he looked down, frowning deeply. Heath placed a comforting hand on Justin's back, rubbing it gently. Sighing, Wade looked up at the sky, seeing the few stars that managed to avoid being blocked out by trees. Steve was dead, gone forever, their last living link to a past that they know little about. The only one of their kind that had any real interaction with people like Steve was John and he had amnesia.
John…
He'll need to know about this as soon as possible. Steve was the only person he knew, a friend and father, and it was only right that he should be informed of Steve's passing. However, he was with Randy and Randy gave his word that he'd kill Wade if he entered the castle town again. More than that though, would John even want to leave Randy's side? Now that they were bounded, how would John react if he saw Wade again? Wade wasn't a fool; ever since he had first been awakened by the scientists and let out to interact with others of their kind, like John, he had felt a deep connection with the shorter man. Even after centuries of sleep and separation, he still felt that connection, he still felt him as though he were standing right beside him. But John remembers nothing from the past and from the way he reacted when Wade told him what he was…
Wade knew the reason why Steve was taking John to Maynard. Located deep within the city, protected from prying eyes, was the place where Steve kept all of Crawford's files and documents. These documents would tell John everything he needed to know and might even trigger the memories slumbering deep within him. Chris knew that as well, that that was why Steve was taking John there. Even though he should meet back up with his mentor, Wade knew that his couldn't wait; he needed to take John away from Randy and get him to Maynard.
"Justin, Heath." The pair looked up at him, knowing and understanding evident in their eyes. Knowing that his two closest friends were there for him gave Wade the strength to propose his insane idea.
"We need to break John out of Castle Lake."
John was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressing himself in the pair of jeans and t-shirt that Evan had brought him. The raven haired boy was tidying up the chambers and had even brought him something to eat. Randy was on the first floor; he had mentioned something about needing to consult his Seer, Cody. He had left over an hour ago. Stretching, John yawned and shook his head, feeling utterly amazed and puzzled by his behavior. While Randy was incredibly attractive, John still didn't feel as though he was in love with him. And nothing that Randy said to him made much sense; how was John supposed to believe that they had been together before he woke up. How could he know for sure? Just because they had numbers inked into their skin didn't mean that they were destined for each other, like Randy kept saying.
A loud, rumble caught his attention and John stood up and wandered over to the window just in time to see one of the castle town's houses being lit ablaze and exploding. Seeing such a thing occur startled him and John left the bedroom, seeking out Evan. The younger man was gazing awestruck out of the window, watching as the various homes and shops were set on fire. John sat down and put on his boots before he grabbed his jacket. Joining Evan by the window, he squinted, trying to see a little bit better. Numerous guards – if that's what they actually were – were surrounding one individual, a pale, ginger haired man who had flames shooting out of his hands.
"Evan…who the hell is that?"
"I dunno, but he's-" Loud screams and shouts were heard downstairs and both John and Evan turned towards the chamber doors as they were pounded on. Whatever was trying to get in was doing a decent job because the doors were slowly bending and crippling. In no time, they were knocked down and stalking into the sitting room was a cougar, the same one that John had seen before. Beside him, Evan gasped and quickly hid behind John, but John merely stared at the cat as it made its way over to him. Releasing a soft laugh, John stared down at the big cat as it nudge his hand with its nose, as if it were trying to tell him something.
"What are you doing here?"
"John are you nuts? Why in the hell are you talking to that…that thing?"
"It's not a thing, Evan. It's a cougar. And he won't hurt us, will you buddy?" Soft brown eyes connected with John's blue ones and the answer was clear as day to him. Turning around, the cougar began walking back from whence it came. When no one started following him, it turned its head around and growled. John, still holding onto his jacket, followed it with Evan hot on his trail, afraid and worried.
Following the cougar, John and Evan quickly made their way down the hall and down the stairs. Once they reached the first floor, John looked around and saw that the place was in disarray. No one was around, but shouts and screams could still be heard from within the castle. One thought popped into John's mind as he looked around: Where was Randy? Feeling his hand being nudged again, John looked down and saw the cougar walking through a doorway and proceeding down a flight of stairs.
"John, you're not seriously thinking about following that cat are you? I mean, what if it just wants to eat you or something?"
"He's had plenty of chances to do that Evan, but he hasn't. Just trust me with this alright?" Whimpering and shaking slightly, Evan nodded and followed the taller man, unsure of what to do, yet not wanting to be alone.
The three of them made their way down the flight of stairs and entered the area that houses cells and chambers. At the end of the area, where a cell must have once been, was a gaping hole that lead out of the castle and into an open plain area. Further ahead of it were trees and shrubs. With a roar of excitement, the cougar ran out of the chamber and into the plain, stopping and looking back at the pair. Before he left, John put his jacket on and turned to Evan.
"Evan, you don't need to come with me. You should be safe here. I don't want you to get hurt."
"I'm not leaving you, John. Randy would kill me if I did. You're my charge and I need to take care of you."
"You're in no position to be taking care of anyone, Shorty." Evan frowned at the name.
"I'm not that short!" John couldn't help but laugh and he ruffled Evan's hair.
"I don't know what's going on Evan, but I'm leaving. There's something I need to do before I can stay here with Randy. Somewhere I need to go and if I leave now, I might find all of the answers to my questions."
"Is this about Steve and Wade?" Evan's question stunned him and John stared down at the younger man questioningly. With a small smile, Evan pointed to his temple.
"Telepathy, remember?"
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that."
"Most people do. And John, I said I'm coming so that means that I'm coming. End of story." Nodding, John grabbed Evan's hand and together, they bolted out of the hole and into the open where the cougar was.
The big cat was pacing and growling as it gazed at the sight before it. John walked over towards the end of the castle and stared as the guards tried to capture the ginger haired man who was perched on top of a roof not that far from the castle. Almost as though he could sense them, the strange man's head snapped up and he grinned at the three of them. Giving them a thumbs up, he stood up and yelled down at the guards before jets of water shot out of his hands, knocking them to the ground and soaking them.
"I knew you'd be here. That's why I brought Teddy with me, away from the fighting. Randy's too preoccupied with the intruder to notice that you're no longer locked away, John." Whipping his head, John saw a young man with dark brown hair standing beside Ted, who was frowning. A strong surge of dislike and loathing came over him and quickly left and John knew that it was the younger man's doing. Slowly, a smirk appeared across the stranger's face and he walked towards the three of them cautiously.
"Randy's obsession with you isn't healthy. Especially since you don't even know what you are yet, John."
"Cody, shut up. You know what Randy said-"
"I don't give a damn what Randy said! It's not fair! Why should someone who doesn't even remember anything receive Randy's affections! Why not me?"
Cody's glare turned from Ted to John, but before he could say or do anything else, Wade leapt from out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground, knocking him out. At the same time, the cougar jumped on Ted and bit into his arm hard enough to break the bone, causing him to cry out in pain. When the cougar let go, it ran off into the woods. Before he even realized what was going on, John was grabbed by Wade and they ran off after the animal, Evan trailing not far behind.
Upon seeing his friend once again, John smiled, happy and surprised to see him so soon. They continued following after the cougar until the trees around them began to thin and, before too long, they ran out into a wide, grassy area. The cougar stopped running and turned to face them, staring up at them patiently. Wade slowed down and let go of John, who frowned a bit at the loss of contact. Evan stumbled into the area, gasping for breath and looking tired as hell.
"You must not get out much, kid." Wade's comment made Evan looked up at him with a glare.
"My abilities are more mental than physical. I'm of no use in physical combat."
"Wade, what are you doing? I thought that…"
"Steve gave you to me. It's my duty to get you to Maynard. Where we are now it known as Phoenix Point. Randy wouldn't dare enter this territory."
"He's right John. It's claimed by Kane and he had bad blood with Randy. Most of kind do though, so it's not surprising." John jumped at the new voice and turned to where the cougar once sat. Now though, there was a young man with soft brown eyes and dark hair who was staring at him, smiling.
"I'm Justin by the way. I've been trailing after you and Steve since you started your journey. It's how Chris and Wade found you guys."
"So you're one of us?"
"Yes, I am. As you can probably tell, my main ability is morphing."
John nodded and leaned against a tree. All of a sudden, he was feeling worn out, exhausted, dizzy, and rage. Intense, frightening rage and, before he realized it, he was out cold.
