Another day passed, with the moments eroding away from under their feet like grains of sand on an island inundated by wave after wave of time. They did their best to hang on to whatever they had left together, but every time they looked away from each other, it seemed another hour was gone. Their most precious time was at night, talking while wrapped in each other's arms in bed together, but they inevitably fell asleep and lost precious hours they could never get back.
In the morning Kurt and Blaine went down to the kitchen to find the dirty plate that Burt had left behind still on the table, which meant Anita hadn't arrived yet. The weather was dark and dreary with heavy rain falling again, so perhaps she was waiting for a break in the weather. Kurt didn't mind, savouring more time with just the two of them. He made them some German Toast for breakfast with the end of a loaf, which Blaine told him was called French toast where he came from.
Geography aside, everything seemed to taste better here to Blaine. He assumed it was because everything was organic and fresh with some of Anita's delectable raspberry preserves from the previous year, or maybe it was because Kurt was sitting across from him, his eyes occasionally glancing up at him. Both of them enjoyed pretending mornings like this were a preview of a future they might spend together.
After the dishes were done, they decided to go back to bed to talk…and things. They had only kissed a few times. Well, by now it was more than a few, but it was still just kisses, so far. Kurt was becoming less inhibited about holding Blaine and kissing him, but so far he was still too apprehensive to follow his instincts and touch him the way he knew Blaine wanted to be touched. He had spent too long thinking that he wouldn't ever have intimacy with anyone, much less another man.
Neither was sleepy but Kurt's bed felt like the only place they could safely relax and just be together without worrying about who might catch them, though Blaine was careful to observe Kurt's self-imposed boundaries. He knew that more skin, or more touching was beginning of a slippery slope to where he might go too far and ruin the progress he had made in convincing Kurt his urges weren't wrong and depraved.
It was hard to tell how much later it was when they heard the kitchen door announce someone, probably Anita, had arrived. They went downstairs reluctantly, before she decided they were misbehaving upstairs at this hour. But instead of Anita, they found Mercy in the kitchen, wound tight and vibrating with excitement, as she untied her damp shawl from her shoulders and shook it off, before hanging it near the stove to dry.
"Oh, there you are! I was afraid you'd gone out or something. Mama sent me to tell you visitors came yesterday. The man's name is Alfonse de Mirable. He's a …well, he's an Cajun spiritualist, or priest or something like that. He and Mama have been talking since he got here yesterday. He says a spirit spoke to him in a trance and he thinks he might be able to help Blaine, um, go back." She glanced at Blaine an Kurt, surprised by their lack of enthusiasm at her news.
"He's waiting there with his assistant, or whatever he is to meet Blaine, and you too, Kurt, as soon as we can get back there. Can you come back to my house now?" She stopped talking, still breathless from hurrying there, as she retied the kerchief over her hair, disarrayed from the wind and rain.
"Of course we can, Mercy. We can leave any time. I was starting to wonder what happened to both you and your Mama. I guess I should have known it would be something like this. Oh my, Mercy! Does he really think he can get Blaine home?" Kurt felt a frisson of dread at the thought that Blaine might soon be gone…leaving him here without him. He was torn between wanting to stay with Blaine and leaving his family behind, and found himself reaching for Blaine's hand.
Blaine put his hand over Kurt's, understanding how he felt, and also feeling a strong reluctance to go with Mercy. There was no guarantee this was going to work, but there was always a slim possibility it might, if he went with Mercy. He glanced at Kurt, who had become adept at reading him.
"Blaine, you know we have to try. We've talked about this inside out and upside down, and we have no choice. You have to everything you can to go back. We'll be right with you, Mercy." Kurt turned away to hide his face from Blaine as he found his shoes and donned his jacket. The sky had was still dark and overcast, threatening yet another storm, but his heart felt even darker at the thought that Blaine might soon leave him. If he could read Blaine, it stood to reason that Blaine would be just as able to tell how saddened he was at the thought of Blaine's leaving.
Blaine was quiet, but put on a borrowed jacket and his shoes, considering whether he might stay here with Kurt instead and face his doubtful future with him, instead of grasping at a thin chance to go home at the hands of some sort of half-assed magician. As they hurried down the street with Mercy, a soft drizzle started dampening their faces. Wonderful, Blaine thought fatalistically, as his hair once more turned into Gordian knots.
It seemed to take forever to reach the Jones' house. When they rounded the last stand of shrubs near the road, they found the porch huddled with people trying to stay dry. Kurt had met most of them before, so he knew they hadn't come with the recently arrived Master. He must be sort of a celebrity, Blaine murmured to Kurt, and these were his fans, hoping for a glimpse of the man reputed to be a powerful seer. Mercy waded through the crowd imperiously like a ship through the sea, leading them inside. The boys followed her, feeling all their eyes on them, everyone wondering what they were doing there, the only two white faces in a sea of brown, black, and café au lait.
Inside, they found Anita sitting on the bench, with a mixed-blood man in his late thirties ensconced in her rocker before the fire. He had a cup of tea in his hand and he was gnawing on a chicken leg, increasing his resemblance to the raptor he reminded Kurt of. Near him stood a boy, about their age, with guarded dark eyes and smooth dark hair swept to one side. He scrutinized them curiously, with an interested half-smile.
The older man nodded his head to them politely, though he didn't go so far as to stand. M. de Mirable put down his chicken leg and wiped his fingers carefully on a napkin "Bon jour, mon amie. I am enchante to make your acquaintance. Je suis Alfonse de Mirable and this is my assistant, Étienne Marichel. Come closer, please. I am most anxious to talk with you. Which of you is Blaine, the young man who requires assistance? Madame Jones has told me some of the particulars of your story but I wish to know more, if I have any hope of reversing this miraculous event."
Blaine felt something cold skitter down his back when he looked into Alfonse's eyes. They revealed nothing personal, their obsidian glitter obscuring his thoughts. Kurt thought he looked like a hawk, with his thin face, dark eyes, black goatee and an acquisitive hungry look about him. Their hands found each other and locked fingers in an unspoken agreement to stay close to each other.
"I'm Blaine" he volunteered quietly, nodding his head politely to the man. Anita nodded imperceptibly at him, advising caution with every atom of her body. It wasn't necessary. Blaine instinctively mistrusted de Mirable and his assistant, who remained observing nearby.
"Ah, you are a stranger here. Is that correct? Tell me how it happened that you arrived here from your home." Alphonse peered directly into Blaine's eyes, hoping to read his thoughts and emotions. Blaine flinched perceptibly but regained his courage with a squeeze from Kurt's hand.
"Yes… sir. I was out walking to a friend's house when a thunder storm came up and I guess I must have been struck by lightning. I don't remember it, but when I woke up it sure felt like something big hit me. All my muscles were loose and wobbly and my head hurt like crazy. Kurt says he got hit by lightning in a thunderstorm too. The difference is, I started out a hundred and thirty five years from now and ended up here."
"You may address me as Maître, or M. de Mirable. I do not care to be addressed as 'sir', like those who seek to possess the bodies and souls of others." The visitor stood and walked closer to Blaine and Kurt, his eyes searching out every detail as he surveyed them. He inspected Blaine's shoes, noting immediately that they were anomalous. He put his finger under Blaine's chin and tipped it up to peer into his eyes from six inches away, looming over him menacingly. Blaine felt the rest of the world fading away, and fell into the black depths of the man's eyes, as a rushing sound filled his ears.
Kurt watched him staring fixed into Blaine's eyes for a moment or two, and then break the connection to transfer his attention to him. His eyes went to their hands, still linked together. He raised a finger to caress Kurt's hair lightly, with a barely there touch of appreciation, but it was enough to give Kurt a chill down his spine too. The Maître noticed his reaction and smiled at him. "Ah, you are so tender, so innocent. I feel a strong link between your hearts, but not yet of the flesh. Is this true?"
Kurt blushed to the roots of his hair, before chancing a quick look at Anita, silently demanding why she would have ever told him that. She shook her head vehemently, denying she had told him anything of their relationship. Blaine glanced to Anita, and answered the assertion tersely. "No. We care about each other, but that's all…" Why would he ask that? Would he decide not to help them because they were gay? There were even more intrusive questions to come.
"And you are both virgins; this is true also?" This time he looked to Kurt for an answer.
"Yes… Maître." Kurt whispered reluctantly, deciding that if their feelings were so obvious to everyone it was even more imperative that Blaine had to get home, no matter what.
"Écoutez, s'il vous plaît. This is what I believe. You are linked together, mon amie, by more than your hands." He smiled ironically at their joined hands. "I'm not sure yet how you managed it from so many years away but somehow Kurt, Blaine was pulled here to you. I need to know what you both were saying, thinking, hoping, and dreaming, at the moment the connection occurred. If we wish to reverse the link and send you back, I must learn everything about it."
The Maître let his finger drift down Blaine's chest to finger his sweater. Kurt could feel Blaine tensing, until he withdrew the hand and circled them one last time, quite aware of Blaine's repugnance. He stopped to look into Kurt's eyes again, placed both hands on his hips, and emitted a sharp snort.
"You do not wish to release him, do you Kurt? I do not believe that Blaine can return alone to his time, when the link is much stronger now than when he was summoned. We are wasting our time to even try to break it. I have come a long way to meet someone who has travelled from the future, so at least my trip is not entirely wasted. I have some questions for you, Blaine, mon cher, and then Etienne and I shall leave."
"No!" Kurt objected, the rebuff torn out of him. "No. I'm sorry Maître, but we have to try. It's not safe for Blaine to stay here. He has to go back. I will release him…I'll do whatever I have to, to help him." Kurt had reached his hand to catch at the sleeve of the man, but stopped short of touching him. He turned back, when Kurt had spoken, and now considered him, thoughtfully.
"Ah, but that is exactly my point, my young magician. You love him, and he loves you now. You cannot just stop your feelings, now that they have grown so strong. The only chance he has now to return to his time is for you to take him there with you. The link may be strong enough for you to return with him, though I believe it could be made still stronger. I am not very sure about his chances if you should try to send him alone, I'm afraid. He may end up adrift in time, with no anchor to pull him in again."
"Me? For me to take him there? Why do you think I was the one whosummoned him?" Kurt was baffled by the Maître's accusation that he was responsible.
"It's simple, ma cheri. He came to you, not the other way around." The Maître sat down again, and shared a self-satisfied smile with Anita, who looked dismayed at his revelations. He resumed gnawing his chicken leg, looking more like a carrion bird than ever.
The man's young assistant, Étienne, now stood with his hands folded together in supplication and nodded his head politely to Blaine and Kurt before he spoke. "My master will take food and drink and then rest for an hour afterward. Then he will speak to you individually, first with Blaine, and then Kurt. When he is satisfied with your answers, he will consult with the spirits for direction. When he tells you his answer, you must accept it. There will be no questions and no answers given.
"Normally, he is paid a great deal of money for services such as these. He and Madame have agreed that in this case, the only payment he is to receive is whatever knowledge he can glean from you, M. Blaine and from you M. Kurt." Étienne bowed again to each of them in turn and then went into the other room. He seemed much more innocuous than the Maître, but he was the man's acolyte and his companion, so Blaine suspected he was more dangerous than he seemed.
It took only a glance for Kurt and Blaine to decide they needed to talk. They began to weave their way through the crowd on the porch again to find their way to the back yard. The Jones' farm comprised about fifteen acres, stretching behind the house from the road. They walked in the drizzle through the newly sprouting fields of grain, retreating from the sight of anyone, searching for privacy and solitude. They climbed a hillside behind the house and perched on a large flat rock overlooking the house and roadway. They were getting wet, but they needed to talk about what de Mirable had said.
"Do you think I summoned you?" Kurt asked Blaine, horrified at realizing that Blaine's predicament was his fault. He knew instinctively that de Mirable was absolutely right in his assertion.
"I don't know, but he said he wanted to know what you were thinking when it happened. Kurt, were you thinking of me? Of somebody for you to love?" Blaine was afraid that was what Kurt would say, because that was exactly what he had been thinking when it had happened.
"I…well, yes, I believe I was. I keep having these dreams where I'm standing on a hillside in a thunderstorm, with my arms raised, asking the storm for something. At the time, I was thinking that I hoped that the storm would bring me someone as perfect as my mother was for my father. The next thing I knew, I was lying flat on my back with a headache and all my bones disconnected from my muscles, and then I found you. Oh my god, Blaine! Did I really do this to you?"
"I think we both did it, because I was thinking exactly the same thing when it happened. I was so damn tired of being lonely and I just finished thinking to myself that there had to be the perfect guy for me out there somewhere. I remember wondering when I would find him." Blaine reached his hand to Kurt, realizing he'd found him here. The only problem was that the perfect guy for him was born one hundred and thirty five years before he was.
They sat on the hillside, discussing le Maître's words. They knew that the link between them was very powerful now, having grown stronger every moment they had spent together for the nearly two weeks since the universe had lined up and granted them their wish. If the only way for Blaine to go home was with Kurt, then of course, he would go with him, to a time that wasn't his. He would have to leave his father and everyone else he knew behind, but Blaine had already taken his heart. Kurt would miss them terribly, but he knew he didn't want to face the future without Blaine.
Blaine knew there were huge risks for both of them if they stayed here, since they had little hope of hiding their attraction. Kurt convinced him that at least if they tried to return to his future, they would have a better chance of happiness. They promised each other that whatever happened, they would deal with it together. If that walking scarecrow back there wasn't a complete charlatan, they would do their best to share a future together.
When they judged enough time had elapsed they went back to the house and found Étienne waiting for them impatiently. He took them into Anita's bedroom, where there were dry clothes of Amos' waiting for them again. Catching pneumonia was no part of the plan so they changed, not nervous around each other anymore, but Étienne lingered nearby and watched them, his eyes showing much more interest than either of them was comfortable with.
When they were changed, he came to them and bowed again. "Please follow me." He led them back to Anita's kitchen.
"So, ma petit chat. Did you enjoy your treat?" The Maître smiled at Étienne, and ran his hand down his shoulder in an intimate gesture that told the boys a great deal about them. Étienne smiled and bobbed his head in a grateful nod, saying thank you to his master.
"Dites-moi, lequel d'entre eux préférez-vous ?"
Blaine glanced at Kurt, wondering if he'd caught that de Mirable had asked his pupil which of them he preferred. Kurt's stare told him he certainly had. They watched the boy turn to nod at Kurt, and then turn back to his master. "
"Vous êtes très sage, mon cœur de lion. Il est celui qui a le pouvoir." Le Maître smiled in amusement and indicated, with an imperiously raised finger, that he wanted to speak to only one of them. Étienne was pleased that the master had confirmed that he had chosen the one with the power. Étienne took Kurt's sleeve to lead him out, with more eagerness than he should have shown, his eyes drifting down his body as he guided him. He dearly wished he could convince Kurt to take him for his lover instead of the curly headed sheep, but even he could tell how closely their hearts and souls were linked.
Kurt shook off Étienne's guiding hand, then waited and paced in the parlour. He chewed his nails, wondering what de Mirable and Blaine were talking about.
"What are they doing in there for so long?" He whispered to Anita who was waiting there with Mercy, ousted from her own kitchen and relegated to an onlooker. She merely shrugged nervously. Le Maître's talents were very different from hers and she understood very little of what he had told her, especially since he kept lapsing into Cajun French. She had merely sent out a plea for knowledge and he had answered her request for help. She wasn't privy to exactly how he intended to accomplish restoring the boys to another time, just that there was a spirit who would help him.
She had spent the day before trying to figure out if he could really do what he said he could. She was still at a loss, though she was convinced that de Mirable believed he could help. She was not as convinced of his abilities. He was missing the resonance that great power should have. But that didn't necessarily mean he didn't have power, just that she couldn't feel it.
She more hope of success when she heard the spiritualist say that Kurt had summoned Blaine and that he was the one with the ability to commune with storms and focus their power to his own needs. Anita had always felt something there was something special about Kurt, but little had she guessed how very special he was. She had the ability to read people's emotions, if the circumstances were right and often been able to tell the sex of babies, long before they were born. She could tell whenever there was a storm on its way, hours before it happened.
Mercy had inherited none of her abilities from her. Anita had watched and waited, since often you couldn't tell for sure until after puberty, but she had sensed nothing of power in her daughter. That was why she hadn't taught her any of the things her mother had passed to her. It was best if the knowledge was forgotten rather than risk it being misunderstood and misused.
But Kurt… Yes, de Mirable was right. Kurt had untapped power. If she had realized it sooner, she could have taught him some things, trained him in how to use his power instead. Ah well, if all went well, her adopted son would leave them forever, so perhaps it was just as well that she hadn't. It was a pity though. He could have been much more powerful with training, far more than anyone of her people had been for generations.
Finally Blaine returned looking a bit dazed, and Étienne led Kurt into the kitchen to be analyzed next. Blaine seemed almost as confused as the first day she had met him, as Anita brought him to her rocker. Mercy gave him tea again, sweetened with honey. It was the best she had for shock if you didn't have any brandy.
The Maître had asked him question after question, first about himself and then about Kurt. He learned that he believed Kurt was still hesitant about being homosexual and fighting falling in love with him, though Blaine calmly confessed his love for Kurt, completely accepting his orientation after five years of living with the knowledge.
Then de Mirable asked about the island of Haiti and the success of the slave revolt there. He was frustrated at Blaine's lack of knowledge on the subject, and confused by many other things he told him, not comprehending half of what he said. He carefully filed away what he heard, aware that knowledge was nearly as valuable as gold, in the right hands, hoping someday he would understand more of what he had learned
He quickly hypnotized Kurt, and asked him about his dreams, quickly seizing upon the ones of wild wind and rain. He learned he had not yet used his power for anything else, since he was unaware he even had those abilities. What a dreadful pity, that Kurt knew so little about how to harness his talents. He had hoped to make the boy grant some of his desires too, but was discovered that his love for Blaine was too strong to allow him to let de Mirable take liberties with his body, and his single-minded determination to save Blaine meant he wasn't amenable to any delays either. Too bad, because he could have taught him so much!
Then le Maître asked about Kurt's feelings for the boy he had drawn to him over the barrier of time, finding him entirely astonished at how sweet and loving Blaine was, though he reluctantly admitted he was trying to fight his strong attraction to him. He found satisfaction in telling Kurt he could allow himself to indulge his desires now. They had to use every path to reinforce the bond between them even closer.
Both boys were sweet and succulent, like freshly picked fruit, with the dew still on them. Neither had been tasted yet, by someone who knew how to distil their delectable essence, like a fine brandy. He consoled himself that one could not have everything one wished for. He did decide that he would ensure that they got to experience the delights of the flesh before they risked death. Death was a very real possibility for both of them, if any of ten different things went wrong, so they should at least get to express the most precious aspect of their love first, to draw them even closer than they were now.
Étienne slipped in the back door the kitchen, though he knew he shouldn't intrude on his master while he was at work. He had let his yearning for the more powerful of the boys over-rule his good sense. The Maître should have been angrier at being disturbed, but he had nearly finished with Kurt by then anyway. He waited silently while Étienne crept closer, finally gaining the courage to put his hand on his shoulder, silently asking permission. He glanced at him and Étienne smiled hopefully. His pupil held power over him too. Alphonse knew he was getting soft, allowing his acolyte to take liberties he shouldn't. He thought with a shiver of his lithe body writhing under him, yielding and open. He nodded once, giving his permission.
Étienne eagerly went to Kurt and kneeled in front of him, his hand rising to cup Kurt's face. Kurt looked back at him with empty eyes, still under the trance the master had put him in. He let his hand slide down his chest into Kurt's shirt and brushed his thumb against his nipple. It responded by hardening to a nub, but Kurt didn't show any visible response. The boy leaned in to gently taste his mouth. Kurt didn't resist, but he didn't respond either, his eyes remaining blankly half closed. Étienne let his shoulders slump in disappointment, so de Mirable intervened.
"It is Blaine you are kissing, Kurt. Show him how you love him." Alphonse crooned softly, with a grateful hum from the boy as a reward. Kurt immediately leaned toward him and pressed his lips against Étienne's. His arms wrapped around his neck and he exhaled happily. Alphonse watched his acolyte, pupil, lover, son… he was all those things to him, steal a heated kiss from Kurt for a moment or two, knowing he would be reimbursed later for his generosity. But time was passing and they still had much to do. Enough.
"I shall count to three and you will awake refreshed….one…two…three. Wake up, my sweet magician." Étienne made a brief sound of resistance as Kurt pulled back from his mouth and blinked sleepily at him. The boy sighed dejectedly and withdrew, retreating behind his master, putting his hand on his shoulder in thanks.
Alphonse didn't acknowledge him this time. The boy was getting too sure of himself. He knew that in only a few years, Étienne would be the master and he would be only a quickly fading memory. That was how the world worked,…unless you were powerful enough to control a storm and make it do your will. Etienne was still too young to understand that he no hope of making Kurt see anyone but Blaine, even if could be fooled for a few minutes to accept a decoy. Love had blinded him to anyone else, no matter what they offered him.
Kurt shook his head, trying to clear the fog. He didn't remember much of what the Maître had asked him…almost nothing really. He had asked where he lived, and about his mother and father. He had asked about Blaine, and what he had been thinking when the strike had occurred. He remembered little else, though he felt vaguely uncomfortable. He wanted Blaine, his comforting nearness helping to make him feel right again.
Étienne emerged from behind his master and led him to the front room again, with something in his eyes that made Kurt squirm uneasily. The young apprentice might be only a boy, but Kurt sensed that he was nearly as potent as his master. As soon as he re-entered the room, Blaine came to him and took his hands, both of them much happier now. The boy watched them coolly as Mercy hugged Kurt and sat with them at the fireplace.
In a couple more years he would have been strong enough, mature enough, and powerful enough to take Kurt for his own. With his power and Kurt's they could have done anything. Étienne followed le Maître because he gave him a thrill he found nowhere else. But Kurt… Kurt was also so very beautiful and had so much more potential than the Master. He intensely regretted the lack of training that meant he would never get to experience all that Kurt had to offer. He still had too much to learn from the master.
He had left his teacher entering his own trance after he gave Etienne his instructions, hoping to commune with the spirits for guidance in the most dangerous of any of the things they had tried, so far. Étienne strongly suspected they would fail, except for the fact that Kurt was nearly strong enough to do this on his own. He only needed le Maître's guidance
After a while, de Mirable came out and spoke to those assembled in the front room. "I have determined there is a possibility of returning Blaine to his time, but only if Kurt accompanies him. They must both concentrate on the same goal, at the same time, in the same time, for them to arrive together. Their link is now very strong, but it can be strengthened still more. If this link is tempered in the heat of passion, it will greatly enhance their chances of remaining together."
"Tonight, you will spend here making love to complete your bond. Tomorrow, I shall invoke a thunderstorm, and you my young magician, will appeal to it, or focus it, or do whatever it is you do, to return you both to Blaine's time."
"If you are successful, then I strongly suggest you do not again go into the rain and think of being elsewhere. If you are not successful, I wish you peace and bon chance wherever you land. I shall purify you both tonight before you join, and again tomorrow, before we make the attempt. Savour this night gentlemen, because it may be all you ever have of each other. Now wait while we make preparations, and I send Étienne to summon you."
He smiled in amusement at their stunned faces looking back at him. Neither dared to look at anyone else. Oh…my…god! Both boys were freaking now. Blaine was terrified that if anyone else around here should find out what le Maître had told them to do, they would be murdered in their bed. He was not convinced this guy had the faintest clue of what he was doing. God knew, they sure as hell didn't. Blaine stole a glance at Kurt and caught him looking back at him with an uncertain glance. He could see Kurt was just as was leery of this whole thing.
To tell the truth, Kurt felt a little numb. They were supposed to sleep together? Well, to do far more than sleep actually. True, joining would draw them closer, permitting himself to surrender to the things he kept submerged below his conscious level. If that's what would help to get Blaine home, then he would allow him to…make love to him. His heart beat like a caged bird in his chest at the thought of allowing himself to do the things he wanted to do to Blaine.
Mercy sat and blinked at Le Maître disbelievingly, deciding the man was making it up as he went along. That boy with him was the creepiest boy she had ever met and her two friends were supposed to do what tonight? On the other hand, her mother was unlikely to find anyone who had been in this situation before, and she had often told her a healer often went on instinct, trusting their power to tell them what to do. She was wavering between doubtful and hopeful, that this was going to work. She only hoped that whatever happened, the boys came out safe somewhere.
Anita was also suspicious of the man's credentials. She could feel that he had some power, but so did Kurt and his pupil. Lots of people had power they never recognized, and far fewer of them ever learned to harness it. It was apparent that the man was not the powerhouse she had hoped for, but he had learned to use what he had very effectively. Her own instincts were telling her that trusting him was their only alternative. She only hoped the boys didn't suffer the consequences for his incompetence.