Parker sat at the kitchen table staring at the fire wondering if there was anything in the cabin that she could melt down to make a blade. That was if the fire was hot enough and if she could find a steel mallet to use. She knew Spike had a tool shed out back but the one time she had gotten close to it Spike had appeared suddenly at her side. He had been outside chopping wood because her initial suspicions had been correct; the fire was the only heat source and in this climate they really did need it to keep from freezing. He had been nice enough when he questioned why she was outside and what she was looking for, so she told him that it only seemed fair that she share in completing the chores since they were living there together. He had smile and agreed, but he did so as he was leading her back to the cabin.
That was when he gave her the task of keeping the cabin clean. That included doing the dishes and the laundry as well. Much to her relief the cabin had electricity, so there was a washer and dryer for her to use for their clothes and linens. The dishes she did by hand because that way it took her longer to do it, which meant that she was spending less time with him.
Not that the company that she had was the worst imaginable. Even though they had electricity, Spike didn't own a TV, a radio or a computer. Oh and there was no phone in sight either. He had confessed to her that a lot of things in the modern world made no sense to him at all. Some modern conveniences made life easier, hence the washer/dryer and enviable stove and oven, and other seemed to make life harder, more isolated, like a TV or radio. When Parker had questioned him about that rationale, Spike explained that people came together and shared stories over a good meal, but when a TV or radio was on they were expected to be silent and just watch and listen. Sitting and staring at moving pictures and not interacting with anyone didn't seem like much of a life to him. Parker had protested that there were plenty of good shows that made the quiet worthwhile, but for every argument she gave he had one to counter her until finally just gave up and stopped arguing because she had no fight left to give.
After she had finished arguing with him, she then shifted gears and asked him what it was that he did for fun. That had caused him to laugh because he said that 'fun' was or people who didn't have enough work to do. He hunted and butchered all of the meat that he ate and he had to fall all of the trees that he used to fuel the fire. Between that and cooking the meals he didn't have much in the way of spare time. But when he did have free time he usually spent it away from the cabin with his brother. Their conversation had ceased there because he said that he didn't wasn't to discuss his family and the tone he used told Parker not to push, so she hadn't pressed him to explain any further.
So here she sat staring at the fire. By her count she had been here for four days and five nights. Thankfully the wardrobe had housed more than Spike's clothing, it housed some for her as well. Although more importantly to Parker they had been her own clothes that she had packed into a suitcase that he grabbed at the same time he had brought her here. So she sat comfortably in a pair of jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt, wondering how she could make a weapon to maybe kill a man… an entity that had been nothing but kind and complimentary to her.
I am so messed up she thought to herself as a familiar stabbing sensation in her stomach hit her. I feel guilty about wanting to hurt him? Why? Because he's been nice? And how long will that last? Just then her eyes moved to her right hand. Not like you have anything but work to go home to anyways. Maybe…
She didn't let herself finish that thought. Instead she stood up and walked over to the fireplace. She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her arms to try to warm herself up. The flame was low now and nearly all that was left were red hot coals. She then walked over to the racks of wood to the right of the fireplace and loaded her arms up with the logs Spike had chopped the day before. As she carefully laid them on top of each other to allow for the optimum amount of oxygen flow to allow the fire to burn more easily, she couldn't help but wonder what was happening back home. Did anyone but Aimée and Dev miss her?
Parker was once again standing in front of the fire to warm up. Her mind was blank as she stared into the flames, but as they grew her thoughts became more focused on one face. She allowed herself to keep that face in her mind's eye until she felt a tear trickle down her cheek.
Stop it! He has a mate and she isn't you! Parker chastised herself as she angrily wiped a tear away from her cheek. Why don't you instead think about what you could make for dinner?
With that new thought in mind, she turned on her heel and moved towards the kitchen to see what was in the fridge to plan out a meal.
AIMÉE MADE IT INTO Parker's room just in time to see her two brothers starting to argue. They stood on either side of her bed and Aimée had the distinct impression that the bed was the only thing that kept their fight from getting physical.
"Well it's the only one here," Remi stated as if it was an angry retort.
Dev held his hands up in surrender then said, "I was just making an observation. She had two out that she was starting to put clothes into when I came in to talk to her."
"So what? You think that's a clue or something Columbo?" Remi shot back as his anger mounted with every word.
"Well…"
Dev saw Aimée enter the room and gave her a pleading look. Without a word passing between them Aimée knew what Dev was asking, so she nodded then walked up behind Remi. There she wrapped herself around his right arm and hugged it tightly. At first he went rigid under her touch, but just as quickly he relaxed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She was glad that she didn't have to hide her smug look that she was giving Dev as she cuddled into Remi's side, but Dev did have problems suppressing his own grin.
"So what are you two fighting about?" She asked trying to sound as innocent as possible.
"Dev thinks that he can play detective to figure out where Parker is right now," Remi answered with a sneer.
"Again it was just an observation," Dev retorted with an easy smile.
Before Remi could start the argument up again, Aimée stepped away from his side and asked, "What is it that you observed Dev?"
"That there's only one suitcase by her bed, but she had two out when I came in to talk with her," Dev answered as he lifted said suitcase onto the bed.
"He isn't wrong," she said looking up into Remi's eyes.
Remi opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. He then threw both hands up and stepped away from his sister saying, "Fine, you two want to play Mulder and Scully, I won't stop you. But I won't help you either."
He then turned and made his way to the door. Just before he walked through it he snatched up a shirt from the floor. Because his back was facing his siblings they didn't see him quickly hold it up to his hose to inhale Parker's scent. She had 'borrowed' this shirt from him during one of their afternoons at Talon's cabin because she said it felt weird cooking in the buff while in Talon's cabin. Remi had laughed and then pointed out that they had just spent the last hour having sex, so being naked shouldn't be all that different. She countered that naked sex in a bed was way different than naked cooking with bacon. He had no retort for that and just laughed as he watched her make a meal with the food that she had been stocking in the cabin since the day that they started using it as their own little getaway spot.
Feeling a new surge of emotions overcome him, Remi held the shirt up into the air and said, "I've been looking for this. I didn't know she stole it from me."
He continued out the door as Aimée and Dev shared a look. If they didn't know any better, they would say that he was upset that his mate was missing. But then again this WAS Remi who they were talking about and he WAS known for being a jerk just for the fun of it. Then again Parker was their friend and she was missing so they needed to figure this out and do something.
Aimée let out a sigh then said, "Why don't we look at what she left behind and maybe we can figure out where she was thinking about going."
PARKER WAS SURPRISED that she was able to competently cook a meal when she had no other distractions in the room. None of her pots had boiled over to make an incredible mess and the meat that was cooking in a pan still looked edible. She couldn't help but to smile because she had convinced herself that she was a complete disaster in the kitchen, but now she was thinking that she had it all wrong.
I wonder what other… She started to think to herself before she shook her head to clear that thought away. No distractions!
The fact that she was almost having full conversations with herself in her head was slightly unnerving for Parker. It wasn't until the second day that Spike left her alone in the cabin that she had realized that she rarely spent any length of time alone. Well when she was awake that is, thankfully she had yet to be visited by any Dream-Hunters and from some of the horror stories she had heard she was hoping to keep it that way. But when she was awake she spent the majority of her day at work, which meant that she was with people. Even at the doll store the only time she was truly alone was when she was doing her blacksmith work and really it would be beyond dangerous for anyone to be chatting her up while she was working with fire. But right now the only company she had most of the time was herself and things felt like they were getting more than a little weird.
It wasn't just that she was having conversations in her head that were strange, but also the thoughts that her brain focused on when she let her mind wander. Or more importantly who her mind kept focusing on. Despite her consciously trying not to, Parker's thoughts seemed to always turn to thinking about Remi. At first she reminisced about the week they spent together in perpetual bliss. But those memories were bittersweet so she would now force herself to think about anything else when those memories started to surface. So instead of memories of Remi she would start to think about what he might be doing. Was he trying to find her? Did he even care that she had disappeared? Did he even know?
That last question was the most intriguing for her because maybe he wasn't even aware that she vanished from her bedroom. Aimée was a master at keeping secrets, so maybe she hadn't even told Remi the truth. Plus, he had his new mate to focus on too. He only had a little over two weeks to complete the mating ritual with the woman the Fates had chosen for him or he would become sterile.
"Would serve him right," Parker mumbled to herself as she placed a glass backing dish with her latest masterpiece into the oven.
"It would serve who right?" A gruff voice questioned from behind her with a chuckle.
Parker jumped in her place and whipped around to face him the instant that her hands were free. Her reaction to his innocent question caused Spike to throw his head back and let out a full-bellied laugh. Parker could only imagine what she looked like right now as a dark blush spread across her cheeks and neck. She knew that she looked guilty and that she was trying to hid something but in reality she had nothing to feel guilty about because she was still allowed to think about Remi even though she wasn't his mate. And so what if the majority of the time she was thinking about what he looked like without any clothes on?
"I didn't mean to startle you Lass," he said with the same jovial tone. "Are you alright?"
Parker allowed herself to let out a sigh of relief. One of the first things she had learned about Spike was that he couldn't read her mind. Well more precisely, he might be able to, but he hadn't because he didn't want to invade her privacy that way. He wanted to learn everything he could about her, but he wanted to hear it from her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. I must have gotten lost… and then I…" Parker stopped herself there and shook her head. "Sorry. Let me try that again. I was lost in thought and didn't hear you come in. Was your…? I mean did your business meeting go well?"
"Nay," he replied in an almost angry tone. He sat down in an arm chair beside the fireplace and started unlacing his boots as he added, "Twasn't a real business meeting. Me brother…" He grunted out an angry noise. "He lured me to him under false pretenses."
Once again Parker wanted to ask about his brother and what kind of deities or entities they were, but the enraged look in his eyes kept her silent. Instead she pulled a stainless steel stein out of the cupboard and filled it with ale from a keg he kept in the kitchen. She had questioned him about not just having bottles or cans of beer in the fridge. He had given her an offended look and replied that ale should never be bottled or canned, straight from the barrel is how it should be served. It was one of the best tasting ales Parker had ever had, so she once again conceded to his way of thinking.
After filling the stein, Parker walked towards him saying, "I don't have any siblings, but from what I hear from my friends that do, I'm thinking that isn't a bad thing. They sound like they can be a real pain in the ass."
"Aye," he agreed as he claimed the stein with a grateful smile. "But tisn't all that bad. He has helped me through a jam on more than one occasion. Were he to have a heart, I would say that today it was in the right place."
Parker could understand that sentiment and just smiled awkwardly in reply. Spike took a healthy drink from his mug and then sat back as he let out a contented sigh. This was what he had looked forward to for so long: a beautiful maiden greeting him at home with a pint of ale to help him relax after a hard day.
He took in a deep breath and then fixed Parker with a hard look as he asked, "You cooked?"
She gave him an uncertain smile and then walked back towards the kitchen answering, "Well more like I tried. I'm not sure how well it all turned out."
At the oven she leaned down to check that her dish hadn't started to burn. With a sigh of relief, she started to straighten up only to be frozen in her place by the sensation of someone standing close to her back.
Spike inhaled another deep breath then said, "It smells divine. What be filling our bellies tonight, Primrose?"
"It's… umm… well it's kind of a modified Sheppard's Pie. I used ground deer meat instead of lamb. I've never made it before, but I tried to make it look and taste like the ones I used to eat when I was in England and Scotland," Parker timidly explained.
"I'm sure it will be a success on both counts," Suddenly Parker's feet left the ground as Spike lifted her into an over-enthusiastic hug. "My sweet Primrose, I knew you would be my perfect match. I should have sought you out sooner."
Parker just chuckled uncomfortably because she didn't want to upset him by saying he wrong thing. Once she was back on her feet, she closed her eyes and took in a slow deep breath. She had to keep her words in check because if she was ever going to make it home she had to make sure that she stayed alive.
Once she felt like she had her emotions and facial features in check, Parker turned around and faced him to say, "Why don't you relax by the fire while I finish everything up in here?"
He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead before replying, "That sounds better than good. Thank you for your kindness Primrose."
BIG WHEELS KEEP ON TURNING. CARRY ME HOME TO MY KIN…
A soft murmur came over the crowd at Sanctuary. The humans continued enjoying their food and would sing along with Lynyrd Skynyrd every once and a while between bites. To them it was a song that was a summer time anthem that was fund and they had no idea that at Sanctuary that song had a very different meaning.
While the humans remained ignorant, the members of the preternatural community were not. Virtually every single one of them went rigid in their spot and a few became so frozen that they looked like statues. The rare few who didn't appear to be affected, but they still cast a wary eye towards the door to check that it wasn't a false alarm. Then there were two people who actually had a look of expectation once they heard the familiar guitar riff because they had been the ones who had invited him here.
Acheron stood just inside the door of Sanctuary and surveyed the small crowd for the bear who had brought him here. His jet black hair with fire engine red streaks was pulled back into a ponytail that was fastened by a silver clasp that looked like the talons of a predatory bird at the base of his skull. His long black leather duster covered a black t-shirt with the logo from CBGB in New York, skin tight black jeans and knee high black combat boots covered in buckles. He made no move to remove his sunglasses which would have made looking around the dimly lit bar impossible to anyone who wasn't him. It didn't take him long to find his target and he hefted his backpack strap higher up onto his shoulder before he started walking towards the bar.
As soon as Aimée made eye contact with Acheron (or what she thought was eye contact because she couldn't be certain since his eerie silver swirling eyes were completely obscured by his black opaque sunglasses), she started waving her hand to signal for him to come over to the bar.
Fang stepped up beside her and asked through closed teeth, "You invited Acheron here?"
Aimée kept her smile plastered on her face as she answered, "We have no leads. Plus, she's a Squire and he's in charge of the Dark-Hunters, so it seems like the right thing to do."
"What about the Squire Council?"
"Well I…" Aimée paused then nodded smugly towards the entrance of the pub. "There's their representative now."
Otto gave his eyes a couple of seconds to adjust to the lighting inside. Once he got Acheron in his sights, Otto started moving towards the Dark-Hunters' leader right away. He wasn't entirely sure why Aimée had requested an audience with the Squire Council (or as it was in this case, their representatives), but as soon as he saw Acheron he was sure that he had been invited here for the same reason.
After Otto stepped away from the door, it opened again and Talon stepped through it with Dev right on his heels. They walked side by side in silence with matching grim looks on their faces. Aimée couldn't help but to frown because she felt like she wasn't doing enough for Parker. Surely there were other people she could call to help in searching for the young Squire, but she had no clue who they would be or how to get a hold of them. That meant that this strange assortment of Were-Hunter, human, ex-Dark-Hunter and other were Parker's best and (sadly) only hope.
AFTER THEY FINISHED OFF the last bite of Sheppard's Pie from the baking dish, Parker and Spike retired to the chairs in front of the fire. He added a few logs before he dumped his weight into his chair. Spike kept his eyes closed as she soaked in the warmth and Parker had to take a drink from her mug to keep herself form laughing.
With his eyes still closed, Spike patted his stomach with his free hand and said, "I am a well fed man." He opened his eyes to look into Parker's and added, "Compliments to my chef."
Parker blushed and squirmed slightly under his unyielding gaze. There was something about the way that the fire reflected in his eyes that made it look like the fire was dancing in them. It held her completely mesmerized. A soft smile tugged on his lips before he blinked and finally broke eye contact with Parker.
Parker felt like she had just been snapped out of a trance, but was still completely aware of everything that had been said. "Oh… you're… you are more than welcome."
They sat there with the crackling fire and occasional pop from the fire as the only sound in the room. Normally Parker would find this much silence unnerving, but right now for some reason it felt right. The thing that did get under her skin a little bit was that every so often, out the corner of her eye, she would catch Spike watching her. He was never obvious, but he would gaze over at her and get a look that at first she couldn't quite describe it. Now she would say it was a look of reverence. It was almost as if his eyes would seek her out just to make sure that she really was there. Other times he would reach out to brush his fingers against her hair or face to make sure that she wasn't some kind of illusion. She still wasn't sure how she felt about it, but she was willing to tough it out until she got home safe… if she ever made it home safe.
Park was brought out of her thoughts when Spike gently pried her empty mug out of her hand. That was another thing he would do that she wasn't certain how it made her feel. He would refill her glass or plate without saying a word to her. Most of the time she had wanted the refill, but the times that she didn't she still forced herself to swallow it down to appease him. Plus, it was kind of sweet how he took such good care of her even though he really didn't have to do it.
Oh no! Stop that brain! We are not going to romanticize this… heck we don't even know who or what he is! She silently chastised herself as she sat up straighter in her seat.
Although he had spent the day with his brother doing only the gods knew what, Spike actually appeared to be in quite a jovial mood. There had been a question burning in the back of her mind that she had been waiting for the right time to ask.
Well now is as good of a time as any, she coached herself.
"Spike? Would you mind if I asked you a question?" She asked slowly as she claimed a glass tumbler of a dark amber liquid that he offered her.
"Aye, me Primrose, you canna ask me anything," he answered with a soft laugh. He watched as Parker sniffed the liquid and then he let out a loud boisterous laugh. "Just so you don't waste that question, in yer glass is the finest scotch that not even money can buy."
Parker still looked hesitant to drink it, so he added in a more somber tone, "There be a cold front moving in. You'll be needing that to help warm yer belly through the night. You don't have enough meat on yer bones to keep yerself warm."
Parker couldn't help but to smile at that compliment. She quickly smothered it by taking a drink because with the way he said it, it didn't really sound like it was meant to flatter her.
Although they hadn't lived together long, Spike could tell that Parker was trying to cover something up. He thought that maybe she had lost her nerve and didn't want to ask her question anymore. He knew it had taken her a great deal of courage to even broach the subject, so he didn't want her to back down now.
"Please me Primrose, ask yer question."
Parker stared into her glass for a moment because it still caught her off guard whenever he called her 'his' Primrose because she knew that she wasn't. She had tried to tell him that, but he wouldn't listen to it. He told her that the color of her eyes didn't matter, just the beautiful soul he could see shining through them.
"When we were talking the other day," she finally started with a definite note of hesitation in her voice. "You… you made it sound like you had been watching me. But not like a stalker or anything… just… umm… just… I mean… I don't remember seeing you there, but what you've said it like you were there, y'know?"
He gave Parker the same look he always did whenever she had talked him into not understanding a word she had said. Before he could say a word, Parker held up her hand then said, "Let me try that again. You make it sound like you watched me at Sanctuary, but I don't recognize you. Were you ever a customer of mine there?"
He smiled at how clear and concise she had reworded everything and more importantly so that he could understand her question. He had always planned on telling her the truth, but he hadn't been sure when would be the best time. Spike knew that she feared him on some level because of the powers she was sure that he possessed, but he was sure if it would ease her mind or frightened her more to witness the extent of just a few of his powers that he used around humans.
Spike took a slow sip from his glass before he put it down and looked like he had come to a decision. "Aye, me Bonnie Lass, I was a patron at the pub. In fact, on more than one happy occasion you were me own server and we shared many tales together."
Parker's scowl deepened with every word that Spike spoke. "But you don't… I mean how could I not remember you? You aren't…? You weren't cursed by like Morginne like Wulf was, were you?"
"Nay, t'isn't anything that bad Lass," he answered with the same light-hearted tone he used whenever she said something outlandish. "Twas a power passed onto me by… well I don't right know who, but it comes from the blood of one of me parents."
"So you're like Max then?" She asked sounding as if that question should make total sense to him without any further explanation.
This time it was Spike's turn to scowl as he replied, "I'm sorry Lass, but that name is not one that I recollect."
"Oh sorry! Max works at Sanctuary too… well kind of… Okay, if he gets call in then it means that someone has messed up in front of the humans," she explained too quickly for Spike to catch, "Sorry. Let me try that again. Max, he has the ability to wipe a human's memories. Is that what you did to me? Is that why I don't remember you?"
"Oh! Nay Lass, it isn't anything as sinister as that."
"Really? So then… umm… how…?" Her speech stared to trail off as she watched a haze or mist come down in front of Spike. No, it was more like heatwaves that were distorting his image. He started to blue so much that Parker couldn't help but to rub her eyes. She hadn't wanted to take her eyes off him, but it got to the point where she couldn't help but to do it.
When she pulled her hands away, Parker jumped so violently in her seat that she nearly fell out of it. Her reaction elicited another hearty laugh from Spike, but this time it was different. His voice was still deep and purely masculine but it didn't have the same gruff edge to it. Not only that there was something different about the way his voice sounded all together, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Well, all of that might have had something to do with the physical changes that had occurred with the man beside her. Gone was the big, burly man with a wild brass red mane who could easily be mistaken for an extra in Braveheart. No, instead she was looking at a man of a much smaller stature who had muscles that one would attribute to being a swimmer or a gymnast instead of a warrior or a lumberjack. His face was clean shaven and his hair was a much tamer, shaggy dark blond mane that fell just below his ears. The only thing that hadn't changed was his eyes. Parker was kicking herself because his eyes were the exact same mossy green that she had never seen on another human being. He was still dressed in a black and red plaid shirt and snug fitting jeans that he had been wearing in his other form. Although he now looked more like a surfer than a lumberjack, the outfit still worked on him.
The more she looked at him, the more familiar he became. She knew him. More than that, she had joked around with him and told him more than once not to be stranger while she was serving him. She had even flirted with him. Did that mean that she had made him think that she had wanted to run away with him?
Parker's prolonged silence started to worry Spike, so he wanted to try to get her to talk with him again.
"Now Primrose, I don't want you to be upset with me. I didn't mean to deceive you. This is the form I always take when I have to move amongst mortals because, as my brother says, it helps me to blend into a crowd," he explained in a voice that sounded much more American, but it still had the slightest Scottish accent.
"Oh gods… it's you, isn't it?" She finally asked.
He had the grace to look sheepish as he meekly replied, "Aye."
Now that the majority of the shock had worn off, Parker was feeling more like herself as she asked, "But when did you come to America, Ian? Wait! Have you been to Sanctuary? I didn't like ignore you or anything, did I?"
"Nay Parker, it wasn't anything like that. In fact, when I did see you being mauled by that bear, I wasn't even sure it was you, me Primrose."
"Oh right. We met the summer after… well that's not important, but you met me right after I graduated and that was the year that I tried to be super girly. I let my hair grow out and dyed it a lighter shade of blond than my natural color and I… umm…"
"You were my Merry Marie," he finished for her.
She blushed then said, "Right because I switched between those two names and sometimes forgot which name I had given a guy, so I had to have a cover story. Wow, I seriously cannot believe it's you."
"Aye, tis me," he replied as he disrobed his disguise and returned to looking like the virile mountain man she had been living with for almost a week. "I had been to Sanctuary many a times in the past, but when I saw you I was drawn to you again. I wasn't sure if it was you or not and I couldn't risk not finding out. I was going to introduce meself to you after you finished with your last table, but then that bear came in and he ruined everything."
"That's why you took me from my room?" Parker asked softly, unsure that she wanted to hear the answer.
His eyes softened, as did his smile, before he answered, "Aye. I couldn't stand to see you hurt. My intention was just to go to speak with you, but then I saw you crying. Each tear that hit that pillow broke a piece of me heart until I couldn't stand it anymore. It was a brash move that I didn't know I had planned until it was done. But I won't say that I'm sorry I did it. Tis been a pleasure getting to know you without any distractions."
Parker gave him a watery smile then sniffled in a grateful tear before she whispered, "Thank you. It's been nice getting to know you again too."
AIMÉE DID A FINAL survey of everyone around the table to make sure that they were all comfortable. Samia had asked if she could join in the discussion since it pertained to someone who was important to her mate. Fang had joined in too, but he was just there to make sure that his mate didn't over extend herself. Remi had feigned complete disinterest in the whole situation. After he delivered the last bottle of beer on his tray to Fang he looked over at the only empty seat at table a long lingering look. Aimée could tell that he wanted to join them and she almost said something to him, but she decided against it because she didn't want to be the one to put him on the spot.
Although he really did want to sit down, Remi instead hung back and away from the group and said, "I've… got some stuff to do, but if anyone needs anything else… yeah, just… just call me."
Everyone but Aimée, Dev and Acheron gave him a strange look. The other three had to suppress their grins because they understood the reason for Remi's strange behavior but they didn't want to tip anyone else off just yet.
Although Acheron wanted to poke the bear, so to speak, and insist that Remi join them, he instead turned to Aimée and said, "It looks like we're all here, did you want to tell us why that is Aimée?"
Aimée had been watching her brother's retreating form so she didn't register Acheron's question until Fang squeezed her knee saying, "Aims? Sweetheart?"
"What?" She then turned back towards the table and shook her head. "Right, why I asked you all here. Sorry. Okay, we… uhh… I mean there's… ummm… there's a bit of a situation with… with… Parker."
Otto let out a quiet scoff and rolled his eyes as he said just over a whisper, "Of course I'd be called her because of that drama queen."
No one knew whether he had forgotten that he was in the company of people with superhuman hearing or not, but suddenly Remi turned on his heel and took a couple of deliberate steps back towards the table. He kept his angry glare focused on the back of Otto's head. Dev looked like he was getting ready to intervene, but then Remi stopped and just stood in his place with his fist clenched about ten feet away from the table.
Aimée tried to think of something to say, but her mind went completely blank when she saw Remi's reaction. Thankfully Acheron understood the awkward situation even without having to lay eyes on the angry bear. He then tried to get everyone back on track by asking, "When you say 'situation' Aimée, what do you mean?"
She flashed Acheron a grateful smile before she answered, "Well she was packing to leave and then suddenly she was gone. Like vanished into thin air, gone."
"Wait? She was packing? I thought that she and I had come to an understanding about her doing work as a Dorean Squire for the time being," Acheron replied sounding thoroughly confused.
"Oh no, she wasn't leaving New Orleans, she was just leaving Peltier House. Actually I was on my way to call…"
"Wait a second. That's what you guys are focused on?" Talon interrupted. "Can we go back to the part where you said that Parker vanished? Where was she when she 'poof', disappeared?"
"She… she…"
"She was in her room," Dev jumped in to take over for his now visibly distraught sister. "Aimée convinced her to have a nap because she was so distraught and when… when we went to check on her she was gone. We were in the hallway, so there's no way that she left by usual means."
"Did you check her window?" Otto asked in a tone that was strangely devoid of any emotion. "It wouldn't be the first time that she's done that."
"No she… she didn't have time to sneak out," Dev answered as his eyes unconsciously flick up to look at his brother.
Acheron caught the looks both Aimée and Dev were throwing Remi's way, so he asked, "You said that she was distraught, what happened there?"
Otto again rolled his eyes but this time when he opened his mouth to speak Acheron silenced him by saying, "We all know that there's some bad blood between the two of you, but can you let it go for now? The only thing that is important is that Parker has been taken from her room from a known laminas. So Aimée back to Parker being unhappy…"
Talon was trying to follow everything but he kept coming back to two things. The first was that there was some kind of romantic history between Parker and Otto. She had never mentioned Otto, especially in that way, but with the way that the Squire spoke of her it sounded like there was some bad personal history there. The second, and probably the more important thought right now, was that someone had hurt her badly enough that they made her want to leave the place that she had always considered one of her own personal safe havens.
"Yeah, I'd like to go back to that too," Talon interjected, still sounding deep in thought. "Does her being upset have anything to do with the new guy that she had been seeing in secret?"
"You know about that?" Aimée asked in wide-eyed disbelief.
Talon smiled softly as he replied, "Well not in any details, but the last time she came over for dinner she kept looking at her phone with a goofy smile on her face. It was Sunshine that figured it out first and asked her about her new beau. Parker wouldn't really tell us anything beyond the fact that it was really new and that she didn't want to jinx it by talking about him too much yet."
"Well you aren't wrong," Aimée answered Talon while her eyes were securely fixed on Remi.
Talon and Otto turned to follow her gaze. Having so many eyes so focused on him made Remi feel completely uncomfortable. He really didn't want to discuss his relationship with Parker with… well anyone, but he resigned himself to the fact that he had no choice because it was a part of the story about Parker's disappearance.
Knowing that he couldn't avoid it any longer, Remi swiftly moved to the empty chair at the table. After he had settled his weight into it, he moved his eyes to his sister's face. She seemed to know what he was asking, so she gave him a sad smile and nodded her head. He then took in a deep breath and closed his eyes as he placed his left hand onto the table top with his palm facing up.
Half of the people at the table didn't understand the significance of the mark they were seeing until Acheron asked, "You two were mated?"
Talon's eyes snapped up to Remi's face. He then looked over at Acheron and then quickly back to Remi as he asked, "You? You're Parker's new mystery man?"
Remi started to answer by nodding his head before he started to shake it. He closed his hand into a tight fist and refused to look at anyone as he replied, "Yes, but she and… we…"
Aimée reached over and held Remi's fisted hand as she answered for him, "They aren't mated."
"You cheated on her?"
Everyone stared in a stunned silence at Otto after his angry outburst. Otto, however, only had eyes for Remi and looked like he was ready to jump over the table and hurt the bear. Remi met his glare and matched it with one of his own. Aimée shared a look with Dev and then Acheron because this meeting was taking a turn that she hadn't expected. Dev just shrugged his shoulders because he was just as lost as she was, but he would make sure to stop his brother before he could hurt the Squire. Acheron looked slightly amused. He too was ready to intervene if needed, but he also knew that everyone, especially Aimée and Dev, needed to hear this exchange.
"No, I didn't human," Remi spat out in Otto's direction. "Unlike you, I wasn't willing to just toss her aside like yesterday's trash after I had sex with her."
Aimée scowled then quietly asked, "What? What did he do to our Cub Remi?"
Remi turned to look at his sister and his facial features softened. He shifted his hand so that he was holding her hand. When he spoke he tried to keep his eyes on his sister to try to keep his own anger in check. However, he couldn't help his eyes from flicking over in Otto's direction every once in a while as he spoke.
"He was her first and then he made her feel like shit for thinking that sleeping with her meant that they were in a relationship."
Aimée gave Otto a look of pure disgust saying, "You did that? No wonder she didn't want to be around other Squires."
"Hey, you guys weren't there. She lied to me about more things than I can list right now. She wasn't mature enough to be in a relationship," Otto replied sounding completely unrepentant. "And from the sounds of it, she probably still isn't."
"Why you little…" Remi started as he began to stand up.
"Enough!" Acheron bellowed as he stood up. He used enough power in his voice that everyone froze in their place. "What happened back then is in the past. Right now we need to focus on the fact that Parker is missing and is most likely Remi's mate."
All of the Peltiers frowned, but it was Aimée that said, "But she didn't receive a mark at the same time as Remi."
Acheron raised an eyebrow then asked, "Are you absolutely sure about that bear?"
PARKER SLIPPED ON A heavy jacket that was much too big for her after she had slipped on her sneakers. She still didn't have much by way of winter clothes because she spent pretty much all of her time inside the cabin. Spike, however, was outside most of the time because he wanted to make sure there was enough wood and meat stored up to help them get through the winter. They still had some time, but he was constantly reminding Parker that there was no point leaving until tomorrow what you could just as easily do today.
After she closed the door, Parker rolled the sleeved back so that her hands had more movement. Spiked noticed the second that the door started to open and stopped chopping wood. He stood with the axe leaned against a stump and waited to see what Parker would do next. She knew he was watching her, but Parker didn't mind. She actually felt safer knowing that he was tracking her movements, especially when she was outside because she didn't have to worry about falling prey to any wildlife that might be in the area.
Parker waved her arm as she walked towards Spike and called out, "Hey! There you are!"
"Aye Lass, here I be," he replied with a chuckle. "What be needing you me Primrose?"
"I found a cook book with some recipes to preserve vegetables. I was wondering if you would mind if I raided your herb garden to can some of the crop we harvested yesterday."
Spike beamed at her question and wrapped an arm around her neck to hug her into his side, "Of course I don't mind. Thank you for your thoughtfulness."
"Oh and I might have enough of everything to preserve some meat too. I would just… umm… that is if you could bring some in from the shed when you get a chance."
"Aye, I can do that," he replied as he pressed her into his side again. "I be the luckiest man in the land for having such an angel in me life."
"It's really no big deal. I just want to do my part," Parker said as a hot blush colored her already pink cheeks.
"Still, tis very much appreciated," he said before he kissed her forehead.
"Okay… well… you're welcome," Parker answered as she hugged his waist. "Well I should let you get back to work. I've also started a stew, so it should be ready whenever you get hungry."
Spike stared at Parker as she started walking away. She did pause and turn around to look back at him when she heard him say, "Primrose."
She held up her hand to stop him then said, "Really you don't have to thank me. Consider it a thank you for helping me through my breakdown last night. I know it wasn't pretty and you were so kind and understanding."
Spike gave her a sad smile and an understanding nod as he replied, "Maybe not, but twas needed to cleanse yer heart."
Parker felt a lump form in her throat, so she just nodded and then turned to walk over to the garden. She had brought out a bowl and scissors with her and she retrieved them from beside the door before completing her walk. Spike stayed stationary to just watch Parker for a couple of minutes. He knew for centuries that she was the woman he wanted to have in his life, but he needed her to come to that same conclusion on her own and in her own time. Last night had been a major breakthrough in what he thought was help for Parker to find that path.
After eating their nightly meal, Parker had decided to relax in a hot bubble bath because they both had spent so many hours in the garden harvesting the vegetables that Spike had planted. Another modern convenience Spike had splurged on for the cabin was a Jacuzzi tub and a massager shower head for the shower. He told Parker that after a couple of days of hunting he like to soak in a hot tub to get the 'stink' off him. He also added that if he were to ever have a female companion live with him that he was sure that she would appreciate having one as well.
Parker couldn't argue with that logic because after a long shift at the pub, she too loved to soak the day away in a hot bath. What she didn't tell Spike was that more and more frequently she was joined in said bath with her favorite bear. Things between her and Spike were still polite and cordial, so she didn't want to give him any reminders about anything that might keep her from being able to return his romantic feelings.
She had tried to shake away her thoughts about Remi because she didn't want to have to explain why she was being so emotional. She forced herself not to look at Spike when she moved her suitcase to the bed. Her breathing calmed as she sifted through her clothes to find something to change into after her bath. She managed to get herself into check until she pulled out a t-shirt that recently she had loved to sleep in at night, one of a few that she had claimed as her own from Remi's wardrobe. After she pulled it out, she lost her control on her emotions and she finally started to cry.
Spike rushed to Parker's side when he saw her crumble into a ball beside the bed. She was sobbing so profusely at the memories that shirt evoked, so he just pulled her into his lap to make her more comfortable while she cried. It took him a few minutes before he was able to pry the shirt out of her hands. By that time, she was calm enough to try to speak with him. He had asked her if she wanted to keep the shirt. When she answered that she never wanted to see it again, Spike used his magic to make it disappear.
After that Parker had calmed down even more. In fact, she was finally able to tell Spike about the man that had broken her heart. She also explained the scene that he had witnessed in the pub that had convinced him that he wanted to get to know her better. She still wasn't thinking completely clearly, which was probably why she even thanked him for taking her away from there because she didn't think that she could look at the guy who hurt her right now.
Spike was beaming at his memories of the night before while he watched Parker slowly make her way to the garden. She wasn't quite there yet, but he knew that she was on the right track now to falling in love with him. Last night she had finally mourned the ill-fated relationship with that bear. Now that she had finally accepted that whatever she had with the bear was over, she could allow herself to be open to starting something new. Plus, if he continued to control her exposure to the outside world then he was sure that she would turn to him for a new emotional attachment.
He lifted the axe above his shoulder and brought it down again a piece of wood to break it in half as he thought to himself, We're getting there me Primrose. It won't be too long yet.
ACHERON LISTENED INTENTLY as the three Peltiers relayed the events that led up to Parker's disappearance. Dev took over relaying most of the narration because Aimée became too emotional and Remi… Well he remained much like himself and pretty much shut down and fell completely silent because he really didn't like to be the center of attention.
"Alright so we're looking for someone powerful enough to mask a mark given to a human by the Fates," Acheron commented while he mentally tried to make a check list.
Talon was still reeling from the thought of Parker getting up close and very intimate with Remi. He seemed to be her polar opposite because Remi preferred solitude where Parker loved being in a crowd. Remi seemed to keep everyone at arm's length, where Parker tried to go out of her way to make everyone feel welcome. That trait was probably why she did so well as a server in the restaurant.
The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't quite believe that Parker could have fallen for the bear or vice versa. He was sure that they would be at each other's throats more than anything else which really wouldn't allow them anytime to get 'close'.
That last thought made Talon shudder because Parker was still the little girl with blond pigtails in his mind's eye. The thought of her becoming intimate with a man just didn't sit right with him. He shook his head to clear away that train of thought and raised his hand as he asked, "But are we really sure that Parker is his mate? I mean maybe she doesn't have a mark because she isn't supposed to have one."
Remi clenched his jaw and started to grind his teeth. Aimée saw the angry look in her brother's eyes so she reached over and squeezed his hand under the table. The two of them had already had a long discussion about that subject because she too wanted to be able to rule that out as a possibility.
She ran her thumb over her brother's knuckles to try to help to keep him calm as she answered, "Remi hasn't been with anyone else since he and Parker started seeing each other. He was so convinced that she would have a matching mating mark that he practically declared his love for in the middle of the pub. Plus…"
Aimée stopped there and swallowed hard. Acheron waited until she had taken a couple of sips of her tea before he asked, "Plus what Aimée? Any tiny bit of information can help us right now."
She nodded then replied, "Well after she refused to talk with Dev, I tried to talk with her. Everything she described about being with Remi, it sounded just like how most of us talk about our mates. I even checked her hand again to make sure that a mark really hadn't appeared."
"Alright, so," Talon said as a new thought started to form in his mind. "Is there any way that we could find out for sure that she is his mate? I mean, I'd hate for us to spend a bunch of time and effort to try to figure out who or what could cover up a mark if there really isn't supposed to be one on her to begin with, y'know?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Acheron. He held up his hand in a sign of surrender then said, "I most definitely am not your man. There is absolutely no love lost between me and the Fates. They would sooner curse me than answer any questions to help me or a human."
"Okay, but do you maybe know someone who they will talk to?" Aimée asked sounding somewhat desperate.
Acheron gave her a sympathetic smile and answered, "I might know someone. She's pretty well liked on Olympus and if she can't get an answer I might even have a backup."
"Zarek's wife?" Talon asked with a thoughtful look on his face.
"If Katra can't get the answers we need," Ash answered with a new thought swirling through his mind. "While I work on that point…"
"I'll use the council's connections to try to find out what kind of ritual could be done to hide such a mark," Otto commented as he stood up to leave. "I'm not sure what else I can do to help, but you know where to reach me if you think of anything else." He caught the unimpressed look on Remi's face so he added, "Ash is right, personal feelings can't be indulged right now. Parker isn't just a Squire, she's a Blue Blood and no matter how I feel about her, I do respect her family and their history. Plus, the council won't be happy to hear that someone thinks that they can mess with one of our own without any kind of retaliation."
Everyone nodded in understanding and Remi's glare actually softened ever so slightly. He still did not like that Squire all that much, but he could at least respect him a little bit now. He was able to put aside his personal feelings in order to do the right thing. Plus, the council had resources that he and his family could only dream about accessing, so he would play nice so long as Otto remained useful.
"I'll see what Sunshine and her family might know. Her Gran might be able to shed some light on who might have the mojo to pull this off," Talon said as he stood up to leave as well.
They watched him leave and then Acheron turned his attention back to the five people still seated at the table to say, "I guess that's my cue. I'll let you know what I find out."
Before he could disappear, Aimée called out, "Thanks Ash. Is there anything else that we might be able to do to help?"
"Try to ask around about anyone new that's been showing up at the bar. Anyone that might have asked to sit in her section. Anything like that at all." He then leveled Fang with a stern look and added, "And you might want to talk to a certain someone about any dark magic that our other resource may not have any knowledge of."
After Acheron disappeared, Aimée turned to Fang and asked, "He doesn't mean…?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that he does," Fang answered.
"Are you sure that you want to owe him a debt this big?"
Fang cupped her cheek with his right hand as he answered, "It's up to you. How important is she to you? Is your Cub worth the debt we both know he'll demand?"
Aimée closed her eyes and swallowed down some tears as she felt her brother squeeze her hand in a death grip. She knew he was afraid that she would say no and didn't want anyone else to see his fear, even if they all knew that it was present.
When she opened her eyes, she didn't hide her tears as she looked deep into her mate's eyes and answered, "She's worth more than anything he could ask from us."
PARKER CAUGHT HER reflection in the glass of the cupboard again. She gently touched the scar above her eyebrow and frowned deeply. She hated that she had lied to Ash about why she had wanted to keep her newly acquired scar. It was the truth that she wanted to keep it as a reminder, but it wasn't of her bone-headedness. No, it was a reminder of how Remi had come to her rescue without anyone asking him to, which was the beginning of their short-lived romance.
Spike watched her as she got lost in some memory. He then stepped into her side and wrapped an arm around her waist asking, "Everything alright me Primrose?"
She tried to give him a strong smile as she answered his question with her own. "Would healing maybe be one of your powers?"
"Aye, I've been known to wield such a power from time to time. Why do you ask?"
"I'm thinking you might be able to help to erase some painful memories for me." His scowl told her he didn't understand, so she took him by the hand and led him over to his chair in front of the fire. "It's not what you think. Please sit down and I'll explain everything."