Chapter Nine

"How did you know my na—" Jay started, but cut himself off immediately. Hadn't Jace responded the same way when Jay had been hibernating in the Void – in the form of a child? Was that what this was? What had Dianite done to Lara? "Dianite! You bastard," he seethed.

He sat on the edge of the bed. "Come on out," he coaxed with a long sigh, "your brother bit off my wings."

So I've been punished and you don't have to be scary. I mean mad. Yeah… mad, he added inwardly, you're scary when you're mad, Lara. Don't be angry.

"Good," she huffed, "you deserved it." She quietly said something else, but he could not hear it.

"Whatever." He laughed and laid back on the bed, but felt a familiar texture under his back. "What the hell? Lara, is re-growing wings possible?"

"Maybe," she said, "I don't know. I've never heard of it, but I suppose it's possible. Jace's wings have always healed themselves, even though he can't heal without fire."

He nodded. "Just wondering how they grew back so fast. He took to bone with it."

Jay sat up and rolled his shoulders, flapping his wings once experimentally. Lara was silent. Still hiding underneath the blanket, her face was hidden from him. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, and she clutched them tighter. Jay could see her shaking.

"You okay?" He asked, patting her on the back. Her wings were physically trembling underneath his hand. "What's wrong? Besides the obvious, that is."

"Y-You're just going t-to leave again," she told him, voice wavering on the edge of a breakdown. "Y-You're just going to… to go away… and I'll be a-all alone!"

It's not just your body, huh? It's your mind, too, he realized, but… these feelings don't come from nothing, do they, Lara?

He sighed and let himself shift back to the size he had been while allowing his energy to heal in the Void. He was around her size, if a bit taller. His hair was longer and he knew his eyes would be more vibrant. Carefully, he moved the blanket from over her and took her hands in his own.

"I won't leave you," he promised. "Pinky promise?"

Even as a child, Lara did not seem to take his words with much more than a moderately unimpressed glance. This was the Lara he knew, still – the Lara who scowled at nicknames and roll her eyes at pranks, and how do I know this? He wondered.

"Okay," Lara conceded, allowing Jay to intertwine his pinky with hers.

Of course, Jay knew, no moment was sacred enough to be spared followers. Jay quietly cursed himself as he listened to the voices in the doorway. Tom, Tucker, and Sonja were all standing in the room. Obviously, Tucker and Sonja had followed after him – but not before fetching Tom to join them. Jordan must have been elsewhere, lest he would have been with them as well.

"Aww," Sonja giggled.

"Sonja," Jay growled.

"So cute!" Tucker teased, laughing.

Tom snickered. "The cheeks, mate! So pinch-able!"

Jay looked over at Lara. "On three?" He asked.

Lara shook her head. "You can. I don't want Dianite mad at me anymore than he already is."

"I'll kick Dianite's ass again if I have to," Jay assured her before running over, kicking Tom in the shin. Jay stumbled back with the effort it took and his own lack of balance with a body so much smaller. Tom scrambled away before the three left, not without more comments about how 'cute' the sight was.

Jay looked over at Lara, noticing how she was smiling. A smile crossed his own face as she started to laugh, before her laugh faded into a thoughtful humming. He wondered what she was thinking about. He opened his mouth to ask, but her words were answer enough.

"Daddy," she called, "daddy, can you come here?"

Mianite appeared in the room and blinked, gasping. He sat down next to her on the bed, looking her over to injuries. Jay kept silent, displeased that his spot had been stolen by the god.

"L-Lara," Mianite asked.

"I-I'm fine," Lara mumbled, "can you… can you fix this? Dianite did it."

He hummed. "I don't know. Ianite is likely better at this than I."

As Mianite called for Ianite, Jay smiled a bit. He liked Ianite. Out of all of the gods, Ianite was the only one he had any real tolerance toward. She was neutral, unlike her brothers, who both hated Jay with a passion simply for existing – although, Jay reciprocated their feelings, save for the fact that Mianite had created Lara and Dianite had created Jace.

Although, there were days he despised Jace as well.

Ianite appeared next to Mianite on the bed. She glanced over at Lara, covering her mouth perhaps to prevent a laugh. "Oh my… you look very…" She smiled and said, "I believe I see what you have requested my services for, Brother."

Lara sat up a bit taller, wings spreading out behind her. "So you can fix this."

"I can," Ianite confirmed, glancing over at Mianite, "if Mianite is prepared to allow me to change you back to normal, and give up a chance at having a few more days with you like this."

Mianite nodded, and Jay feigned offense, pulling himself up onto the bed as well. "What of my cuteness?" Jay joked, swinging his legs.

Ianite giggled, offering him a smile and a pat on the head. "I believe you can fix yourself, Jay, although you too do look quite cute like this."

Jay smiled back at her. "That's what I was looking for. Hope you don't mind I kicked your brother's ass!" Realizing what he had just said and to whom, he covered his mouth quickly. "Uh… oh…"

Ianite shook her head. "I believe Dianite could afford to be put in his place occasionally," she admitted.

She snapped her fingers and light encompassed the room. When it faded, Lara was back to normal. Mianite had vanished, leaving Jay alone with the two women. He changed back to his regular age while Lara thanked Ianite.

"I was more scared of you washing my mouth with soap," he informed, linking his pinky with Lara's again and offering the other Guardian a quick smile. "Thank you, Lady Ianite, for helping Lara."

Ianite nodded and got up off of the bed. Jay's stomach knotted and immediately he said, "Lady Ianite."

"Yes, Jay?" Ianite asked, voice patient and kind. "Is something the matter?"

"Ugh… I don't want to hide anything…" He took a deep breath and continued, "but I trust you and Lara the most. My father died. I think… I think… his legacy will continue."

Ianite blinked at him and then offered a soft smile, as if she had already guessed and had been waiting for him to make it official. "Oh?"

"Through me," he explained. "As God of the Void. But I promise never to hurt any of you." He paused a moment, glancing over at Lara. "And never leave you."

Ianite's smile widened a bit. "I believe that sounds like a wonderful idea," she commented. "You have my blessing for it. Lara?"

Lara looked between them and laugh a bit. "My blessing's not really important, but… if you don't leave me, then…"

Jay smiled at her. "Your blessing means the world to me, Lara," he assured, before turning to Ianite and forcing self-confidence. "So, Lady Ianite… how do we do this?"

"Guardians and gods are not that different, Jay," Ianite informed, "all it takes to become a god is to create. You are already powerful enough to constitute being a god in that way. You could easily be considered rule of a realm."

"Lady Ianite, while that is flattering, you overplay my abilities," he announced.

He glanced down at his hand, noticing that Lara had not removed her finger from the locked-position it held with his. He wondered if it was symbolic, or a form of subconscious bond. He was not going to break it. He liked the 'bond' it created between them. The silent promise to be together, always.

He smiled a bit. Did you change your mind about spending eternity with me, Lara? Is this a 'yes' now?

"Perhaps you underestimate them," Ianite suggested.

Lara nodded. "Jay, I think Lady Ianite is right. You're powerful, as much as I hate to admit it. You wouldn't be a foe I'd want to face."

Jay frowned. "I'm a foe you won't have to face," he informed, sighing, "well, I am on the gods' side. With the exception of Dianite."

Ianite patted his shoulder. "Consider what I have told you, Jay. You will find your rise to power through creation."

She vanished and Jay raised a brow, looking at where she had been standing. He turned back to Lara. "Cryptic much?" He joked, before removing his pinky from around hers and lifting her hands. "I hope you know I meant what I said."

Lara sighed and leaned against his shoulder. "I believe I do," she confirmed, humming thoughtfully as she glanced at their hands.

Jay smiled. It was a rare moment of peace. He resisted the urge to look to the door and wait for something to ruin it. He did not want the silence to be broken, if breaking it meant distracting from a time he could finally spend with her – alone, not arguing or fighting. He rubbed circles against her hand with his thumb.

It was Lara who broke the moment of silence and stillness, by pressing her lips against his and then pulling away. Her glance moved away from him as her cheeks went red. Jay smiled a bit wider. "I think your kisses are a tiny bit addictive," he informed.

She shook her head at him. "We never said 'hello,' you know. When I got back."

He shrugged. "Hello," he greeted, smile turning into a smirk when he noticed how her gaze immediately moved sharply to him. It's so fun to make you angry sometimes, he thought.

She bumped his shoulder with her own, rolling her eyes at him affectionately. "No, stupid. I meant, you never said 'hello.' When I…" She paused. "A few months ago, the last thing you said to me was that the kiss was a 'see you soon.' Well, I never got a 'hello,' or a 'welcome back,' or anything like it. How rude."

He frowned. Thinking about her death was not something he enjoyed, but she was right. He had told her that he would see her again.

"You're right. I apologize. How can I make it up to you?" He asked. "Oh, along with this." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, which seemed to mildly settle her. "It's good to have you back."

"Keep your promise," she said, "that's how you can make it up to me. Don't make there another 'see you soon.'"

He nodded. "You got it. Though, that first kiss wasn't enough," he admitted slyly, tilting her chin up to press his lips against hers.

She kissed him back and reached around, wrapping her arms gently around his neck. He placed his hands at her waist, feeling nerves bubbling through him. As much as he wanted to try and press closer, he was afraid he would do something to upset her, and—

She pulled her lips away, grabbed his hand, and pulled him to his feet. "Come on. I need to do something."

B-But… Lara, he thought. Damn. Only for you, Lara.

"What would that be?" He asked.

"I owe someone an apology for how I acted," she answered, pulling him towards Jordan's house. "I was horrible to Polaris, and I didn't get a moment to apologize to her yet."

He smiled a bit. "Alright. I think I want to try something else out as well."

Lara gave him a curious glance before turning away. She opened Jordan's door. "Polaris," she called.

"Y-come in," Polaris said.

Jay held up his hand. "Give me a second out here, okay?"

As the girls walked into the house, Jay sighed. He had been alone for so long that spending any time alone with Lara made him eager. The idea of having a companion for all of his life was something he longed for. His thoughts trailed to Polaris, who was also fated to be alone. As far as he knew, there was only one Enderdragon.

He rubbed his hands together, feeling his energy pool through him. The sinking sun was offering a great deal of shade, which was only empowering him further. Shadows swirled at his feet, rising slowly until they grew tall and wide – just a bit smaller than Polaris' regular form. He waited until it was a stable form before stopping it. The dragon-form standing in front of him had black scale, with silver on its underbelly and a silver head. Its silver eyes gleamed with power as it looked down at him patiently, awaiting direction.

"Change," he commanded.

The dragon shrunk down into the form of a boy, standing approximately five-foot-eight. His hair was black, standing out against his almost-gray skin tone. His eyes remained the same silver that they had been in dragon form. He blinked at Jay, still silent.

"Come on," he directed, turning and leading the boy over to Jordan's door.

As Jay approached, he could hear Lara and Polaris talking.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for getting so angry. I wasn't thinking straight, and I didn't want to rsik you getting hurt if I… I didn't intend on coming back if I couldn't find Jay, and I didn't want you to go through leaving me there because I thought it would hurt you."

"I understand, and it's okay. Just… don't be that mean again, okay? I just wanted to help."

"I know, and I won't. Promise. I—"

The two fell silent as Jay opened the door. Both looked over at him. Jay put on a happy face, despite feeling guilty over hearing Lara admit, for a second time, that she would have remained in the Void if Jay had been past saving.

"Polaris! Visitor," he called. "I have something to show you."

Polaris gave him a curious look as he glanced around, before Jay gestured to the boy following him. Polaris' eyes went immediately to him instead. "Change," Jay commanded.

As the boy doubled-over, changing into dragon-form, Lara took in a sharp breath. Jay could tell she was anxious about a dragon of the male's size being in Jordan's rather tiny house. Admittedly, Jay was confident it was an uncomfortable fit, but he was more excited to see Polaris' face when she realized she was not alone.

"He doesn't have a name," Jay said off-handedly, "how about… QuickSilver?"

"QuickSilver," Lara echoed. "It's long, but it could work, I suppose."

Polaris let out a squeal of delight and rushed over to the dragon. Jay could hear her teleporting around as she inspected the other dragon. QuickSilver was craning his neck to keep her in his sight, but she was swiftly avoiding him. After a few moments, Polaris appeared on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck, as best she could in human-form.

Jay shrugged, smiling at the scene before him. "He was born under the moon and I'm not creative," he excused.

Polaris hopped off of QuickSilver's back and looked up at him, grinning. Jay turned his attention to the dragon he had created. "Change at will," he directed.

QuickSilver shifted back into human-form. Polaris followed him with her eyes, happy when he struck up a conversation with her. Jay collapsed onto the couch, eyes slipping shut a bit.

"That took a lot out of me," he mumbled drowsily.

Lara laughed quietly and walked over, grabbing his hand. "Come on. Jordan won't appreciate you falling asleep here. Let's get you back to the house."

She turned toward the two human-formed dragons. "QuickSilver, if you want to change form, I'd advise you to do it in the large tree nearby. Jordan's home is growing far too small for one dragon. Two will be too big."

QuickSilver nodded at her, and Jay reluctantly followed Lara out of the house.

"Carry me?" He asked half-jokingly.

Lara sent him a gentle look. "Only if you really can't walk," she replied.

"Fine," he sighed, following her.

It pleased him how much she squirmed when he would snicker and ask, "Are we there yet?"

A/N: Introducing QuickSilver and part of the main plot of this and the next story.