Acheron sat on his throne strumming on an unplugged electric guitar, looking like the picture of nonchalance. In reality, he was trying to keep busy while waiting to hear back from Astrid, Zarek's wife who is a Justice Nymph and half-sister to the Fates. As he had predicted the Fates would not give his daughter, Katra, an answer regarding Parker and Remi's possible mating. They were still holding a millennia's old grudge against Acheron because his mother had laid waste to Atlantis and most of Greece to try to get to them because they had cursed him at birth. But that's a different story.
Zarek hadn't been happy that Acheron had called them for a favor, not that that reaction came as a surprise, but Astrid was more than happy to try to help. The only reason Zarek even passed the phone on to his wife was because Acheron had said that it he was calling about something pertaining to the Wallace's daughter. He knew that Zarek had a soft spot for the little girl who had fearlessly offered for him to sleep in her bedroom so that he would be more comfortable even though she had actually been absolutely terrified of him.
But Astrid had yet to call him with any updates. He tried to keep his mind off of it because there truly wasn't anything that he could do right now from Katoeros, the Atlantean heaven realm. He had also put calls into a couple of gods from Olympus who owed him a favor or who were just nice enough to help him out, but none of them had an answer for him either. As soon as he mentioned the Fates, everyone tried not to laugh while they told him there was little to nothing they could do.
Normally when he was at his home in Katoteros, he would have a few friends, including Simi, who would come and chat with him from time to time. This visit he had requested to only be disturbed if anyone called with news about Parker, if it was his wife, Tory, that needed him for any reason, or if something catastrophic was happening with any Dark-Hunters. He had even relegated Simi to being a tattoo on his body so that he could be left alone with his thoughts.
"Where are you Parker?" He quietly asked the empty room. "Who has you? And how have they taken you away from us?"
He felt Simi move from his left upper arm to his chest just above his heart. He gently patted that spot and said out loud, "Don't worry Simi, we'll find your Parker-Cub."
SINCE THE WEATHER was still clear and the worst of the cold weather had yet to set in, Parker and Spike tried to spend as much time as they could outdoors. Once they had harvested the rather large garden he had planted, they moved their attention to the small fruit orchard he had on the property. Parker had been quite surprised to find out that Spike owned a small of apple, pear, plum and fig trees. Then again she had yet to fully explore the property so she was sure that there were many more surprises for her to discover if she ever got a chance to check out the whole property.
Out of sheer curiosity, Parker had tried to use the few clues that she had observed in and around the cabin to figure out where they were, but every time she thought she had it figured out something would throw her off. For instance, most of the trees that Spike had cut down for firewood were fir, oak and the occasional pine trees, so she thought they might be in Alaska or British Columbia. But then Spike told her that if she was up for it, he was going to check the taps on his maple trees to see if they were ready so that they could make their own maple syrup. Since she had only heard of that being done in eastern States like Vermont or Canadian Provinces like Quebec, she was completely confused.
While she was up a ladder passing a filled basket of apples down to Spike, Parker commented, "So you are pretty much self-sufficient here at your cabin, eh?"
"Aye," he replied with a smile. "Tis me hideaway, so I want to be able to spend me time here, not traveling around for supplies. Me plans are to start a small farm in the new year with me own livestock to slaughter."
"Wow, really? So you'd have like cows, pigs and chickens here too?" Parker asked in a tone of mild awe.
"Aye. Mayhaps geese and turkeys as well. I'll have to see how much I can get done in the Spring," he explained. He then helped guide Parker down the ladder with his hands on her sides. When he still had his hands encircled around her waist, he whispered into her ear, "It'll also depend on if me Bonnie Primrose is willing to assist me with the upkeep of me wee fowl."
Parker shivered as his breath ghosted over her neck. She wasn't sure how she felt about her body's unconscious reaction to his presence because before Remi she had never fall for anyone very quickly. Most of the guys she had been with in the past had either been friends of hers for years or had been someone she had known through friends or family for a while before any feelings had blossomed. She had never been one to have a one-night stand (except for that one time with Otto, but again they had sort of known each other and she had expected to have a longer relationship with him) and she had never been on a blind date, so she was somewhat uneasy about Spikes familiarity with her after such a short amount of time.
Although in the next breath, she also reminded herself that she was trying not only to stay alive right now, which meant she needed to stay on Spike's good side, she was also trying to get over a broken heart. In the past she had either thrown herself into her work or studies to get over her latest break-up. Her friends had teased her that a one-night stand would do more wonders than getting an 'A' in a class, but Parker had never felt right about trying that as a solution. Then again maybe it was something that might be worth a try since her old coping mechanisms took so long to work and she wasn't in school anymore and she was far away from her work.
Plus, there was the fact that Spike wasn't looking just to hook up with her for a night. He thought that she was the woman he had loved for centuries and was willing to devote himself to her. That was a completely new concept to Parker. She didn't think that it was the worst premise on which to start a relationship, so she had made a resolve with herself to give some serious thought to giving it a try.
With that thought in mind, Parker turned around in Spike's loose hold so that she was facing him when she replied, "So long as I'm just doing the feed and don't have to help with the slaughtering, you have yourself a deal."
With his index finger, Spike brushed a lock of hair off Parker's forehead and tucked it behind her ear. He smiled softly as he said, "Me Primrose has a warrior spirit, but the most tender of hearts."
Parker felt her cheeks heat up as she ducked her head in embarrassment. She had already told Spike about her schooling and her proficiency with a blade, bow and various firearms. He had been delighted to hear that and even offered to take her with him on his next hunting trip. She had squirmed in her place as she declined his offer and explained that her only experience had been target practice and that she still hadn't gotten her first kill under her belt. He had countered that this could be her opportunity to do that, so she had to break down and tell him she wasn't sure that she could kill a defenseless animal, even if it was for sustenance. She was worried that she had disappointed him, but he just smiled and said that he understood and that she reminded him even more of the sheep farmer's daughter that he adored more than a lifetime ago.
"Oh Parker, I didn't mean to embarrass you," Spike recanted as he watched her walk over to the trolley where they were loading the baskets of fruit in order to transport them back to his cabin.
Parker kept her hands busy by rearranging some of the baskets as she replied, "I know you didn't. It's just that sometimes... gods, I don't know... it feels like..."
Spike gently stilled Parker's hands and turned her to face him. It didn't take him long to recognize when Parker was overwhelmed by her own thoughts which led to her to speaking I disjointed sentences. He also quickly realized that if he stopped her and helped her to refocus her thoughts that he could get her back on track almost immediately.
Today he held one of her hands in his own and moved his other hand up to her cheek to caress it gently. "You can tell me anything Lass. There be no judgment in me heart for you."
Parker smiled softly then teased him saying, "I thought you said you and your brother were born without hearts."
He let out a boisterous laugh as he replied, "Aye, tis true Lass. Tis why there be no room for judgment, me Primrose."
Parker gave him a sad smile in response. He thought that that was the end of the discussion, but she surprised him when she let out a heavy sigh then said, "Sometimes it feels like I'm the worst Squire on the planet because I'm not actually really one at all. I've never worked with a Dark-Hunter. I'm not even sure that I've ever seen a real Daimon, so there's absolutely no way that I've ever killed one. What good am I if I can't really do the job?"
"Parker!" He nearly shouted in surprise. "Taking a life, t'isn't something anyone should doo lightly. Don't let that be how ye measure yer worth."
"But Spike you don't understand. The people I'm supposed to be working with are ancient warriors who made their names by the blood they shed in the battlefield. Then there's me, a little girl who was raised to do a job that she's never actually done. Who wouldn't be disappointed for being stuck with me?"
"I for one be feeling blessed to have been able to meet you again."
Parker smiled, even though she tried really hard not to as she said, "But that's totally different. I'm not out here to help protect you or humans from some soul sucking vampires."
"Tis true." He then released his hold on her and moved behind the cart to push it back towards the cabin. He paused briefly then added, "Mayhaps yer Fates crossed our paths again now for a reason."
Parker's mouth gaped open for a moment because she hadn't even considered that as a possibility. She grew up worshipping the gods and goddesses from the Greek pantheon, but other than Artemis she had never thought about how they might influence her daily life. When she thought of the Fates, it was usually only in relation to how they chose mates for Were-Hunters.
Had she been focusing on the wrong role of the Fates? Was Spike right? Did they have a totally different plan plotted out for her?
Parker shook her head to clear away all of the questions racing through her head. Spike might have made an interesting and important point, but she didn't have time to indulge in those thoughts right now. Instead she did a skip-jump and hurried her steps to catch up with him. Maybe after they were done with their chores for the day she could question him further about this new theory that he had concocted.
ACHERON LOOKED UP FROM his fingers as they idly plucked the strings on his guitar when he heard his mother's voice call out, "Apostolos."
It didn't take long before he found her astral projection just to the right of where he was seated.
"Matisera..."
"I know what you are going to say Apostolos, so let me stop you there. I also know that you're very worried about that human. Why, I still can't understand, so I've done some searches for you."
Acheron sat up taller on his throne because he hadn't thought to ask his mother for help. Well, he actually had thought about it, but he was convinced that she would never lift a finger to help him try to find a human. Especially a human that wasn't his wife. For some reason Apollymi always had a soft spot for Tory that he was more than thankful for because of the complications that had occurred at the start of their relationship. But in the next breath he almost worried that his mother had taken such a deep interest in the subject of Parker's search and he couldn't help but to wonder why that was.
"Thank you Matisera," he replied with a tone of genuine gratitude.
"M'gios, you know there is very little I wouldn't do for you," she commented with a sad smile on her face. "But before you get too excited, I have to tell you that I've found absolutely nothing."
Acheron tried no tot look too dejected as he said, "Oh, well... thank you for trying."
Apollymi watched her son for a couple of seconds then added, "Apostolos? You know I normally could care less about any human that isn't my family, but it does trouble me that I found nothing."
"What do you mean?" Acheron asked feeling quite perplexed.
She took a couple of steps towards him saying, "My pond, it can show me anything I ask for. It's how I keep tabs on you, Tory and my grand-babies, but it remained completely blank when I searched for... Oh what's her name again?"
"Parker," he offered politely. "Parker Wallace."
"Right. That's it. Anyways, I thought you should know that."
Acheron smiled because even though it still sounded like his mother didn't care about Parker, he knew that she had tried. He also knew that she had more information to share with him, but she was going to make him work for it.
"Thank you again for trying," he said with a smile. "But can I ask...? Has this ever happened to you before? Do you know what that might have happened?"
"I'm not sure, m'gios. It makes me wonder if she's even on the mortal plain at all because I've had difficulties seeing into Hades' domain and many parts of Olympus in the past. Are you sure that she is still on Earth?"
Acheron paled at the thought of what her questions could mean. He swallowed thickly then asked, "Matisera, you don't think that someone... or something took her just to... to... kill her, do you?"
Apollymi tried to pet Acheron's face, but due to her current state her hand just passed right through him. She then let out a heavy sigh and replied, "Ma komatia, your heart is too kind. No, I don't believe that anyone has hurt your human, I just don't know where they have taken her. It could be someone from another pantheon who has a refuge like you do here or powers to cover up her presence. There are many possibilities, Apostolos and it's very hard to say which one is correct."
Acheron smiled a little more easily as he replied, "You're right, Matisera. Those are some possibilities that I hadn't really considered. I'll have someone look into that side of things."
Apollymi smiled and stepped away from Acheron. She wanted so badly to be able to hug him and it hurt her heart every time that she was reminded that she couldn't.
As his mother stepped away from him, Acheron could see that she was saddened by the distance between them. For as long as he could remember she tried to entice him to join her in Kalosis. He had been tempted to do it from time to time but refrained from actually doing so because were he to join her it would effectively cause the end of the world, literally. Since he considered himself an unofficial protector of humans due to his role with the Dark-Hunters, he thought it would be counterproductive to cause their ultimate demise simply to see his mother in person.
She didn't appear to have anything else to say, but Ash still had a couple of questions for her. He quickly put down his guitar and stood up from his throne. As he walked towards her, he called out, "Matisera... before you go... Again I truly appreciate your help, but how did you find out about my search for Parker?"
She tisked him and moved closer to him replying, "Your wife and daughter love you very much, m'gios. They both came to me to ask if there was anything that I could do to help. None of us want to see you hurting, Apostolos."
"I know... and thank you again. It's just that she's..."
Apollymi tried to place her fingertips over his lips to silence him as she interrupted his thought saying, "You don't have to explain, m'gios. No matter how hard you try, I will never understand your love for humans after everything they did to you. Tory and your babies not included. Now if I can help with anything else, please ask me, okay?"
"Alright, I will Matisera, I promise. I think you've helped out more than you know already."
That compliment brought a tear to Apollymi's eye as she smiled proudly. She then disappeared without another word spoken. Acheron let out another sigh as he looked around the room to make sure that she really was gone. Once he had that confirmation, he made sure to put his guitar away properly before he flashed himself to his home in New Orleans.
It didn't take him long to find his wife, Tory, in her office grading papers. As usual she was talking to herself under her breath and cursing the stupidity of most of the world's population. Seeing her like that always made Acheron want to laugh, but that usually got him into trouble with her so he forced himself to keep a straight face.
The floor board creaked under his boots causing Tory's head to snap up. When she saw her husband approaching her with what she thought was a stern look on his face, she quickly put down the paper she was reading and picked up their son from his playpen beside her desk.
Tory then held Base up towards Acheron like he was a shield saying, "Achimou, don't be upset. I just thought that she would be able to find Parker and then all of this ugliness would be over."
Acheron let out a deep laugh which caused Tory to jump in her place. Bas immediately put out his hands for his dad to give him a hug and Acheron was quick to comply. Once her hands were emptied, Tory opened her eyes and frowned at the scene in front of her.
After giving his son a tight hug, Acheron moved the toddler onto his hip so that he could wrap his now free arm around his wife. Tory still looked confused as he kissed the top of her head which made him laugh again.
"Tory," he finally said with laughter still in his tone. "I'm not upset, Sota, that you asked my mother to help us."
"You aren't?" She asked sounding like she truly didn't believe him.
"Honestly, I'm not," he repeated as he hugged her again. "She couldn't find Parker, but she did bring up a couple of interesting points. I'm going to head over to Sanctuary to talk to Aimée and Fang quickly and then I'll come back here to take care of the kids so that you can finish grading your papers in peace."
Tory was smiling proudly as she reclaimed their son from her husband. After she had placed Bas in his playpen again, she turned around and almost ran into Acheron's chest. Before she could speak, he leaned down to give her a soft, lingering kiss.
Once he released her lips, Tory smiled dreamily then said, "If you really wanted to thank me, you could take over marking my papers."
Acheron laughed then kissed her again. "We'll see when I get back, Sota."
AIMÉE AND FANG WERE sitting in her office talking about his meeting with Thorn, the head honcho for the Hellchasers and a high ranking demon, when they heard a knock on the door. Fang rubbed Aimée's back and kissed her forehead to try to comfort her before he moved to open the door. Normally they would have called out for whomever it was to come in, but right now Fang wanted to screen who came into the office to talk to his mate because she was so upset.
She sat at her desk with her elbows resting on the desk top and her head cradled in both of her hands. She hadn't held out much hope that Fang's demon associate, Thorn, would actually try to or be able to help them, but it still felt like a blow to the gut to hear that he had completely refused. Worse than that, Thorn hadn't even let Fang finish telling him about their predicament before he cut Fang off and told him never to bother him again with such trivialities. Well that was putting it too politely compared to what Thorn had really said, but Fang hadn't give her specific details because he hadn't wanted to upset her any more than he had to at the moment.
Aimée only raised her head from her hands when she heard Fang say in a relieved sounding tone, "Of course, please come in."
When she the familiar looking, heavily buckled combat boot come through the door, Aimée's mood started to perk up. But once her eyes traveled up to look into Acheron's frowning face, she immediately deflated. When Ash saw Aimée's reaction, he tried to lighten his expression because he didn't want her to lose faith completely just yet.
"I take it that you hit nothing but dead ends too," Aimée finally said as Acheron sat down in a chair on the other side of her desk while Fang took up his post at her side once again.
Ash shrugged and tried to look nonchalant as he replied, "Yes and no."
"What do you mean by that?" Fang retorted sounding angrier than he meant to in the moment.
Aimée reached up to hold her mate's hand in an effort to help to keep him calm. He then grabbed a chair and pulled it up beside her so that he could wrap an arm around Aimée's shoulders. She cuddled into his side and placed her head on his shoulder.
Acheron sat and watched the two Were-Hunters get comfortable in silence. He knew everyone that was close to Parker was having a tough time dealing with her disappearance, especially Remi, Aimée and Dev, so he was willing to cut the two people in front of him more than a little slack.
Once everyone looked like they were comfortable, Acheron finally answered, "You were right bear, no one could give me an answer about Parker's whereabouts or if she is in fact Remi's mate. The Fates were being their usual unhelpful selves about the whole situation, but Astrid said that she would keep trying to find out the truth. She also said that she wouldn't be above going to their mother to try to find out the whole truth either."
"Okay… I guess that's a good thing?" Aimée posed it as a question because she really wasn't sure of what that meant.
Ash gave her a sympathetic smile then replied, "I'm hoping it's a good thing because then at least we might have an answer about the identity of Remi's still unknown mate."
"Right, that would be good. Okay, did you find out anything else?" Aimée asked trying not to sound overly desperate.
The next bit of information that he had to relay was quite delicate, so Acheron took his time to word it properly. He worried that if he wasn't extra careful while explaining what his mother had told him that Aimée and Fang would completely misunderstand him which would cause them extra worry for no reason.
"So the other thing isn't so much something I found out, but more like questions that I didn't think to ask before." That statement caused both Aimée and Fang to frown profoundly which was the reaction Acheron had expected. "We've all been working on the premise that Parker was taken by someone to somewhere here on Earth, but what if she isn't?"
"She isn't what? Here on Earth?" Fang asked in a tone that sounded like he didn't totally understand and truly did just want clarification of that point. "Where else could she be?"
Ash shrugged answering, "The possibilities truly are endless. A different dimension? A different time? Tartarus?"
Ash's last question got Aimée's attention. She let out a soft gasp as she sat up. Her hand flew to her mouth and then she asked through her fingers in horrified shock, "Ash you don't think…? She can't be…"
"She's not dead," a voice stated in a resolute tone from behind her.
Aimée and Fang turned to face Remi as he added, "Sorry, I heard Ash's song playing and when I didn't see him in the bar I thought that he might be here."
Aimée reached out a hand to her brother and squeezed his forearm. She was glad that he had come here on his own because she wanted him to know about what Acheron had found out and she wasn't sure that she had the strength to relay it all to him later. She also didn't know how to ask him to join them because any time anyone brought up Parker's name Remi would get a look on his face that just broke her heart.
Acheron could sympathize with both of the Peltiers because he remembered how he had felt when he lived through a similar situation with Tory. "I don't believe she is either, Remi, but there are other ways to be sent off the mortal plain that doesn't include death."
Remi nodded and then said, "Okay, yeah I understand that, but I don't believe she's alive, I know it. I mean I can feel it."
Aimée turned to her brother and asked, "What do you mean by that Remi?"
"I don't know exactly Aims, it just… in my heart… in my gut, I just know that she's alive and she's okay. She isn't hurt, she just needs us to find her."
Hearing that explanation caused Aimée and Fang to share a surprised look. Remi caught it right away and moved over to an empty chair by Acheron saying, "I know I sound like a crazy person."
"No, that's not it," Aimée countered quickly. "It's just… that's how I felt about Fang after he was almost killed in the Bayou. We later found out that we were so closely connected because we are mates. Honestly Remi, the more I hear the more I'm convinced that Parker really is your mate."
"And yet," he replied as he showed his marked palm to the room as if it completed his thought.
"That brings me to my next point," Acheron stated trying to get them back on track. "Whether she's on Earth or not, I'm fairly certain that we are dealing with someone who has enough power that they could hid Parker's mating mark and is now concealing her presence."
"Who has that kind of power?" Aimée asked even though everyone in the room was thinking the same thing.
"Again there are more possibilities than I can list right now," Acheron replied honestly. "I was going to check in with Talon because I was hoping Sunshine's grandmother will have some suspects for us."
Remi let out a heavy sigh then said, "Don't bother calling him Ash."
The three of them turned to Remi with surprised looks on their faces. He quickly realized that they had misunderstood his comment so he added, "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I ran into him a little bit ago and he told me that Sunshine still hasn't been able to talk to her grandmother. It's not all that unusual because she's known to go on like vision quests or something, but they're going to keep trying to get a hold of her."
"Okay then, that's one less stop I need to make," Ash replied.
"Who else are you going to talk to?" Aimée asked while her eyes remained focused on her brother's face.
"First I was going to check in with Katra and Sin. I'm hoping he might be able to check in with anyone from his old pantheon to see if they have any leads," he explained as he stood u to leave. "Since Thorn chose to be of no help, I was thinking Savitar might make himself useful."
"Savitar?" All three Were-Hunters asked at the same time.
Remi had a profound scowl on his face as he further inquired, "You aren't going to get the Omegrion involved, are you?"
"Not yet, but if Parker really is your mate and someone has kidnapped her, you are well within your rights to have the guilty party brought before the Omegrion for punishment," Acheron explained. "But in all honesty Remi, I'm just trying to call in favors to anyone that might be of any kind of help to us, no matter how small their contribution might be."
While trying to give Acheron a grateful smile, Remi said, "I know that you are Ash. Thank you for all of your help. I really didn't mean to sound so ungrateful."
"Don't give it another thought, bear. We all know how stressful it is when a loved one goes missing."
With that last comment Acheron smiled and then disappeared from the room.
Remi looked over at his sister and her mate and had to swallow down an angry growl. He didn't want to be jealous of them or begrudge them their happiness, but every time he saw them or any other happy couple, he couldn't help but to feel just that. For the most part it wasn't just seeing them together that was the issue, it was seeing the pregnant females. They were a constant reminder that every day that they didn't find Parker, he was one day closer to being celibate for the rest of his life. Or rather her life, which meant that sooner or later he would start wishing for her death just so that he could have release.
That was completely unacceptable to Remi so he instead chose to stay away from his friends and family right now to keep that from happening. Or to at least delay it from happening for as long as was possible.
Without taking his eyes off of the scroll work on his palm he said, "I guess I'll go see what else I can find out."
Aimée had a sad smile on her face as she started to reply, "Oh-" but Remi had disappeared before she finished the "-kay".
Fang hugged Aimée into his side and kissed the side of her head. She snuggled into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist to return his loving embrace saying, "I wish there was more we could do."
"I know you do Aims, but we're doing the best we can. No one can expect anything more than that."
She sighed and relaxed into his side saying, "That's true."
He heard her yawn, so he held her into his side with one arm while he used the other to move her legs over his lap. Aimée made an unhappy noise and then quietly asked, "What are you doing?"
"You didn't sleep well last night, so I'm taking you up to bed to rest Momma Bear."
"Oh," she replied sounding like she hadn't heard him completely because she was starting to fall asleep already.
Fang then picked her up and slowly made his way to Peltier House on foot. It wasn't often that he wished that Aimée was able to teleport, but right now definitely was one of those times.
WHEN PARKER OPENED HER eyes she found herself in a sea of black. She wanted to think that she was in a dark room but the truth was that she couldn't really tell because it was so dark. She stood completely still and was just happy that she could breathe normally.
The temperature wasn't anything to complain about but she still wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold. But then again the longer that she stood there the more she felt like she was going to start shivering. She knew it had nothing to do with the temperature and everything to do with her fear of the unknown.
Parker opened her mouth to call out but she just as quickly closed it because she didn't know where she was or, worse yet, who or what was with her in the pitch black. She figured it was safer just to remain silent, at least for the time being so that she could try to get her bearings.
Okay, she thought to herself with her eyes closed. You can't just stand here forever and wait to be eaten… or saved… Think Parker, think!
As she stood there shivering, she heard the sound of footsteps crunching on leaves of some sort. Parker also felt like there was light shining on her, so she very tentatively opened her eyes to see what had changed. Once they were open, she gasped softly because she found herself just on the edge of the Bayou at the garage where Talon kept the boats he (and she) had used to get to his cabin deep within the Bayou.
"How in Hades did I…?" She started to ask until she heard someone call out her name.
She turned around in a circle and didn't see anyone outside with her at all. Still feeling somewhat confused about how she had gotten here from Spike's cabin, she started moving towards the wooden structure that she hoped shill housed Talon's vehicles. Being on familiar turf was helping her to gain some confidence. Plus, she knew where Talon kept his weapons, so she figured if anything came after her she wouldn't be any worse off if she was armed.
As she took a step towards the garage like building, she paused when she heard her name being called out again. This time it was clearer and she could almost make out the person's voice, but not quite. She was almost certain that it was a male's voice, but she couldn't quite tell yet.
Do I stay to find out or do I go to the cabin? She thought to herself while she stood practically frozen in her place. Stay? Go? Stay? Go?
"Parker!" The voice nearly shouted with excitement as it got closer to her.
She remained standing in her spot even though all she really wanted to do was to run to one of Talon's boats. She looked down at her feet and silently cursed them for not moving. She was still staring at the ground when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. That caused her to jump in her place and let out a quiet scream.
"Parker!" The obviously male voice said with unadulterated relief in his voice. "I can't believe I finally found you."
Very slowly and almost afraid to have her suspicions confirmed, Parker turned around to face the man who had yet to let go of her shoulder. When his face came into view she took a step back asking, "Remi? How…? What…?"
She blinked and then their surroundings slowly morphed so that they were now standing inside Talon's cabin. Remi had finally let her go, so that she could turn around and he still wasn't touching her. When they changed locations she also wasn't feeling any of the usual effects of teleporting such as queasiness or light headedness which left her feeling even more confused.
Remi aw the scowl on her face and he couldn't help but to laugh. "We didn't teleport, mon ourson."
She took a large step away from him and snapped out an angry retort of, "Don't call me that."
Remi tried to reach out to her, but she just took a couple more steps away from him to make sure that she was beyond his reach unless he decided to move.
"Parker?" He finally replied in a tone of absolute confusion. "Why…?"
"How did we get here?" She asked forcefully over the rest of his question.
Remi stared at her in a stunned silence because he had never heard her used that tone before, especially with him. He also couldn't believe that she would object so viciously to him using the private nickname only he had ever used for her. When he had come up with that term of endearment (which was just the French word for 'bear cub'), Parker had been so excited that she had jumped into his arms and started kissing him and literally tearing off his clothes. Now she looked so angry that she looked like she might tear out his throat or his heart.
Parker folded her arms over her chest and started to tap her foot angrily while she waited for his reply. Suddenly the room around them started to melt away and turn into a dining room at a Pub. Only it wasn't Sanctuary, it was the pub she had worked at while she was a senior in high school and the summer before she went to college. As she watched the room come into view more clearly, tables with customers appeared. Although the scene around them looked like a normal night at the pub with everyone enjoying their food, drinks and conversations, the room was completely silent, almost as if someone had hit the mute button.
Parker turned a full circle and could see people's lips moving but she couldn't hear a sound. Once she had Remi back in view, she asked in an awe-filled tone, "How are you doing this?"
Remi slowly shook his head answering, "I'm not doing anything Parker. You brought us here."
"No, I can't…"
She paused for a second when she saw herself emerge from the kitchen. Only she didn't look the way that she should have during this time period. When she worked at this particular pub she had platinum blond hair that had been styled in a short bob because her hair had become so damaged from her bleaching out the black dye she had grown to love using in her earlier teens. Her wardrobe of choice had also been skirts that were almost too short to be considered decent along with t-shirts or tank tops with a plunging neck line. Her clothing had help to attract healthy tips as well as male attention which had bene her primary goal back then.
Instead she saw herself looking like she as from the current period of time. She was more confident than her younger self, sporting her now signature black hair with indigo blue streaks. She no longer felt like she needed validation by having random strangers admire her body, so she was dressed more comfortably in a V-neck t-shirt with a band's logo on it, jeans and leather combat boots.
Parker watched as her other self marched up to a table of five males like she was a woman on a mission. Suddenly this scene became eerily familiar. She watched as she placed her hand on a patron's shoulder and turned him around in his chair with so much force that she almost knocked him out of it. Parker couldn't hear the words that were being said. Then again she didn't need for her to know that he was ripping into Otto and telling him what he had always wanted to say to him back then but never had the courage to say out loud.
Normally when this scenario was playing out, Parker got to live it in first person perspective. This was the first time that she got to watch it as an outsider, so it was the first time that she noticed that no one but Otto was reacting to her giving him a verbal lashing. Even then he didn't react in the same manner that she knew that he would have back then. No instead he was groveling and begging her for forgiveness like he only would in her…
"I'm dreaming," she finally said as she pried her eyes away from the overly entertaining scene to face Remi again.
Remi smiled gently and looked genuinely relieved as he replied, "Yes, yes you are."
"How…? I mean I know how dreams work, but how are you here?" Her bottom lip started to quiver and her voice started to break as she asked, "I'm not…? You aren't actually…? Damn it! Am I starting to dream about you again?"
"Oh Parker," he started as he took a step forward. "No, I'm actually here."
He reached out for her but once again she stepped away and tearfully said, "Don't… please… just don't."
Remi's hands balled into fists as he forced himself not to get angry. Instead he felt like his heart was being ripped out. Now instead of having to stamp down his frustration, he was having to fight off tears of sorrow. It had been a long time since he had felt that way and although he knew their relationship would come to this sooner or later, it still caught him by surprise that it hurt so much.
Parker watched as Remi tried not to let his face crumble and she felt sick with guilt. She never could handle seeing someone in pain, so she swallowed down her own tears so that she could say, "Ever since I left Sanctuary, all that I've done is try to forget you and forget the way you make… I mean made me feel. If I let you hug me or touch me now… I'm afraid that I won't let you go and… and… I have to Remi… and you have to do the same."
He looked down at her and she was now close enough for him to touch her. She had also moved them out of the pub and into his bedroom at Peltier House. When she noticed their new locale, her cheeks turned a bright, dark pink so vibrant that Remi had to bite back a laugh because he could only imagine what she normally dreamt about happening in this room that would cause her to have such a strong reaction.
"We shouldn't be here," she suddenly whispered once again sounding like someone would hear her and that she would get into trouble. "This isn't right."
"It's alright Parker," Remi replied as she tentatively too her hand in his.
"No, it's not," she repeated as she stared at their now entwined fingers. "Remi it really isn't… you should be with your mate."
Since she wasn't trying to get away from him, he gently pulled her closer to him. That too was met with little to no resistance, so he tugged on her arm until she was wrapped in his arms. He felt her go completely rigid in his embrace just before she sobbed in a breath and hugged him tightly.
Parker wanted to resist him. She wanted to push him away. Heck she wanted to kick and scream and push him away, but the second that she caught a whiff of his scent she was lost. Parker was completely lost to the sight, smell and fell of his body. He was more intoxicating than any drink or substance that she had ever ingested and she just had to get closer to him.
As she burrowed her face into his chest, Remi brushed her hair back and tucked it behind her ears. He finally felt like he could breathe properly again as the tightness in his chest that he had been feeling since he found her bedroom empty finally started to ease up. He hadn't wanted to allow himself to have any hope that what his sister and Acheron had said was the truth, but here, now, holding Parker tightly in his arms, he actually didn't believe a word that they said was true. No, he didn't believe it was his truth, he knew it was the absolute truth. He knew with every fiber of his being, right down to his very soul that he was now holding his mate.
"Parker," he practically breathed against her ear. "I love you, Parker. I love you with all of my heart and soul."
She pushed on his chest and stared up into his face with a chagrinned look on her face saying, "No, Remi… no you can't… we can't… I can't let myself love you anymore."
He didn't what that he wanted to hear Parker say that she loved him until that very moment. His heart swelled slightly at her half confession and it was all he could do not to kiss her. Instead, he cupped one of her cheeks replying, "We can if we are mated…" She frowned but didn't get a chance to open her mouth to protest because he pressed his fingertips against her lips. "It isn't just my wishful thinking, or Aimée's, Acheron is convinced that it's true too. When has Acheron ever been that wrong about anything?"
As Remi lifted his hand from her mouth, Parker started to answer 'never' but what came out instead was, "There's a first time for everything."
"Parker…" he tried to protest until she slipped out of his embrace.
She was emphatically shaking her head as she said, "No, no it's can't be true."
"Why not? Tell me that we haven't seen crazier things happen. I mean my sister is mated to a wolf and my brother is mated to a Dark-Hunter. How is me being mated to a human so implausible?"
"It… I guess it isn't, but… but… it isn't me, Remi… it isn't me…"
"Parker…" he tried again with a heart-breakingly sad tone.
She shoved the palm of her open right hand into his face. He almost went cross-eyed trying to look at her palm like he knew that she wanted him to. When he saw nothing but human flesh, he opened his mouth to speak, but she didn't give him a chance to utter a single syllable.
"I can't be," she said now staring down at her right hand. Suddenly her face started to crumble and her tears started to cascade down her cheeks. "Don't you get it Remi? I want it to be true too, but it isn't… I can't be… because… because if I was, shouldn't I at least be able to conjure up a matching brand on my hand in my own fucking dream?" She showed him her hand again and practically shrieked, "I still can't even make it appear! And I'm trying to Remi! I'm fucking trying to make it appear with all of my heart!"
He took a small step away from her to try to give her space now that she was sobbing so profoundly that she was hyperventilating. In reality he wanted to scoop her up into his arms, but he knew that that wouldn't be the right move right now. As he stepped away, slowly but surely his room started to fade away around them. Remi then stood perfectly still while he waited to find out where she was taking them next.
Suddenly the room got so dark that he couldn't see Parker anymore. For a second he was worried that she had disappeared, but then he heard her sob in another breath. He tried to reach out to her, but the room was so black that he couldn't even see his own, especially when it was an arm's length away.
"It can't be true… it can't… Why…? Why won't it appear? Why?" She repeated over and over again as she let out another gut wrenching sob.
PARKER SUDDENLY SHOT UP in her bed and was almost completely awake. Her cheeks were still wet with her still tumbling tears, so she angrily wiped her palms against her cheeks to try to dry them. But her tears continued to fall at such an incredible rate that it was hard for her hands to even slow them down, let alone cease them completely.
She pulled up her sheet to use it as a modified handkerchief since her hands were effectively useless. As she pulled it up to wipe her nose, she got a whiff of something that was only vaguely familiar. She couldn't quite place the scent, so she opened her eyes to double check where she was now that she was awake. That turned out to be one of her less intelligent choices of late because she was nowhere close to being where she wanted to be.
Instead of waking up in her or Remi's bed back at Peltier House, she was on the bed Spike had brought her to in his cabin. Granted he was kind to her and he provided for her, well the best that he knew how, but he wasn't and this place wasn't her home. She had tried to fool herself into believing that he could help her to forget Remi and how he had, how he still did make her feel. She had even asked him to heal her scar that she got from the first night she and Remi truly connected, but she had chickened out in the end and asked him if he could do it 'later', knowing full well that she never wanted 'later' to ever arrive. He had taken it all in stride because he thought that he truly cared about her, but even that was a lie. He loved a woman who no longer existed on the mortal plain because she had reconnected with her soulmate and they were now spending the rest of eternity in the Elysian Fields, which was the term for Heaven for any who worshipped the Greek gods.
Parker pulled her knees up to her chest so that she could bury her face into them. It had been a long time since she had felt so lost and alone and all she wanted to do was to cry her heart and soul into extinction. She just couldn't find it in herself to pretend anymore. She wanted to be Remi's mate more than she wanted to be a Squire or to have her own Dark-Hunter to serve. Looking at her stupid, bare palm made her heart hurt so badly that she wanted to just cut her hand off so that it would stop mocking her and her feelings.
While she completely gave herself over to her tears she heard the cabin door start to open. She still had no idea what Spike was fully capable of, so she sucked in a deep breath to calm her tears and breathing as she dried her face on the sheet again. She gave a long, lingering look at the bathroom door, but she quickly realized that wasn't a viable option. She knew that she would only make it halfway across the room before he caught her and saw how upset she was right then. She also knew that he wouldn't stop pestering her until she told him the truth about why she was crying and everything that was upsetting her, but she didn't want to do that just yet. Actually, now that she was being honest with herself she never wanted to confide in him ever again because he didn't deserve that kind of intimacy with her now or ever.
She knew that she was petite, so she knew that if she tried hard enough that she could occupy a very small area of space. Right now that meant that she cowered into the top left-hand corner of the bed and into the corner of the wall of the cabin. She knew that it would be hard to see her from the door and she could only hope that he wouldn't see or hear her for a while and he would incorrectly assume that she was in the bathroom.
Despite her best efforts, Parker continued to cry silently into her knees. Feeling beyond desperate, she said a prayer to every god in the Greek pantheon that she thought might listen to her and might be of help that he wouldn't hear her soft sniffle when she took in a breath. She knew that she could stay still enough not to be notice, but she worried that trying to breath while she was so distraught would instantly give her away.
Parker held her breath when she heard the door open and then close with a fairly loud thud. That was quickly followed up by the sound of heavy boots on the floor. Initially they sounded like they were walking towards the bathroom, so she took a chance and let out the breath she was still holding. Almost as soon as she took in another breath, she felt a strong hand grip her shoulder tightly enough that she was sure that she was going to have a bruise. She couldn't help but to turn into the strong hold because she was worried that if she didn't that she would be injured even more.
She opened her eyes to try to start to apologize to Spike for her current state, but her breath was instantly stolen away when she looked into a pair of foreign, light green, flaming eyes.