Chapter 12

" I still smell sulfur." Bo complained in the bathtub. They decided to take a bath immediately after they came back from the island.

" Well, stop thinking about it." Tamsin took off her clothes and got into the tub. She sat down behind Bo and put her arms around her waist. She laid her chin on Bo's shoulder and kissed her cheek.

Neither of them talked for a while. They could hear the dripping faucet, the buzz noise from the lights, and people talking outside the bathroom. They were both enjoying this peaceful moment, which made them forget the missions and everything else.

" Maybe after this mission we should go for a trip or something." Bo said.

" Where do you want to go?" Tamsin smiled.

" I just want to lie down, and rest, and do nothing."

" For that, I have a perfect place. My bed in my apartment." Tamsin chuckled.

Then they stopped talking again. Silence filled the room, but it was not awkward, or boring. They both felt safe and satisfied.

They stayed in the bathtub for a long time, but neither wanted to get out. Until the knocking on the door broke the silence.

" Occupied!" Tamsin yelled.

" Tamsin."

" Can't you just use other bathrooms, Dyson?"

" Your mother is on the phone. She wants to talk to you."

" What? What does she want now?" Tamsin rolled her eyes and stood up. She drained the water on her with the towel and got dressed. " I'll be right back." She leaned over and kissed Bo on her lips, " Wait for me ok?"

Bo smiled and nodded.


Tamsin went to the control room with Dyson. She picked up the phone. Dyson left the room and closed the door.

" What? I'm busy." Tamsin said.

" I have something important to tell you."

" Listening."

" The Norns came to see me today."

" Ok...who is going to die this time?" Tamsin knew that every time the Norns paid visit to someone, there was no other purposes than to deliver a message. A message that indicated something big would happen, which usually with someone's death.

Alvitr paused on the other end of the phone for a while. Then she said:" It's you, Tamsin. They had a vision. Fire, a valkyrie's death and an unleashed monster."

" How do they even know it's me?"

" They just know, they are the Norns, Tamsin. They had never been wrong before, not even Gods can change what they see."

" Well, I guess I'll watch out for myself then." Tamsin said.

" No. I want you to come home. "

" What? I can't just abandon the mission like this! We are actually in the middle of something here, whatever it is. I think we are on the right track."

" No. I want you to come home immediately. I'll send someone else to replace you. They can still work on it without you."

" That's ridiculous! No one knows the case better than I do." Tamsin said.

" I am not asking you as your supervisor. I am asking you as your mother. Come home, Tamsin."

They both became quiet for a while. Then Tamsin said:" If death comes to me, I'll embrace it, as every great warrior once did. You taught me that, mother."

" Don't you say that to me! Don't you dare taking about embracing the death with me!"

" You and I both know that the Norns' visions can not be changed, no matter what we do. You can't stop it, neither can I." Tamsin said, " I'm staying. I can take care of myself. Besides, they don't even know if it's going to happen soon. Last time they predicted someone's death, it turned out dude's didn't die until like 100 years later. Maybe my death and the unleashed monster is totally unrelated."

Alvitr paused for a while, then she said:" Ok. I know I can't change your mind. I tried."

" I have to go." Tamsin said.


Bo noticed that Tamsin had something on her mind after she had talked with her mother on the phone.

" Hey, what's wrong?" She reached her hand out and grabbed Tamsin's hand.

" Nothing, just another mother daughter talk that didn't end well. It happens to me all the time." Tamsin shrugged. She took off her clothes and went into the tub.

" Oh." Bo said, " Well, at least your mother didn't abandon you on the doorstep of an orphanage."

" That's true." Tamsin rolled her eyes. Then she leaned over and kissed Bo. " You turned out more than fine though." She said.

Bo smiled. But she didn't say anything. They both became quiet again. Bo was enjoying the moment, while Tamsin was thinking about the conversation with her mother. She didn't tell Bo what it was, because she didn't want her to worry. Plus, she didn't think telling her would do anyone any good anyway.

Tamsin knew that once the Norns had seen something in their vision, it would be the destined future. It could not be changed, and it would not change. So if the Norns saw her death, that would happen for real. Although sometimes the Norns also miss-interpreted the vision. They always saw something that was going to happen, but they usually failed to see when, where or how.

Tamsin was not afraid of death. As a valkyrie, she was trained to accept that there was going to be a destined death at some point in her life long time ago. She knew it would come, eventually. She had almost felt the death's breath on her neck when she was almost killed by that bear. She was afraid back then, not because of death itself but the thought of dying alone in the snowfall was just too overwhelming, and the fact she was only 15. Even then, death never weighed this heavy on her heart. She had no one back then, but she had Bo now. She couldn't tell if it was because she never wanted to leave Bo, or she never wanted Bo to be alone. She just loved this brunette in her arms so much, that she couldn't imagine what it would be like not to see her again.

She held Bo tighter to her chest.

" Hey, you are really weird today." Bo said, " You ok?"

" I'm fine. Do you want something to eat?" Tamsin switched the subject.

" Well, I, am really hungry. But I'm not really craving for food..." Bo turn around in the tub. She ran her finger on Tamsin's collar bone, then she moved down. She laid her lips on Tamsin's and gave her a wet, passionate kiss.

Tamsin kissed her back, with a smiled on her face and a rock on her heart.