(The words aren't accurate, I know. An actual Quecha dictionary with English translations is a bit troublesome to find, even on the web. Therefore, I made it up and made it ancient, Deal, okay :p :)
Oh and enormous thanks to swanpride, who provided the accurate German near the end. You saved my bacon, dearest!
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HOSPITAL, THE FOLLOWING MORNING:
Grudgingly, Jim pried his eyes open and gazed cautiously down at his guide. The young man was still deeply asleep and seemed content wrapped in the Sentinel's arms, so Jim relaxed back into the pillows and breathed slowly. He had spent the remainder of the previous day and the entire night in basically the same position he'd been in since Blair had finally emerged from his self-imposed catatonic state. Aches were starting to make themselves known, but he couldn't convince his body or his Blessed Protector nature that they were safe. Throughout the night, every time anyone had entered the room, Jim snapped awake and furiously stared them down until they left again. That meant he'd only rested in two or three hour periods, fighting to return to deep, genuine sleep after each visit by a nurse or check-in by the next in a rotation of patrolmen the department had assigned to guard the pair.
Just as he'd begun to drift away once more, a soft, raspy voice calling his secret name brought him swiftly back to full consciousness.
"Enqueri..."
"Mmmm... shelar, mey kerzana. Enqueri doa wecho."
Blair looked up, a confused, curious, half-aware expression blossoming on his face.
"Nice. Wa's it mean?"
Uncertain why he was saying it, or if the translation was anywhere close to correct, Jim forced himself to simply speak what his brain was feeding him, without over-thinking and without censoring.
"Peace, my beloved. Enqueri is here."
"Not Quecha."
"It is, but older... I think."
"Hmmm. Yeah... um... beloved?"
"I don't know. It's what came to me."
"Sentinel thing, like always." Blair concluded, tucking his head back into the crook of Jim's shoulder.
"Not this time. At the house, when I was searching for you... I became him. Completely. It's never happened to me like that before. God, Blair, I... I called Midnight... and he showed up. I said a word... and he was there. He's always been on his own schedule, ya know? I had no clue that if either of us was really in need, I could just... ask."
"So that's why he went away."
"He was with you?"
"At the end, they all three were."
Blair felt Jim tense abruptly and lifted his eyes. "What?"
"Three. We only have one apiece, kid." Jim replied, testing and hating himself for it.
"Lobo and Midnight brought a friend this time... a gorgeous red-tailed hawk."
"Falcon." Jim murmured, almost under his breath. Head buried so closed to the source, however, Blair understood perfectly.
"Huh. Maybe it was. Zoology was never my thing... hey, can I go home soon? You know I hate these places."
"I don't blame you. Not a big fan myself. I don't know, Chief. Doctor oughta be here pretty soon. We'll probably find out then."
"Okay. You go get food... I'm gonna go back to sleep." Blair said, focing down his own fear and turning away to snuggle under the blankets.
"Chief..."
"No. Been here half the day and all night."
"I can't just..."
"I'm bein' guarded, aren' I?"
"Yeah..."
" 'Kay. Go, walk, eat..."
"I barely got you back, Blair. I can't leave you yet."
"I'll be okay for a little while, Enqueri. You tell the cops, though..."
"Yeah? Tell 'em what?"
"Anybody but MC, the doctor or the nurses they recognize... shoot to kill. Don't wait, don't ask... shoot."
Jim opened his mouth, on the verge of making a light joke, but one look in Blair's eyes wiped that idea out of existence and tightened Jim's throat.
"Chief. You mean that, I can see it. That's not you."
"It is now. Only about them, though. I swear... I heard their names... first names, anyway. I spent so much time lost inside myself, trying not to be there... I don't know if I can remember..."
"Doesn't matter if you do or not. They're gone."
"Jim, I told you..."
"I know, and I trust your instincts. I'm just trying to think positive. You're sure I can go? I won't be long, I promise..."
"Absolutely sure."
"Okay. You've got the call button where you can reach it?"
Blair displayed the device. "Good. I'll be back soon. Maybe I'll even have the Burton when I get here."
As he stepped out, Jim met Henri with his hand raised, preparing to knock. "Hey, H. Good to see you, man." He exclaimed, hugging his friend fiercely.
"You too, Jim. Kid must be better if you're willin' to leave him."
"Getting there. He made me promise to go refuel and recharge. You don't look good."
"It's Rafe. He collapsed yesterday... stress an' not takin' care of himself, mostly."
"And the rest?"
"His head. He's been out cold since last night. The docs said he's gonna be okay, but..."
"... it'll take time?"
"Yeah. Damn him... he felt so guilty over Blair he just wouldn't rest or eat. Nothin' we did or said got through to him..."
Jim flushed and looked down.
"I resemble that remark."
"Hey, I didn't mean..."
"I know. It's all good, H. Blair's stronger... so am I. When he can't fend for himself, though, I just get..."
"Freakishly, terrifyingly protective?"
"Sounds about right." Jim replied, laughing quietly. "He's asleep at the moment. If you'd sit with him, so he doesn't wake up alone..."
"Sure. No problem."
"Great. I need to eat and there's something he wants from the loft... I'll be back as fast as possible."
"Take as long as you need to, my man. 'Bout time you gave the rest of his unofficial family a turn, anyway."
"I guess it is. You know Blair and I will show our gratitude when everything's settled down... and you're all as official as it gets. You guys are more family than either of us really ever had."
"We know that. Go on, get outta here and feed that bottomless pit of a stomach before you waste away to nothin'."
Jim snorted.
"Like that'll ever happen. Long as Yashiac is still around, anyhow." Jim commented wryly, turning to leave. Henri frowned in confusion. He could hear the capital letter Jim had put on the word, so he assumed it was a name he'd simply never heard Jim use, but he didn't understand what it meant and curiosity pushed him to question.
"Hold up... what or who is Yashiac?"
"No idea. Never heard of it before."
"Okay... what *was* it you said you wanted to keep around, then?"
"Blair. You okay? Sounds like you need sleep more than the rest of us do."
"But you... huh. Maybe I do. See ya when you get back." Henri muttered, waving Jim off vaguely and moving silently into Blair's room. The moment he was out of sight, Jim grimaced and mentally kicked himself, realizing he must've unknowingly spoken in the same language he'd used with Blair.
"Damn it, Ellison, stick to English! Any more a'that, they'll toss you in the looney bin before you can turn around..." he chastised under his breath as he hurried out.
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A SMALL MOTEL, 150 MILES AWAY:
Endlessly stroking the lank hair of the man laying on the woefully inadequate bed, Brody swiped at his tears with his other hand and pressed his already over-stressed voice back into service. His life, his hope was fading before his eyes and he refused to let it go without a struggle.
"Kurt....das kannst du nicht machen. Uns bleibt nichts, wenn du uns verl t. Kurt, bitte...der Prinz wird dir geh ren, ich schw re es dir. Ich werde irgendeinen Weg finden. Du kannst nicht aufgeben...nicht, nachdem du so lange an uns geglaubt hast. Kurt...Kurt!"
("Kurt...you cannot do this. We will have nothing (left), if you leave us. Kurt, please...the prince will be yours (you will own the prince), I swear it to you. I will find some kind of way. You cannot give up... not after you believed in us for so long. Kurt...Kurt!")
The chest he'd been watching ceaselessly for days rose one more time, held for a moment, then finally settled and remained still. As his lover and master screamed and howled, Marcus wrapped both arms around him and dragged the broken man away from the corpse that had once been the pinnacle, the very essence of all their dreams.
"I'm sorry, love... I'm so, so sorry... we did everything we could... without the prince near him, he simply chose not to go on..."
"No! He can't die! He can't die!"
"Kieran... it will be alright... we will salvage something out of this tragedy..."
"No... nothing left, now.. nothing at all..."
"Yes there is. Trust in me a little longer, Kieran. There is one hope...one light remaining in the heavens, my love... and we will have it."
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TBC......