Chapter Twenty Five

"What happened to you?" the shock was evident in the feminine voice a mix of horror and shock in a voice I didn't recognize truly but the face and eyes I did recognize in an instant as I looked up at my youngest sister smiling slightly.

"Got in a fight with the sea and lost." I answered wryly not realizing at first that it truly was the last sibling I had ever expected to find at Nikki's limping around her but not before patting her shoulder, careful not to come into direct contact with her skin.

I could sense Autumn's frown as I limped toward the chair I preferred, setting the cane down casting a distasteful look at it before bending to massage my calves, "No, really what happened to you?" She said sitting down on the ottoman near my feet so that we were nearly eye level, "You look... tired."

I offered a wan smile and eyed her, "I just got home from the longest fifty minutes of every other day at therapy trying to rebuild my body after a two-week coma, give me an hour, a snack and maybe a cat nap and I'll be back to business as usual." I tried for light hearted sarcasm.

"Sure and next you'll tell me I'm the monkey king," Autumn retorted mildly, "I was surprised to see you're still here, I mean any time you got hurt or your emotions did the tilt-a-whirl Dad always came and took you away before I even got to see you..."

I eyed her carefully able to see her worried darker eyes through my lashes and the sticky fringe of the front of my hair, "I told him no." I said simply looking to Autumn quietly and lowered my voice. "I don't remember anything from the last wave that tore my boat to hell and waking up attached to what seemed like a hundred machines and Nikki's been weird since."

"Nikki's been weird for like ten years," Autumn answered with a light snort, "Since like her second year of college, I got over it."

I smiled faintly and eyed her, "Move it or you're going to be wearing my feet." I remarked mildly letting the topic of Nikki's weirdness drop.

"Hey now," Autumn jumped off the ottoman and looked at me, "Seriously, I mean it one day she was coming around me and then she was gone, did I do something wrong?"

"I'm quite sure not," I said soothingly, "And as I understand it you're almost done growing up and then it'll be your decision what you do what you don't and who you see and who you don't." I was calm as I stretched my feet out, "So how'd you come to be out here? If you and Nikki don't see each other."

"I did it." Destiny said from the doorway coming in carrying in several empty sports drink bottles, "Lied like hell to do it, cause her adopted parents are stupid, but that's never stopped me before. Squirt there's been driving me nuts about getting to see you for weeks."

"And since they went away for the weekend, it was a perfect opportunity to see people I don't normally get to see. Usually I get stuck with Willow and Kris and they're just mean half the time about everybody and I'm about tired of listening to it."

"Don't let it get you down, they might be older than us, but that doesn't mean they grew up yet." Destiny said bitterly then brightened, "Let the kitty get a nap and then we'll all go play with the kids." she suggested as I yawned tired from the trip to the therapist's office.

"Here," Autumn said spreading out the blanket over me as I stretched into the chair with a silent sound, "I'll be here till Sunday so we'll get time I hope."

"We will," I promised her, "And I won't be unwell forever."

I sat up and looked around me, blinking as the door opened, and a male figure clad in a deep blue robe entered and I was puzzled, "Am I in the right place?"

The smile was slight, amused on a face both youthful and aged framed with long, black hair, "I'm quite sure you are, yes. Coffee?" he asked innocently holding up the mug in his left hand.

Coffee sure sounded good to me and I reached to take it my fingers grazed his skin, and I didn't have the terrible jolt of pain and he didn't appear either to and I was wide-eyed and surprised, "What..."

"Much you do not understand little wild-cat." the male answered gently, "Much you are not going to for awhile."

"Great even my subconscious is a sarcastic, cryptic bastard." I muttered to myself before taking a sip of the mug the contents hot enough to scald my tongue. "If this is a dream, well I could do without the painful touch-thing."

"It is a dream," the male answered with a gentle smile, raising the mug he'd had in his right hand to his lips. "A very good dream, I think and I am glad you are dreaming it. Do you remember who I am, Raina?" he asked carefully watching my face, a little too closely.

I didn't and I shook my head even as his hand brushed several strands of hair back away from my face, "I think I should, but ... I don't remember, I am sorry..."

"No matter, for I am just a memory born out of a want, a need perhaps." he answered easily, placing a hand on my shoulder, "But it doesn't matter, not for now I am just glad to be able to be here at all."

The hell it doesn't matter. "Easy for you to say, you're not in someone else's bed." I remarked not even sure where in hells that came from flushing as the implication of what I had just said struck me.

"Touché." he remarked easily the smile mild, unflustered to my surprise, "But neither are you, we haven't much time I fear you will awaken soon and our talk forgotten as quickly as the sun rises,"

"But - what have I forgotten?" I asked as the figure turned a deceptive strength in the slight frame to gently push me back into the blankets and tucked them around me bending to press a soft kiss to my temple, waiting until the tension left before breaking contact.

"You already know that which you have forgotten, Raina it is still in here" the long fingers rested against my temple before moving to rest over my heart grey eyes holding steady mine, "And here." he finished, "I must leave you here, I am sorry we are out of time... You must awaken." he said backing away with a layer of regret to his features, "I am sorry..."