Sapphire & Jasper
By: Aubrie1234
They watched as the gurney was pulled out, feeling pity for the dead man. Doyle sat with Alex on the back of the ambulance, his left arm around the other to comfort him and keep him close but he kept his arm over the blanket instead of under it, knowing it might help Alex more at the moment than himself. Alex had been checked over and assessed for injuries but there was none, only his own blood covering him almost head-to-toe. Doyle, on the other hand, had to have stitches and bandages, but otherwise he didn't lose too much blood and didn't have to go to the hospital. He also had a trauma blanket put over his shoulders but he didn't even notice it. Both were cleaned up and now there was no blood on them (from themselves or from other things) except for their clothes. Around them was the rest of the family, and they all felt pretty tired despite not really doing much that day. Over the airstrip was the airship, which someone had brought there while Doyle and Komodo were gone. Doyle wasn't going to ask who, but he was glad that they didn't have to go far to go home.
"Poor guy." began the redhead, "He didn't play any part of this."
"Yeah, but a lot of times innocent people get caught in the crossfire of things." Alex added, "That's something I wish I didn't know so well. In fact, you used to be in a similar kind of role when we first met."
"Don't remind me." Doyle turned to him, "So, what happened after you left the clue in Kumari Kandam?" Alex shrugged.
"Originally tried to head to Moscow, even if I didn't exactly get along with the Russians, but as I made my way through England that creature grabbed me and I was in that cave ever since."
"That was the Owlman we mentioned before." Zak said, taking a seat beside the two, sitting on Alex's other side, "Except it was a different one than the one we saw. We think it had some sort of connection to the last one, though, and that's why it went after you."
"They have hypnotizing powers and are really smart, so it's possible." Doc said, "It had relations to the last Owlman we fought and in turn wanted to get revenge on us for it, so it did its research and figured out that you were part of our group and tried to use you as bait." To their surprise, Alex laughed.
"Oh, now I feel sorry for the poor bugger!" he chuckled, "Any time I get caught, whoever's captured me usually gets hurt or even killed. I know I shouldn't be laughing about this, but I can't help it!"
"And you're showing a bit of your British side." Doyle added, "What does 'bugger' even mean?"
"It's got a variety of meanings. Can be used as an offensive word or to describe something cute or sympathetic. It can be a noun or a verb. Unless you grew up in England, it's best just not to ask."
"Point taken." Drew said, "So, I guess after the Owlman caught you, it took the letter you showed in the video and sent it ahead to us?" Alex nodded.
"That's right. I didn't say anything about it, but somehow the thing figured it all out." He shook his head, "You probably would've wanted to study it if I didn't kill it."
"It's okay. You saved Doyle and besides, he did the same thing with Zak and the last Owlman we encountered." Doc reassured, "You two are more alike than it seems." Alex and Doyle shared a look.
"Eh, we're not that similar. We just know a lot about each other." said Doyle, shrugging, then he winced. Even though he'd been given medication to numb the pain, he could still feel it to an extent. Komodo then gave a growl as he turned to Zak, saying something to his brother. Zak's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"What? But that- It shouldn't be possible!" Zak shoot his head, "You're sure you didn't just see a flashlight or imagine it?" Komodo growled again, "Okay, I get it, you didn't! But it still can't be possible..."
"What is it, sweetie?" Drew asked.
"Komodo said that, while they were down there, he saw and felt Uncle Doyle glowing like my Kur power." This surprised the whole group.
"What? But I've never had that kind of power before." Doyle shook his head, then paused, "Except..."
"'Except' what?" Doyle looked down, frowning.
"Sometimes, if the conditions are right, I get this surge of power that lets me protect myself, but I don't remember a thing about it when it happens. All I see is the aftermath."
"He's not wrong." Francis flinched when they all turned their eyes on him, but he went on, "I know there are parts about you that even your file doesn't have, but it has enough, including a list of murders because of that power you have. It may protect your life, but it takes others' lives in the process."
"I know that, you don't have to remind me." Doyle muttered uncomfortably, "Do you think I like knowing that?" The ex-mercenary was surprised to find that no one moved away from him at the revelation but it could have been that they didn't notice or something. He didn't know but didn't care as long as it meant that they saw past all he'd done and still stood by him.
"I'm not finished. There are mentions in your file that we tried to research about why you'd do that, with your disposition and all, and we found that there's a line of power not just from you but from the entire line of the Blackwell family." This shocked everyone, "Whatever you have, Doyle, it's been in your family for a long time."
"...Which means I can't run from it. Not like I tried in the first place, but it just means that I'll never be able to get rid of it." Doyle only looked away when Alex gave him a gentle hug, causing the redhead to turn and see Alex's reassuring look.
"We'll figure this out." he said, "Don't worry about it."
"Thanks, Al." Doyle have a small smile, but it didn't tell Alex that Doyle was comforted. Alex tried not to think about it as he turned to the rest of the family, "Why don't we head back home? We all need some rest, and you guys can research about what all this means at the same time."
"Probably for the best." Drew spoke, "Are the paramedics gonna let you go, though?"
"Maybe. I think I can convince 'em to do it." Alex swung his feet slightly, scraping the ground, "All of you, go ahead to the airship. Doyle and I'll catch up later."
"Now you're using Americanisms." The redhead pointed out. Alex shrugged.
"I've been all over the world. I'm entitled to a little weirdness sometimes. I've been using a lot of American English while around you."
"I noticed, but I didn't say anything."
"Uh huh..." The family left the two alone to talk. It seemed like Alex was finally getting used to them. Even Zak had noticed how Alex had been less tense around them and saw that as an improvement, but he'd only really be relaxed around Doyle. Besides, they needed their privacy. Drew, being the protective big sister that she was, glanced back and smiled as she saw how Doyle rested his head on top of Alex's and they leaned into each other, comfortable and smiling.
I'm glad you're finally happy. she thought.
"Why are you dragging me up here in the middle of winter?"
"Winter doesn't officially start until the 21st."
"Doesn't matter, it's cold."
"You should know, you lived in England half your life!"
"It's not always dreary and cold there, you know."
"Tell that to my frostbitten fingers." Doyle and Alex went back and forth as the ex-mercenary dragged the ex-spy out of the house and up to the roof, where they had talked for the first time in 13 years. It had been a few days since their return from Cornwall and Alex had been trying to make up for lost time, especially as Christmas and, consequently, Winter were fast approaching. He still hadn't explained why he'd sent them all on that giant hunt but it didn't matter to Doyle as long as Alex stayed for good this time. Drew and Doc were trying to figure out the Blackwell family history with some help from Francis and Zak, Fisk, Zon, and Komodo… well, who knows where they went this time.
"Here's a good spot." Doyle gestured to a part of the roof's edge were there was no snow, as it had snowed earlier that day. The sky was clear and stars were peeking out from the darkness.
"I just hope we don't accidentally fall over in the dark." Alex mused, sitting down, "I've had enough of the dark."
"Figuratively or literally?" Doyle sat beside him.
"Both." Alex gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Thanks again for not giving up on me."
"Thank you for saving me." He looked up into the sky and Alex followed. Silence settled in around them until Doyle spoke up, "This reminds me of the day you proposed. It was so long ago but still feels like yesterday."
"Sometimes I wish I could stay in the past forever." Alex muttered, "It was happier then."
"Maybe so. There was a quote I heard once, during the time between leaving you and meeting Van Rook." Doyle mused, closing his eyes, "I think it went like this: 'I'm not the same soul I once was. A lot has changed. A lot had to change. So you shouldn't expect out of me what I had embodied in the past. For that part of me no longer exists.'" He opened his eyes and looked at Alex, "All of that is true. Both of us have changed greatly and aren't the same as when we first got together. We aren't the same and the part of us in the past stays in the past, it no longer exists."
"It's a ghost, then." Alex leaned against him, "It may not exist, but we can still feel it. We can't get the same feeling as back then, but we can get a feeling close to it. I really want to be with you again, Doyle. This time, I'm not going to let anything get in the way. The world can go fuck itself if it meant I could stay with you." Alex looked into his eyes, "So, do you forgive me?"
"Yeah." The redhead smiled, "After everything that's happened, I forgive you. We've been through a lot over the past few months and, even though you broke my trust, you managed to repair it again." Doyle kissed him on the top of his head, sliding an arm around the blond's back, "Now then, let's get back to looking at the stars, okay?"
"Sure, love."
Silence.
"Remind me again why I'm out here?"
"Because I asked and you love me."
"I wonder why..." Alex drawled, but he had a smile on his face. Doyle hugged him tighter to make him stop.
Slowly, Doyle blinked open his eyes. The window was still covered by its drapes, but there was sunlight peeking in from underneath. Doyle buried his head in his pillow, content. He hadn't felt this good in a long time. He barely remembered when. Sure, he'd been happy around Alex, but the last time he'd ever really felt happy all over was when he was back with his family-
Bad thoughts. Derail. Reset.
Doyle shivered and shook his head. For some reason it felt cold in the bed. He turned his head, trying to get a glimpse of Alex, but there was nothing. Turning his body, he blinked when he didn't see Alex beside him. He touched the sheets to be sure, then pushed himself up. He looked around. There was still no sign of Alex. A dreaded feeling began to settle in his stomach and he looked down at the spot again. He noticed, under some of the pillows, there was a letter. He pulled it out from under the pillows, seeing that it was addressed to him, and opened it, unfolding the paper.
'I'm sorry about this, Doyle.' it began, 'MI6 called me in the middle of the night and sent me off on a mission. I left this behind so that you'd know where I was. If you need anything, you know where it all is. I love you. -Alex'
Doyle blinked, then looked up from the paper and around the room. He hadn't even thought to wake Doyle, let him see Alex one last time before leaving, but maybe that was for the best. Doyle didn't want to see Alex's face as the bearer of bad news if he was gone for good-
No, he shouldn't think about it. Alex would be fine. He was always fine after missions, this one would be no different. He ran his hands through his long hair and sighed. There was no point trying to rest after reading the letter. He might as well get up and try to get his mind off things. He got up and headed to the bathroom to get a shower, grabbing a CD player on the way. Listening to music always helped him calm down.
Doyle blinked away the memory and looked down at Alex, who was still watching the sky. He'd never allow anything like that to happen again. Alex had also agreed to it. What happened 13 years ago was now behind them for good, or at least for the most part.
"Can we go back inside, please?" Alex suddenly asked, taking Doyle out of his thoughts. They could see their breath in the air and Doyle decided that Alex was right this time.
"Yeah, let's head back to my room. The vent in my closet makes it feel really warm when it's cold." They got up and left the roof, walking together down to their bedroom.
"So..." Doyle tried to make conversation.
"I'm guessing you wanna know the reason about what happened."
"I was gonna ask something else, but that's fine too." Doyle watched Alex as he walked, hands in his coat pockets, "What's the reason?"
"...I was scared." Alex's voice was low as he said it but Doyle still caught it, "After you forced me to leave, I was terrified. I'd never felt scared of you until then, and I knew you meant well, but I was still scared. So I ran, but not before giving you a way to catch up to me. I didn't actually make up the Scorpia thing, but it helped give me a reason to keep running. I wanted to go back to you after a few days, but by that time Scorpia and the Gray Men were both on my tail. I wasn't worried about them, only Scorpia, as they'd do anything to get back at me, including using you against me. That's where the chase helped, as it kept you guys moving and out of their hands. And, thanks to the Owlman, I finally managed to lose them." Alex turned his head to meet Doyle's eyes, "I'm glad I'm home again."
"Yeah." Doyle took one of Alex's hands from his coat and held it, "I'm glad too." It was by that time they finally returned to their room and entered. They stripped off their coats, Alex took a seat on the bed, and Doyle was just about to join him when he thought of something.
"Oh man!" Doyle slapped his forehead, "How did I manage to forget?!"
"What's wrong?" Alex frowned as Doyle began hurriedly grabbing and opening his laptop. The redhead then sat on the bed and began rapidly typing as if trying to make up for something, his eyes focused on the screen.
"I completely forgot about Dylan! He must be so worried!"
"Dylan?" At this a small stir of jealousy was born in the ex-spy.
"Yeah." Doyle nodded, "He's really important to me and I can't believe I forgot about him!"
"Who is he?" Doyle stopped, turned to Alex, and blinked.
"...You're jealous." he managed, "Out of the two of us, you were the more likely one to go sleep around and you're jealous." Alex blushed in embarrassment.
"Not the point. Who is he?" Doyle frowned.
"If you trust me, then you shouldn't ask."
"I do, but I can't help but be protective of you. I understand you had a relationship with Abbey, but what if you lied to me before?" Doyle rolled his eyes.
"Look, Dylan is nothing to worry about. He's just a good friend of mine." Doyle returned to working on the computer, "I'm getting him a Christmas present and as soon as it comes in, I'm gonna go give it to him personally. If you trust me as much as you say you do, then I don't want you to come with me. I'll be gone for at least a day, but that's it and I'll be home in time for the rest of Christmas."
"Alright." Alex nodded, "And I'm sorry for…being jealous." Doyle smiled and leaned over, kissing him on the cheek.
"It's fine. Just learn to give the benefit of the doubt sometimes. I've got plenty of friends you don't know about, same thing with you."
"True." Alex leaned against Doyle, "So, what are you getting Dylan?"
"Shouldn't you be asking yourself that question?"
"Good point." Alex watched for a moment as Doyle typed away, then left his boyfriend's side and reached over to grab something. He gazed at the puzzle box for a moment, then glanced at Doyle, "You still haven't opened this thing yet?"
"Didn't even touch it while you were gone."
"Well, pause for a second." Alex put a hand on the top of the laptop and was surprised when Doyle gave him a vicious glare but ignored it, "You can do that later. I want you to try this thing one more time." Doyle kept glaring but did eventually calm down and put the laptop aside.
"Don't blame me if I eventually throw this at your head, then." Doyle took the wooden box and turned it over and over in his hands, examining it, "I've tried pushing on it, shaking it, trying to move pieces of it, but nothing's worked. What else can I do if I've tried everything?"
"If not one of them has worked, then try all of them." Doyle blinked at him, at Alex's sly face, and did so, pushing down and moving the pieces, and to his surprise there was a click and the box finally pulled apart.
"Why didn't I think of that before?" he muttered to himself. Inside the box was a small piece of paper and a wad of cotton, which confused him. He opened the paper and began to read it aloud.
'Ask for help next time, love.' It started and Doyle gave Alex another glare. The blond just shrugged but still had that sly smile on his face. Doyle gave him one more glare before going back to the paper, 'I really hope you've come to accept me again, if not love me, and this is my gift to you.' Doyle turned to the cotton, curious at what was so special about it.
"What am I supposed to do with a piece of cotton?"
"Tear it apart, there's something inside it." Doyle raised an eyebrow at Alex but did so, tearing apart the ball of fluff to reveal something shiny. He pulled it out and found it to be a ring. Confused, he turned to Alex and saw the blond giving him a look he hadn't seen in a long time, only twice before: A look of just pure love and happiness not tainted by anything and Doyle realized what it meant.
"Sometimes," Alex spoke softly, moving one hand to cover Doyle's that held the ring, "words just aren't enough. I make promises, but half the time I can't keep them. This is different. I promise to never leave you, never hate you, never do anything to hurt you, and to give you that wedding we wanted but never had." Alex's hand tightened slightly, "Doyle, will you marry me again?"
"Of course I will." Doyle's response was immediate, leaning forward so their foreheads touched, "If I was willing to marry you before, I'm still willing to do it now." He smiled. Alex smiled back before giving Doyle a kiss. It was small but held so many feelings it felt like it went on forever. When he pulled away, he put the ring on Doyle's finger after taking off his glove and the redhead took him into a hug. Alex hugged back and felt his shirt get wet, probably from Doyle's tears. He guessed they were tears because he was also crying himself. He hadn't felt this happy in a long, long time, and he hoped to keep living for a while and spend it with his fiancé.
It was Christmas Eve and Francis felt a little out of place. As the Saturdays, Doyle, and Alex prepared the house for a Christmas party, Francis knew he didn't belong and contemplated if he should leave. And yet, every time he looked into the living room and saw the Christmas tree and its presents, he couldn't help but stay, partially out of curiosity and partially because he could see presents addressed to him underneath. He was a little shocked that they would get him presents, but that didn't make him less happy. He'd never had a real Christmas before and wondered how it would go. And that night, when everything was set up and guests began to come in, he watched the festivities but stayed out of everything. He mostly avoided one doorway and went all the way around it, among other people, as it was dotted with a piece of mistletoe. Even he, with his lack of knowledge about Christmas, knew what it meant and didn't want to get caught underneath it. As he moved through the groups of people, he soon spotted Alex, Zak, and Doyle also staying out of the way, and so he went to join them. In Alex's arms were some colorful boxes and Francis realized that they were presents. Was this a usual custom for Christmas? Francis thought they gave out gifts the day after, not on the Eve.
"C'mooooon!" Zak whined, "I wanna see!"
"Not just yet." Alex said, his eyes lighting up when he saw Francis coming over, "There you are."
"Um..?" Francis was a little confused by this. Alex was waiting for him? Why?
"C'mon c'mon c'mon!" Zak was suddenly by his side and dragged him to sit beside the men, "Alex's get presents for us he wants to give us now but he won't do it 'til you're here!"
"Okay okay, you don't have to drag me!" Francis dusted himself off after Zak let go despite the lack of dust and sat beside Doyle, the only other available seat on the couch they had taken.
"So, Francis, you're first." Alex handed him a small box, "I thought you might like to see this before Christmas Day." Hesitant, the green-haired boy took the colorful box, unsure if he should open it. Alex gave a nod and so Francis opened the box. Inside were some pieces of paper, confusing him more. He read the papers and his eyes widened.
"Really?" he asked in a whisper, "You found him?" Alex nodded again.
"Yeah. It look a little searching and using some contacts, but I found Epsilon. All of that is his contact information, including a phone number so that you can talk with him. He's just fine Francis and he's been itching to hear from you." Alex handed him a phone, "Use mine and talk to him." The phone was gone from his hand so fast Alex didn't have time to blink and Francis was already dialing away.
"I thought they didn't like each other." Zak mused.
"There's more to it than that." Alex said, "Imagine if you'd been raised by only one person, didn't have any brothers or sisters, just a single parent, and everyone else you knew treated you more like an object than a person except for your one parent. They have their differences, but overall, they really do care for each other. Once the Gray Men leave Epsilon alone, I think he'll try to adopt Francis and they can start their lives again. Now," Alex drew the cloth off of one of the boxes, "look what I found." Doyle's eyes lit up when he saw the box Alex was holding.
"Where were they?!" he asked with glee, taking the box into his hands like a child would on Christmas Day, more giddy than Zak had seen him before.
"Well, I just bought the series for DVD as a present."
"Thank you!" Doyle hugged Alex gratefully then was off to his room.
"What did you get him?" Zak was curious at the redhead's happiness.
"WKRP in Cincinatti. It was an old show from America we used to watch together. He loved it and when I found it had been put on DVD…" the blond shrugged, "You know the rest. Originally he recorded every showing on old tapes, but after we separated, those tapes were lost. This is my way of making up for that. Also, don't tell him I lost the tapes. I'm almost certain he would rip my throat out for it. Finally," Alex held out the last box, "this is for you."
"Yes!" Zak went at it, tearing the paper apart with the ferocity of a wolverine, revealing… "A book?"
"A photo album, like Doyle's. Open it." Zak did so and gasped. Inside were pictures from all the Saturdays' adventures, even from ones he knew they didn't take any pictures of, "How-?"
"I have my ways." Alex winked, "There's also space in the back for new pictures."
"Thanks!" Zak hugged the ex-spy and stood up.
"And if you see Komodo, could you ask him to see me for a sec? I've got a present for him too." Zak nodded.
"Thanks again, Alex. You're as awesome as Uncle Doyle!"
"I wouldn't say I'm that cool..." Alex watched as Zak went off, moving through the groups of people. He froze when he felt a nudge against his leg and looked down. There was nothing there at first, but then Komodo made himself visible. He gave Alex a wanting look and the man smiled.
"Here you go, boy." Alex gave him a bone with a ribbon wrapped around it, "Thanks for helping Doyle save me. No hard feelings after all this?" Komodo clamped his jaws around the bone, shook his head 'no,' and ran off. Alex chuckled at the antics. He and Komodo hard started off on the wrong foot, but now Alex hoped things were fixed.
On his way back from his room, as he entered the room where they were having the party, Doyle found his sister and they greeted each other, then Drew noticed something different about her brother.
"Your gloves are gone." Drew pointed out, "I thought you didn't go anywhere without wearing your gloves."
"Yeah, but not now 'cause of this." Doyle lifted up his left hand to show Drew the band that rested on it. Drew was quiet for a moment, examining it, then gave a happy squeal and suddenly hugged Doyle.
"I can't believe it!" she shrieked, "You're getting married?!"
"Yeah, though it was supposed to be a bigger surprise." Doyle croaked, being crushed by his sister's hug.
"Sorry, sorry, but this is so great!"
"She was like this before our wedding too." Doc answered when Doyle gave him a look, having wandered over at Drew's expression of excitement, "But congrats."
"Thanks, now could you call off your wife before she kills me and makes me deaf?"
"Sorry!" Drew let him go, "I'm just so happy for you!" Doyle blushed.
"Thanks, sis." He smiled, "The ring was what was in the puzzle box, actually. Alex proposed to me a few days ago, but we don't know when the wedding will be."
"I hope it happens before I turn 41 at least!" She hugged him again. Doyle squawked and pleaded for help. Alex came to his rescue.
"Let him go, you can kill him with your hugs later." Drew blushed in embarrassment.
"Right, sorry." She then moved off so as not to be tempted into hugging her brother to death again.
"Thanks a lot for saving me back there! I was sure she was gonna kill me..."
"C'mon, I can get you away from that." Alex took his hand and lead Doyle through the throng of people. Eventually they came to a stop in a clearing in the crowd and Doyle was confused until he looked up.
"Alex..."
"You knew it was gonna happen during the party to someone, why not us?" Alex gave him that sly smile and Doyle rolled his eyes.
"You're an idiot."
"I'm your idiot."
"I know." They leaned forwards and shared a kiss, the first one of the night under the mistletoe.
"EW!" exclaimed a watching Zak. An observing Francis shook his head. Everyone else laughed. Then Wadi, who had been there since the party had started, tugged Zak under the mistletoe after Doyle and Alex finished and the boy wasn't so disgusted anymore.
Elsewhere, snow fell on a dark land where there were no bells, no carols, nothing to proceed the coming of Christmas. Only perpetual darkness. There were also buildings, too, and in one of them rested a big mirror that had been brought up from a basement (or something like that) and, in its reflection, was the party. Said reflection had paused on Alex and Doyle's kiss, then flickered away. A figure, who had been watching from the darkness, gave a wild grin.
"Oh Doyle, you should know that you can't hide from me. Come out, come out, wherever you are~!" Keeping the wild grin, the figure stepped into the mirror and disappeared.
So, this is the official end of this story (actually an epilogue), but not the series! It's also the anniversary of when I first started the story, so I'm posting more than just this chapter as a gift for you guys. After this story is the side-story Clique, and then the first chapter of the actual sequel, The Gift of My Past Mistakes. You don't necessarily need to read Clique, but it is helpful for something later in TGoMPM.
Please read and review! I hope you guys loved this story as much as I did, and even though some things weren't concluded, they will be in TGoMPM.