Author's Note: I own nothing.
19 Reassurance
Jen frowned letting the curtain drop into place on the window. She'd thought she heard something outside but shook her head as she turned back to George. He offered a bottle of wine, she shook her head.
"Not really my style, doesn't do much for me either." George nodded.
"Fair, though I recall that being most of what you would drink before." Jen nodded.
"Water wasn't safe back then. I may not be the best history student but I know that much." George poured himself a glass and stepped over to a small mini bar set into the back of the living room.
"I have some sodas if you'd prefer, while we speak." Jen nodded.
"That'd be great thanks." He poured a root beer into a glass with some ice.
"I have had some information on a possible physical manifestation of the Dagon, worshiped by a group called the Flame Keeper's Circle." Jen took the glass she offered him and shook her head.
"Already looked into it. A threat but not the Dagon. An old enemy of mine, Vilgax in a form like one Dagon could use. A giant squid like thing?" George nodded sipping his wine.
"It's good that it's not the Dagon itself. I've never heard of this Vilgax." Jen nodded.
"You wouldn't have, he's intergalactic, a warlord bent on obtaining the He's a threat but not back at full power since our last fight, I've got eyes on him. What about the book?" George pulled it out from under the coffee table. He pressed a hand to the lock and the book fell open. Jen smiled running a finger over the lines as they blossomed. It no longer held the fear it had when she hadn't known what it was. She'd done some research when she was stuck in the past. The book had reacted as it had to Stardust because she had created it originally. But no more did it place visions of wrath and death that had already occurred. Instead black shimmering lines that had not dimmed with time sprouted under her fingers forming lines of a map. A single glowing red dot appeared. Jen traced the lines of the map and frowned.
"I don't recognize it." George nodded.
"I do, middle of France. Near a lovely field of lilac." Jen nodded.
"Sounds beautiful." George nodded.
"I hope you get to see it someday but it won't be there long. I spent many years after you vanished pouring over this book. A pattern emerged after some time, though for the life of me I don't know how long it took me to find, years that much I know." Jen nodded slightly.
"So where will it show up next."
"Here, somewhere in California." Jen nodded.
"Anything more specific? Cali's a big state George." George nodded.
"I know I was there when it was founded, well I was around. I was actually in Spain." Jen snorted into her drink.
"One of these days I'm going to sit down with you and get you to tell me your whole life story." George gestured to a book case behind her.
"I kept up with my journaling." Jen glanced at the bookshelf it was full of identically bound volumes. She raised an eyebrow. "I got bored and eventually took up book binding as a hobby. It takes up a lot of time, which is something I have in abundance." Jen laughed lightly into her soda.
"So we wait?" George nodded slightly.
"For now that's all we can do." Jen shook her head draining her glass.
"I hate waiting." He smiled at her.
"That much I already knew. Let me show you around the house for now. We'll see about that horse race." She grinned at him and set down her glass nodding.
"Sounds like fun."
She made her way home hours later grinning widely and smelling like the horse. She was a young mare still a bit wild but willing to run in the miles of fields that came with the house. She hopped into the shower and swapped into pajamas and was running a towel through her hair when her phone rang. She frowned. It was close to two in the morning but she always picked up for family.
"Gwen?" A shaking breath met her over the phone. "What's wrong?" Jen asked the towel slipping from her fingers.
"I'm fine." Her voice was shaking though. "Just… just a nightmare."
"Do you need me to come over?" Jen asked, she wasn't sure what the answer would be. She knew she could go to Gwen if she needed to, but Gwen didn't often call her when nightmares happened to her.
"No, I just wanted to check on you. Did I wake you up?" Jen shook her head picking up her towel.
"Nah, couldn't sleep. I just got out of the shower." Gwen nodded sitting on the floor. The burning eyes in her dreams seemed to still watch her from the shadows of her room she couldn't shake off the feeling. It was worse tonight than it had been in a long time. Visions of a bloody and vicious murder haunted her the culprit under her own skin, the victims laid out before her, Kevin with his armor split open and bloody and Jen in pieces strewn across the ground around her, blood on her own hands. She was still shaking. But talking helped. Kevin was asleep on the bed, a heavy sleeper like she hadn't seen before. It helped having him breathing nearby but not enough since Jen was absent. But hearing her breathing and speaking was stopping the shakes as Kevin snorted in his sleep. He reached out to where she normally rested and sat up rubbing tired eyes.
"Gwen?" He asked sleepily. She smiled slightly her hands finally stilling. She heard a muffled laugh over the line.
"Is that Kevin! Oh you are never living this down!" Gwen snorted lightly.
"Please, you lost your virginity to Charmcaster." She hung up to Jen laughing loudly. Kevin sat up and rubbed his eyes again.
"You ok?" He asked, slurring slightly. Gwen smiled at him crawling into his arms.
"Just a nightmare, I'm ok." She pressed her hand to his bare chest right over his heart, feeling it beat against her hand. He kissed her on her cheek, sloppily as he pulled her fully under the covers as though she was the warmest of teddy bears. He buried his head in her hair. She barely heard his next words.
"Wanna talk about it?" He asked. She smiled.
"No. I'll be fine. Just go back to sleep." He shook his head into her hair.
"You need me." She laughed lightly.
"I really am ok." She could feel his heart beating under her hand even as he started to nod back off. Jen's laughter still rang in her ears. For the moment they were safe. She smiled and closed her eyes.