Author:
Weird_Peace aka Harper's
Censor:
PG-13
Spoilers:
Devil Takes the Hindmost and some Harper 2.0
Story:
Harper and Rev story
Disclaimer:
As much as I'd like to own these characters, they all belong to Tribune.
----------------------------
Chapter
5
Rev was
taken by surprise as Harper flew straight at him. He was knocked onto the floor, Harper landing on top of him. Instinct saved him from the boy's fists. He blocked the attacks and was able to push
Harper off him. He ran to the other
side of the room as Harper jumped up and prepared for another attack.
"You
bastard!"
"Harper?" Rev was being cautious, but his expression
displayed confusion.
"You
filthy Magog! You killed
her!" Harper's eyes were gleaming
with fire. He had the look of a man
teetering on the edge of sanity.
Rev's
tilted his head. Understanding suddenly
washed over him as he looked behind Harper and saw the leather book laying
open. When he spoke, his words were
full of sympathy and regret.
"Harper,
I'm sorry..."
"Don't
you speak to me! You have no freakin'
right!"
Rev
gently reached for the boy, but Harper jerked his entire body back.
"Don't
touch me," he growled dangerously.
Rev
swallowed. He had to try.
"Harper...please...listen
to me-"
"No!" Harper's hands were clenched by his
sides. "No! You killed her! You took the one person I had left on that god forsaken
planet! My dad, my cousins, my aunts,
uncles, friends, all dead. But she was
there, my mom was always there! And you
took that from me! How could you
Rev? How the hell could
you?!" He would have gone on, but
it was beginning to get hard to breathe. He swallowed hard a few times.
Rev
wanted to ease his friend's pain. But
Harper wasn't listening. Rev realized
that he was going about this the wrong way.
"She
loves you very much."
Harper's
mouth opened and closed a few times. But he eventually found his voice.
"What?"
"I
would think," Rev carefully took a step towards Harper, "that for a
mother to watch over her son even after death, that she would have had to love
him very much."
"What
the hell are you talking about?"
Rev
took another step.
"How
far did you read?"
"Enough." Shock was replaced by the internal rage.
"Did
you get to the alleyway? On
Sangen."
"Yes. Why?" Suspicion.
"Then
you know." Another step. "You know, about how I saw the
woman."
Harper
shook his head.
"Ghosts
aren't real. You were imagining
things."
"No
Harper." Closer still. "I wasn't imagining anything. Think about it Harper. How did you got off earth when hundreds of
others didn't? How was I able to find
you after the Nietzscheans beat you? Before you bled to death?" So close. Rev could smell the
emotions rolling off Harper as the boy tried to comprehend what he was being
told.
"And
the time on Sangen. Just before the man
would have shot you. How do you explain
that? How do you explain how I got the
picture?" Now he could see the
boy's eyes. See the conflict within.
"Or
the dreams Harper? She was there. Asking me to take care of you..." One more step...
"You're
assuming! You're imagining things. I don't know! But your wrong!" Harper began to notice how close Rev was. He backed up. But Rev
persisted.
"I
remember," the Wayist looked thoughtful, "in my dreams. There was a song. It was beautiful. I only
heard the tune at first." Rev
closed his eyes and began to hum the tune. He reopened them and looked at Harper. The boy had gone white.
"But
shortly after joining Beka's crew, the lyrics began to come to me. Do you know the lyrics Master Harper?"
Rev
spoke the song softly, but the music seemed to find it's way by itself...
Sleep
my little angel sleep
In
your dreams the galaxy is yours to keep
"Shut
up." If looks could only kill.
Close
your eyes little Shay
Soon
enough will come day
Until
then sleep my little angel sleep
"I
told you to shut up!" Harper was
screaming now. But Rev didn't seem to
hear.
Dream
my little child dream
Dream
of blue skies with clouds of cream
"What
part of shut up don't you get?!" Harper pushed Rev backwards.
Push
aside your fears
Mother
will always be here
Harper
raised both fists. Rev caught his
wrists easily. He looked down into the
boy's eyes like Gloria had done to him so many years ago. He saw into the Harper's soul. And he finished.
to
guard my child forever more
Harper
started trembling. Rev began to wonder
if he had gone to far. Was afraid he
had gone past the man's limits.
Harper
collapsed, sobbing.
Rev
wrapped both his arms around Harper to keep him from falling. They stayed like that for a long time. Harper looked up.
"Five
years ago, if you would have told me I would be hugging a Magog, I would have
told you to go kiss a Nietzschean."
Rev
chuckled and Harper pushed away.
"Look
Rev," Harper began making hand gestures to emphasis the point, "I
would like to say I forgave you, but I don't know what it is that's going on
right now. Ya know?"
"I
can't and don't expect any forgiveness from you. I haven't forgiven myself."
Harper
nodded. He turned back before he left.
"Do
you really think she's watching me Rev?"
"I
have never seen a greater love for one's child."
"Thanks
Rev."
---------------
She
watched him as he slept. He had made
her proud. He had become so much more
than the rest of society had expected.
He
tossed under the spell of nightmares. She brushed that piece of hair that never stayed out of his face. She kissed his forehead. He feel back into a peaceful rest. Sitting on the edge of his bed, she began to
do the same thing she did every night of his life.
And the
song was a sweet as ever.