Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Flint: The Time Detective," at all or Final Fantasy IX's "Melodies of Life." Please enjoy and review!! Merlock is now nineteen and Sara and Tony are sixteen, going on sixteen. Flint is eleven.
Chapter 2
Infatuation and Revelation
~ The Land of Time, 2 Years Later ~
The Old Timer sat atop his floating pig and stared with deep concern at his view screen. He clicked his mouse to get a better view of the young man he was watching. The youth was trying to sleep in his bed, but only succeeded in moaning in pain and tussling his sheets about. His light blue face was scrunched up with discomfort, his eyes snapped together so tightly one would think his eyelids would rip off.
Merlock Holmes hadn't been in the cheeriest of moods for two years, ever since Petra Fina, Dino and Mite vanished from the time and space completely, but it wasn't due to the fact he wasn't getting jobs as often. It was the fact he couldn't see Sara Goodman anymore because of the lack of work. He only got to see her during missions, which was why he was always cheerful coming back or going to one, but without Petra to stop or Time Shifters to save, he could no longer see her.
Alone for a while, I've been searching through the dark,
For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart,
To weave by picking up the pieces that remain,
Melodies of life - love's lost refrain.
The Old Timer felt a bit guilty about this, as he and Jillian had been the ones that forbade him from going to the Bureau of Time and Space without permission and good reason. Jillian didn't see Sara as a good reason and had reprimanded Merlock heavily for not capturing her when he had the chance. The Old Timer knew that it was a poor reason to separate Merlock from what he enjoyed being around the most, but Jillian was none too pleased Merlock had not apprehended Petra and her goons in a better and quicker manner, and maybe Sara and Flint wouldn't have been captured.
Jillian was always such a mother to the young vampire, half-breed, whatever he was now. Jillian had practically raised the boy up until she became the chief of the Bureau of Time and Space. Merlock learned very fast, becoming the youngest in training and to ascend through the ranks from such a tender age, even if Flint was now officially the youngest one, Flint had received no training.
Merlock was a good person, despite the profanities he'd screamed at Jillian for her punishment, to never go on the same missions as Sara or Flint. Yet, Merlock's attitude change didn't happen back then so quickly, more so gradually, it had hit its peak a couple months ago. Worse yet, even though those he could be around noticed it, none seemed to attempt to help and if they tried, he would throw a fit.
Merlock's personal Time Shifter Bindi had not helped things, calling Sara terrible names and that Merlock should stop letting her abuse him. Sara hadn't felt what Merlock did for she had only been twelve when she met him while he was fourteen and raging with puberty hormones, and a lonely childhood. It was no wonder Merlock sent Bindi to the Land of Time recently, as his mood just got worse and worse with her endless insulting prattle.
The young vampire had been taken from his time without warning and to make and that was really what started the entire change. The memory erase beam as useless on him now as it was when they found him. It did not work on him because he had vampire blood inside his body. Nor could even a simple therapist hypnotize all the memories he was locking away of the 25th century out of his stubborn head, not even his memories of Sara.
They had managed to make him forget he was from the past, filling his head with ideas that Jillian had found him wandering the streets, begging for money and food, and Jillian took him in. Managing the fact that he was not from the 25th century made things easier for the Gray family to raise him. He was only six, but a real firecracker, and got even more rambunctious as time went on.
Still, Jillian did a better job raising him than anyone else, teaching him good manners, refinement, good grooming, to like himself, and really worked his mind hard.
As a boy, Merlock's learning skills were very exceptional, so adapting him to the 25th century was simple, and the therapy helped even more, totally wiping away the past that scared the child so long ago. By age ten, he'd already passed the Time Detective exam and by age thirteen, he was out of school and working full time to protect Time and Space.
The Old Timer had stayed out of Merlock's business so long, his absent-mindedness made him forget about the boy. He had the Dark Lord and Petra to worry about, not the Time Detectives. It took him a bit of time to remember who Merlock was since he'd grown up so much, and several hours of searching his database, but he managed eventually. He was still amazed at how well Merlock fared for someone so young.
The Old Timer smiled inwardly, recalling when Merlock first saw Sara, how his eyes lit up for the first time in years, all his training getting dedicated with one glance at Sara Goodman. It had been before the Mosbee mission, about when Jillian started to see Flint might need help if ever his appetite or Petra's cheating ways and technology proved too much for him. It was that and the fact that she was a little skeptical that an 8-year-old cave boy could defend Time and Space as well as her ward Merlock could. She had also grown quite attached to the vampire lad. The little stowaway that nearly cost Jillian her job had grown into a handsome, brilliant, and refined young man, even for a vampire.
Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why.
We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said goodbye.
And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told?
Let them ring out loud till they unfold.…
Right now on the Old Timer's view screen, Merlock looked anything but happy. He looked as if he was being killed in his sleep. Jillian had questioned Merlock's sudden attitude problem, but he blew it off and said it was nothing. When Jillian demanded to know what he was hiding, he did something he hadn't done since childhood, he hissed at her, baring his little fangs. He stopped after a minute and grabbed his mouth as he realized what he had done, then ran out of the room with Bindi calling after him. That had been nearly a week before Bindi was left crying on the Old Timer's doorstep, saying Merlock kicked her out.
Jillian told the Old Timer himself about how distant Merlock was becoming, and increasingly angry, but when he had suggested that perhaps he was missing Sara more than he let on, she snorted at him. Then she said crossly that she wouldn't let him fraternize with a fellow Time Detective of such low rank. She said Merlock would improve what Sara ruined in him, turning him into a klutz and slowing him down, that he'd thank her someday. The Old Timer doubted it.
If anyone was to blame any supposed friction between them, it would most likely be Jillian herself. She was very proud, thought she deserved the best and most perfect people and things around. Perfect order meant a perfect life to her, no matter what. Dr. Goodman was still pleasant to Miss Jillian no matter what was going on, but she was always dead serious and cold with him, blaming him for his niece and nephew getting bad ideas in their head or words out of their mouths.
In my dearest memories,
I see you reaching out to me.
Though you're gone, I still believe that you can call out my name.
A voice from the past, joining yours and mine.
Adding up the layers of harmony.
And so it goes, on and on.
Melodies of life,
To the sky beyond the flying birds - forever and beyond.
"Poor Merlock is always caught in the middle of something unpleasant. I am in charge but if Miss Gray does not tell them, they won't know. I can't contact Merlock directly by the vid-screen unless he's in the room and Jillian makes sure to 'protect' him from bad influences, even if it's hurting him. Still, he was never this bad. He rarely smiles now, and never leaves his home except at night to wander around. Hmm, the boy can only take so much. I've tried waiting for this to go away for too long, time to do this the old fashion way….give that lonely boy a happy surprise for tomorrow. If no one interferes….he will be the Merlock he was 2 years ago, not this agonized and troubled young lad I see before me." the Old Timer sighed, pulled a letter out of his robes. Merlock's address was printed on it in fine golden ink, sealed with a special letter inside.
"I bet she misses you too, lad. You've both grown up so much….I can't stand to see such nice people suffer for one petty rivalry. I can't anymore. I'll mail this right away….I just hope it helps." The Old Timer proclaimed, switching off his screen and making his floating pig take him out of the room.
~Japan~
"NOOOOOOOO!!!! I…..OH….that dream again. Why does it haunt me so?" Merlock yelped, shooting up from his troubled sleep, clutching his bare chest gently as he tried to regain his composure. He hated this dream, no, this nightmare. It had been going on for months now, always the same terrible scene. He would be dreaming of a small village, not of his beloved Sara as he was accustomed to, that was bathed in moonlight. All was quiet until villagers walked through him, as if he were a ghost, dragging a screaming young woman with purple hair and cobalt blue eyes to a large wooden stake.
She had fangs in her mouth, as small as his were, but she was begging for mercy, crying madly and trying to get free. Then they tied her to the massive wooden stake surrounded by tons of firewood, splashing holy water, cloves of garlic, and rose petals on her body, to "ward out the evil in her," as the aged priest watching over it all had said. Merlock's eyes went wide when they set the wooden pile ablaze, the woman screaming for help, saying she had done nothing wrong. Then suddenly, she was quiet, looking at Merlock.
He had thought that was what she was doing until he noticed a small boy that looked hauntingly like himself, but far younger and shorter, hiding by some water barrels. His little red eyes were full of tears, whispering something no normal person could hear, but Merlock wasn't normal. He heard the word as plain as day, shattering in his ears like fine glass across his mind. "Mama…." Was what the child cried, then he moved forward. Suddenly, the town was drowned utter chaos, people dying all around him, but not the boy. The small boy had vanished from Merlock's sights.
He watched the horrible and wailing cloud of darkness move through town like a bat out of hell, making people catch fire, melt, be infested with carnivorous insects, and bleed from every pore. Some people's heads were torn off, other's were picked apart as if they were plump chickens, and still others were sucked into the darkness and simply vanished in a fitful of bloodcurdling screams. Merlock tried to shut it out, but the screams kept coming, battering him down to the ground with their pain.
As the suffering seemed to engulf his very soul, he heard the woman call out to him, pleadingly. "Run! Never come back, just run….you cannot meet him now. Not now, not ever! Run Merlock, run for your life and never look back! PLEASE RUN!" she screamed, making him open his eyes and look up at her, seeing her engulfed in flame, her once pale peach skin flaking off in blackish red embers and sooty petals.
Merlock screamed as she blew apart, the flames coming at him and swirling around him like molten ghosts. He felt his skin heat up, then the pain of being burned alive took him over.
You can't escape what you are, you can't escape the past. The past will find you….you'll never escape it's loving darkness….Never!
That was the last thing he heard before his own body started to fall apart, piece by charred and bloodied piece, then he'd wake up drenched in sweat, his nightshirt and boxers sticking to his body as if he'd slept in a lake. The chill that washed over him was terrible reminder of how he felt inside, how much this dream scared him, how much it was driving him crazy.
His eyes traveled to his nightstand, where his pendant was laid out. He hadn't known that he owned one until he went milling through some boxes in his attic a few months back, a small journal popping out of one of them. Upon touching it, he found it was covered with dust, dated back to when he was very little. When he opened it up, a small homemade pendant came out, something covered with paper machete and painted macaroni. He smiled at it, wondering why he didn't recall ever making it, then found a part of the back was broken off. Upon closer examination, he found a piece of paper sticking out of it. It was a note, in his own child handwriting, but it made no real sense to him. It said:
Mama's pendant….
Key….family….
Hide from J.G.
Make forget…..
After that, the note was torn up a little, but still it made little sense. He had to bet J.G. was Jillian Gray, but why would he want to hide a silly kindergarten project from her. He pocketed the note then looked at the cracked part it had been in, finding there was a shiny black substance inside. After a few good cracks at it with his wand and the floorboards, the white stuff and painted pasta fell away to reveal a beautiful sapphire pendant that old had onyx and a ruby. The sapphire jewel in the center was in the shape of an eye, a rather catlike eye, but the actual pupil part was made of pure ruby, just like his own eyes looked. Everything else around it was pure onyx, black and smooth, not a blemish to it aside from what little paper machete he had yet to clean off.
So far and away, see the birds as it flies by.
Gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky.
I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings.
Leave them now and see what tomorrow brings.
In your dearest memories, do you remember loving me?
Was it fate that brought us close and now leaves me behind?
The moment he put it on, he felt funny. His mouth had been aching a little previous to the day's events ever since he turned nineteen, but it started to really act up at that moment. Just as suddenly as it had happened, he felt fine and didn't give the pendant a second thought. He had thought about it later on that day, wanting to give it to Sara for her sweet sixteen back then.
Then the nightmares began, and wouldn't stop. Every night brought the terrible visions into his slumber, keeping his visions of his lovely Sara away. He no longer wanted to give her the pendant and simply sent flowers and painting of a prince and princess dancing he found in a gallery for her birthday, not willing to tainted her mind with nightmares with such a rotten piece of jewelry. Still, even when he'd stopped wearing it, the nightmare persisted, testing his sanity and patience all at once.
It hurt enough that he couldn't see Sara unless Time and Space was at stake, but now his dreams were being robbed of her beauty. Merlock grumbled in frustration, grabbing the pendant up angrily and putting it on. "Nasty thing….you have cursed my mind to be so deprived of my love Sara, which I cannot forgive. Though, these dreams seem to involve me…the past I can't remember, but that dream….Can that be what I blocked out as a child? It seems too horrific, how can it be? What happened in that place that condemned it to death….and that woman to death?" he said aloud, getting swiftly out of his bed to get some clothes on.
After getting dressed in his normal attire, he walked to his door, reaching for the doorknob curtly. He stopped short when he felt something tap up against his shoe. Merlock looked down and saw it was a letter, his address on it in gold ink. He felt he had to consider it's sender by opening the door, but there was no one outside, just the cool December air and snow all around. There weren't even any footprints on his doorstep or even a trail leading away.
"Now I'm getting letters from ghosts. What's next, getting mugged by them? Peh….let's see what this letter is before I go outside." He sighed, giving his silken lavender hair a gently caress. He opened it carefully and looked at its contents. It was a small sticky note attached to a schedule, one marked for tomorrow night saying
"Gymnastics Meet? Huh?" He shrugged at that, but as his eyes took in what the sticky note said, his face lit up, so much the warmth he was feeling could melt all the snow around his home.
"Dear Merlock,
You deserve to get a chance at romance. You tried so hard for so long and I see that you'll never give up. Sara is having her Gymnastics Meet tomorrow. She has them every Friday, so feel free to go whenever you want, what Jillian doesn't know won't hurt us. Be brave, lad, and be with Sara. She could use the support, especially from you. Sleep well.
Sincerely,
A Friend." He read aloud, his voice growing happier with every word, the smile on his face nearly splitting his blue face in two. He quickly slammed the door shut and leaned against it with a content sigh, his fangs almost shimmering like pearls in his mouth as his smile kept getting bigger.
"I can see Sara! I CAN SEE SARA! Oh, I'm so happy, I can't believe it. I can see my darling, beautiful angel again! Oh yes!" he cried out, tears of joy streaming down his cheeks like liquid diamond, shimming beautifully against his skin.
"Pretty, beloved Sara….I will be there, my darling. You will always be number one in my heart, angel. Always and forever. Merlock Holmes swears it even more passionately than before. I will do anything and everything to make you happy and safe," he stated, lifting his hand up dramatically to the air," Ah, but only you will see me, I will not get you in trouble, my darling one. Trust in my love for you. I need you so much. Oh Sara, *sigh*, tomorrow….oh tomorrow, what wonders it will bring." He proclaimed, barely noticing that his pendant was glowing a gentle blackness, the ruby pupil shining briefly.
~ Newton High School ~
- Night of the Gymnastics Meet -
"Come on Goodman, show them what you've got." The coach told the fuchsia haired girl. Sara nodded, her cerulean eyes blinking once before she turned for the mat. It was the final round, and it was riding on her, again. Her teammates were too busy snickering at her and acting cool to give her any pointers, or even any support. Their coach was a replacement for the lost Miss Iknow. That woman had transferred to this school, as had the principal and English teacher, but then they all vanished. She'd never liked any of them, but she was worried in a way about their safety.
'No you're not, you're worried about how they'll laugh their asses off at you when you screw this up….' She thought, her hair in a tight ponytail, the leotard she wore matching her hair color perfectly. Her hair swiveled a bit as she looked at the crowd. Uncle Bernie and Tony weren't around, or Flint.
Uncle Bernie was lucky he wasn't here because had been given a long tedious inventory job, as he called it. That was cleaning up the house again for one of Jillian's surprise inspections that never seemed to happen. She didn't like the way Jillian treated her uncle, always getting his hopes up that she would come, then she never came, saying a day later she had more important matters to look into. 'Liar….she just did it to make him stop fawning over her.' She thought harshly. She was angry at Jillian, but not just for how she treated her uncle, but for how she had treated Merlock for saving hers and Flint's lives.
Uncle Bernie and Flint were at the airport, picking Tony up from a long several months of his soccer tour, which had earned his team the second championship in a row. He had started up soccer more heavily after he was dubbed unfit to be a Time Detective. Merlock sometimes watched him and Sara practice, well, Merlock had mostly been watching her.
She missed Merlock a lot lately. It wasn't as if other boys hadn't been asking her out on dates, there were plenty to choose from, but she didn't want them. She wanted Merlock, sweet, honest, and kind Merlock. He didn't expect things like other boys did, like one date and get in my bed sort of expectations. Merlock had told her how he would do anything for her. He was her knight, like in a fairy tale. It had all been so sweet to hear, then they had been banned from being around each other, by Jillian.
She was still sore about, even after two years. She missed him and hoped he was well. Tony had never had a kind word for Merlock, and still didn't. It wasn't as if Tony would be around for her interests, he was on your with his soccer team, the champion Rockets. Tony was still miffed she was Time Detective and he wasn't, but being adored by countless girls and fans for being the captain of a worldly renowned soccer team seemed to heal his bruised ego. Tony still wrote when he was away, sending everyone gifts with the promotion money he got from the coach. He obviously loved to write to them, one of their few closets was filled to the brim with postcards.
Tony was very happy, very popular, and very far away, her little brother. Tony would probably get back from the tours tonight, which was well and over. He'd be bored until next season, but he'd have enough spending money to forget to moan and groan about it.
Sara had always been smart, and becoming a Time Detective hadn't been her dream, but it was so fascinating. She got to learn about the past first hand and experience so many things her boring life never gave her. Gymnastics was a way to become more agile, faster in the pursuit of fighting time crime, what little remained of it. Petra was gone, dropped off the face of Time and Space. Sara had been particularly bored in giving little kids tours of time and making sure no one stole anything during them. It was dull, and pale compared to two years ago, when being a Time Detective meant something more than trained tour guide.
She brushed the thoughts off as her eyes moved across the bleachers full of proud parents and siblings and friends, none of her own. Her parents were gone, and her friends had all gone to different schools and countries over the years. She really didn't have much of anybody but her family. Her cerulean eyes moved to the end, and stopped. There was a young man hiding behind the bleachers, wearing a long brown trenchcoat with a big hood that his everything but his mouth and left eye, which was closed. She knew who it was after a few moments of staring, the blue skin and the shock of lavender hair peaking like delicate rose petal from beneath the ugly hood.
'Merlock….he's here? He's really here?!' she thought happily. At that moment, Merlock opened his eye, the garnet orb of pure blood looking calm at first, then startled. He blushed faintly, as if he'd gotten in trouble, that boyish expression melting her heart.
She smiled back and waved slightly. His blush deepened, a little fang poking out as he returned the smile. He had grown even more handsome than she remembered. He was a little taller, his hair was a little longer. She could tell, the sides were pulled tight to his head, like he had a ponytail in the back. He was still slender, but it was a good build for him.
"Goodman! The judges are waiting! Don't trip on your bunny slippers." One of the girls on her team teased. Marina was her name, the most stuck up girl on the team, the ringleader of the shame squad. She'd made Sara high school life a living hell when Marina's boyfriend said Sara was pretty, right in front of Marina. Sara had no designs on that guy, but Marina was a vengeful redhead, her eyes as green as jealousy itself. Marina went out of her way to humiliate and tease Sara every hour of every day, but not this time.
'Hmmph, not today, you won't get to me today.' She thought, and started her moves gracefully. She started off with a good sprint and then did a triple somersault and ended with a split before sweeping her legs out from under her self to stand on her hands. One move with her palms and she launched herself into the air a bit, managing a perfect twist and landing her feet in her final pose. She turned about gracefully, as was custom to in gymnastics, turning in all four directions there were people in view and last to the judges, her hands up in the air, raised like an angel's wings.
The whole gymnasium erupted with clapping, even a few of Marina's girls, all but Marina. He judges gave her a perfect score and she smiles, then bowed to them respectively. The other girls came over to her and congratulated her as the judges got up from their seats. She had won a match for the team, the first in a long time. She hadn't felt this good since she started out, all the matches she'd won in the past until Marina made it her sovereign duty to get on her case, making her feel awkward.
She looked to the source of her happiness, then frowned. Merlock was gone. She disentangled herself from her teammates to go where he'd been standing, but there was nothing. She sighed, maybe she had hallucinated about him, to feel better. Thinking about him always helped lift her spirits in some way, but he seemed so real.
She turned, ready to go back to her teammates when she saw something dangling from one of the metal bolts on the bleachers' side. It was a note, held up by a red ribbon with a rose tied in its center. She picked it off the bolt and opened the letter. It was a short note, smelling of perfumed roses. The note was short and simple, in Merlock's artistic and smooth handwriting:
Dear Sara,
Meet me in the Tokyo Park near the roses.
M.H.
She put the letter back in when she heard people approaching, taking the rose in her delicate hand. "What's that Sara? Secret admirer?" one girl said. Marina was still on the mat, staring at them all with hate in her eyes. "I suppose so….Uh, let's go see what the coach has to say about the next meet." She said quickly, and the girls nodded, all smiling, pulling her back towards Marina and the beaming coach.
~ Tokyo Park ~
Sara stood, shivering a bit in the cool air, only her jacket and sweats to keep her warm. Her shirts had been stuffed in the toilet as she got into the locket room, only one girl staying behind. It wasn't Marina, but the girl had such a sorry look on her face. Her jacket had been saved by the girl, who had stopped Marina from dunking it with the rest of her clothes. All that was left was a bra, her sweats, and a pair of dirty socks. She knew she wouldn't smell very good when Merlock came, but she'd explain. The girl lent her a pink tank top of her that she wasn't in need of and apologized. It had been a little something. Some of the girls weren't scared of Marina, but not enough.
She'd get back at Marina later, but right now, she didn't care. Merlock, after two years of not saying a word to her, was back. She knew she'd been banned from being near him after she and Flint fouled Petra's arrest up, as Jillian coldly stated.
Sara stiffened when she heard a rustling ahead of her, right near a tree a patch of lovely roses laid near. Merlock had come here often, as he'd confessed once to her. He said he had no idea why he loved roses so much, but the smell always made him happy. She'd thought it was rather pleasant as well, but the look on his face whenever he smelled them seemed to be that of a memory he was trying to find. Merlock only spoke of his clan that Jillian said she'd traced for him when he was young, that she'd found him wandering around begging when he was six or so. He'd never met them, but Jillian had assured him they were around.
He couldn't remember much past six years of age, he got terrible headaches whenever he was asked about it or tried thinking about it. He assumed he'd suffered trauma in his toddler days, and it blocked out by fear. Right now, Sara was half-afraid it wasn't Merlock rustling behind the tree, her only fear being that she'd imagined it all and had been led into a trap by Marina.
"Sara dearest?" a breathtakingly familiar voice uttered, not as much confidence in it as she was used to. His head peer out from behind the tree, the hood down. His hair had grown, kept in a neat, short ponytail, his bangs just as beautiful on his boyishly angelic face. He was wearing his usual attire under his now opened trenchcoat, his ruby eyes regarding her with a hint of fear.
A voice from the past, joining yours and mine.
Adding up the layers of harmony.
And so it goes, on and on.
Melodies of life,
To the sky beyond the flying bird - forever and on.
"Yes, Merlock." She answered. He smiled a little and came out from behind the tree, approaching as if she were an animal that would dart away from him at any second. She stayed still, the rose he had left her held carefully between her fingers, the pad of her thumb and pointer finger pressed lightly again the smooth thorns.
He stopped a few inches away from her, looking her up and down. He was smiling a little, his nose twitching a bit. "Sorry." She blurted suddenly, and he looked at her oddly.
"For what? For coming here?" he asked, a little fearful.
"No, that I smell bad. A girl from my team….gave my clothes toilet water treatments. I had to wear dirty clothes, it was all she didn't try and douse." She said, shivering in a shrug. To her surprise, he smiled and took off his trenchcoat and wrapped it about her, pulling her close. "I know I'm not very warm as a normal human, but I would sooner die than see you suffer another inferior female's wrath." He said lightly.
"Then why did you wrinkle you nose?" she asked.
"I was trying to keep from crying. I have missed you so much, dearest. There hasn't been a moment I haven't thought of you, darling. These two years have been torture to my very soul, Sara." He said, stifling a sob.
She smiled at him, nestling her cheek to his and putting her free arm about his waist. "I've missed you too Merlock. How did you know where I'd be?"
"I got a little message from someone….telling me when you were having gymnastic meets. I think we have a guardian angel, my angel. I had to take a chance to see you, I've been going mad with grief of not seeing your perfection. Time has been most kind to you. You're even more stunning than I remember."
"Speak for yourself," she giggled, blushing as she felt his hand on her hip, stroking the hip bone softly," You've grown up too. You let your hair grow a little."
"Oh, I'll never be as wonderful looking as you, my dearest ruby angel. I merely forgot to cut my hair….I had been thinking of seeing you too much to remember. I have waited so long to hold you again. I'm so sorry I couldn't see you sooner. Can you ever forgive my shortcomings?" he begged, pressing his head against the crook of her neck. His hair was so silky, it felt nice against her skin, his smell like that of his letters, a wild blue, rose. If it existed, it'd be a rare a thing as Merlock was.
"Oh, you don't have to be like this. I know it wasn't either of our faults. Jillian's just overprotective of your standings as a Time Detective. She did raise you after all, I hear most mothers act like that when their children start to grow up….wish I knew about that…." She said, he mood dropping.
Merlock sensed that and stood up straight, holding her securely in his arms. His garnet eyes stared at her lovingly, a small smile on his beautiful face. "I am sorry your parents could not see you as you are today, or see you grow up into such a beautiful lady. I would have been honored to meet the bearers of such a goddess as you, Sara. I wish no pain on you, only happiness. I want to give you so much of that….I truly do. So much…." He told her, pulling her closer. She moved with him, her eyes fluttering shut as she lean up and took his pale lips in a kiss. He was startled a moment, then his lips softened, his warm tongue pressing against her lips. She opened her mouth and let him in, pushing her own slim tongue into his. The lengths twisted gently and tasted each other, Merlock holding her tightly, rubbing her back lovingly.
She'd waited so long to kiss him again. She'd only gotten the one sweet first kiss from him, only one. Now they would make up for the two years of lost embraces and touching, they would, in secret if need be.
Her hand clenched as he deepened the kiss, and she screamed in his mouth as pain erupted in her hand. Merlock pulled back, afraid he'd hurt her, but she shook her head. Looking to her hand that held the rose, Her fingers were bleeding, thorns stuck in them. Merlock quickly came to her aid and carefully pulled the dislodged thorns out and kissed her fingers. He stayed there a moment, as if frozen in place, she looked down at him and saw the blood was on his lips, and he was staring at the freely bleeding wounds hungrily.
"Merlock….?" She asked. His trance broke, his eyes widening as he stood, turning a bit to lick the blood off his lips. "Sorry….I felt funny for a moment. Maybe the sight of blood isn't for me. Sorry….uh here." He said, shaking his blood stained finger off on his cape before tearing a shred of it off and pressing it against her fingers. He did this for several minutes, until the blood began to clot. He stuffed the torn piece in his pocket and bowed to her politely. "Best I get you home, my love. If it would be all right…can we maybe….uh…that is to say uh….." he stammered, blushing furiously.
'He can spout beautiful things to me endlessly, but whenever I go to him or he tries to ask me something, he gets all shy. He so cute that way." She thought smiling at him.
"Merlock Holmes, are you trying to ask me out on a date?" she asked sweetly. Merlock blushed, then nodded. "Yes, pretty Sara, will you go out on a date with me?"
She smiled at him and tackled him in a big warm hug, kissing his cheek hard. "Of course, you silly vampire. I've been waiting two years to hear you say that!" she chirped. He embraced her back, kissing her neck gently, his smooth fangs just barely brushing against her soft flesh.
She held him tightly, kissing his head very gently. "Next Wednesday, at six in the evening good for you?" he asked.
"Sure, I can say we have a special practice going on that night. Anything to finally get on with our lives, no Jillian in the way." She sighed.
"And no Bindi either. Just us, my darling. I promise, nothing but us. I'll meet you here then….and then I'll treat like the princess you are, darling." He cooed, kissing her warmly on the mouth. Sara forgot to think then, the sweet smell of roses taking them into the bliss of twilight.
~ Wednesday ~
- Midnight -
"That was a wonderful date, Merlock. I've never seen such a fancy place in my life."
"Neither have I….but I found it on my computer. The Internet is so helpful in finding nice places to go. But I felt a little out of place there….maybe next time we'll go to a movie, if that's all right with you, angel." He said, holding her in his arms as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop as fast as he could. Sara had told Dr. Goodman she'd be back by ten at best, but that was two hours ago. The restaurant he'd taken her too wasn't very expensive, but the service was slow. There had been a nice band there playing, candlelight, an even a dance floor, which she and Merlock had gone onto for almost every slow song that was played, while waiting for their order.
Sara had told him that she'd locked her door out of habit, so Flint and Tony would stay out of her business. She'd started doing that when she caught Tony with Flint on his shoulders trying to reach for her diary on her tall bureau. It was necessary for her privacy to be maintained. Her window was left open to keep her room aired, and it was also so she could be planet back in her room, fooling her uncle into thinking she'd gotten back and he hadn't noticed.
It had been hard to get out of the house for her, Jillian had come on a surprise visit, the house in total disarray, just what that cold woman wanted to chew her uncle out. Bindi had come with her, to be transferred into Dr. Goodman's care, and since she was not getting along with any of the Time Shifters in the land of Time. Getalong was still with them, so it wasn't as if Bindi was on her own.
Sara's excuse worked, and her uncle was too infatuated with Miss Jillian to challenge her. Tony and Flint were watching an action flick with Getalong, and Bindi grudgingly was there with them.
She looked so happy in his arms, he was her prince, and he's treated her with utmost respect during dinner, and during their walk through the park, until the time of Tokyo was announced by the police, a few streets away, that the midnight hour was upon them.
He was so stupid, he'd forgotten he was supposed to bring her back at ten, and she hadn't looked at her watch either. He was really racing now, trying not to trip. If he did, he'd hurt his angel. He couldn't stand for that.
Merlock took a few more leaps until he reached the Bureau of Time and Space, landing neatly on the roof tier a few feet away from Sara's dark room. His nose twitched again, an odd smell in the air, but then again, there was a garbage bin or two near the building, one he'd fallen into a few times.
He looked at Sara lovingly, listening for any sounds of people near or in the room. He heard nothing, only the gentle breeze of the night. "Ok, coast is clear, my love. I'll be better with the time, pretty Sara, I promise, its just that finally going on date with you has been my dream since I met you. I'm still surprised I haven't woken up yet…." He said sheepishly, blushing.
Sara smiled at him, then he set her down. Then she ran at him and gave him a soul-searing kiss that nearly gave him a heart attack, if he was capable of suffering from it, then he took her in the embrace and kissed her back. 'Its not a dream….its real.' He thought happily, savoring the honeyed flavor of her innocent mouth.
He pulled back after a little while and lifted the partially open window the rest of the way, delicately taking Sara's hands and lowering her inside. He knelt upon the roof a moment, staring into her beautiful pristine cerulean eyes. "I'll see you at your next meet, my darling. Is that all right?" he asked, his gentle garnet eyes fawning over her.
She smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. "Of course. It would be a pleasure, Merlock. I can't wait to see you again. How about you walk me to library tomorrow….since the holiday's are coming up. No school for a while…." She said sweetly. He nodded with a grin. Then slowly shut her window, blowing him a kiss. He caught it deftly and put it upon his smiling mouth.
If I should leave this lonely world behind,
Your voice will still remember our melody.
Now I know we'll carry on.
He waited until her lovely form moved for her dresser, then he started for home quickly. He had to order some flowers for her for tomorrow. He could find a place, he would. Nothing stood in Merlock's way, not even himself. He was so happy, he didn't even hear the faint shouting from the Bureau, or the shattering of glass and metal.
~ Bureau of Time and Space ~
~ Next Morning ~
Merlock kept to the rooftops as usual, he was getting better as he got older with his balance problems, but there were still moments when his train of thought would wander and down he'd go. He was sometimes thankful to be a half vampire at times, it really helped get rid of all those bruises and cuts he was used to getting.
He held a lovely bouquet of roses in one and his cane in the other, nearly to the Bureau. He landed neatly on the roof, nearly in the same spot as he did last night, but that rotting smell was still there, much more putrid. His curiosity got the best of him and he peered over the edge where the garbage bin was.
One eye twitched a bit, there was barely any rubbish inside, maybe some leftover trash that leaks out of the bags that were once inside. The smell wasn't coming from the bin as he sniffed at it, that smell was more like mold and vomit, not rotting fruit.
The smell was nearby, but not outside. He tugged on Sara's window, and yelped as it fell inward, shattering to pieces as he touched it. "SARA!!" he shrieked and leapt inside, narrowing his keen eyes to search for her. She wasn't in her room, the rays of sunlight all over, but no sign of Sara. The room looked like a tornado hit it, and the decaying smell was practically leaking out of every pore of the room. There was another smell, one he smelled when Sara had hurt herself.
"Blood….someone harmed my Sara!! How dare they! I'll teach them!" he growled, looking to the source. There was a spatter of blood on her pillow, not a lot to be worried about, but still, it was Sara's blood. No one had any right to harm a hair on her head, let alone make her bleed. He'd rip the attacker apart when he found him. He dropped the roses and burst out of her room, sniffing again for that rotten smell, it got stronger as he moved for the stairs, the smell almost knocking him out. "SARA! TONY!….FLINT! DR. GOODMAN!! Anyone?" he shouted, and got nothing. He heard a static sound, like a busted screen, and a dripping noise.
He moved faster down the steps, sliding across the floor of the living room. He looked down and found it was another spatter of blood, several of them. There were pieces of torn clothing, the entire room looked like it had been eaten and vomited up, torn apart as if it were nothing. Then something caught his eye, the rose he had given her, lying in a pool of blood.
Melodies of life,
Come circle round and grow deep in our hearts,
As long as we remember.
He fell to his knees, not caring that he was soaking his clothing with blood. Tears threatened his garnet eyes, his teeth gritting terribly tight, his little fangs a bit more prominent as he started to scream. "SARA!!!!!" he wailed, the Bureau of Time and Space shaking with his fury.
To Be Continued….
Author's Note: So you know, Merlock didn't black out, have a vampire fit and do all this damage. Sorry this took so long, but "Seven Angels" had to be finished first.
