... "We did it! We did it!" It is all around me, shouting, laughter.
We finally did it! We killed him. Zetes is dead. I, we, killed him. We are
free. Without realizing it, I'm jumping up and down, laughing. We all are.
Finally, we're free. I kiss Kait on the cheek.
Eventually, we all calm down. Kessler comes up to me, and I see the smile on his face. Finally it sinks in, what is about to happen, what I have to do.
"Thanks for keeping Kaitlyn safe for me," and he takes her hand. Kait gives me this fake smile, like she wants to cry. I do too, Kait. I do too.
It took me a minute to realize he was talking. "We have to go through this place, find the evidence we need to prove that Mr. Zetes was doing all this." I nod, like everyone else, fighting back the tears. Kait, I love you! I want to tell her, run to her, yank her away from him, but I can't. I can't even think it to her, Rob might hear. Damn you, Kessler!
Suddenly, he comes over to me with this look on his face. "Let me see your arm, Gabriel." It hurts, I want him to heal it, but he can't see this! "No!" I yank my arm back. I struggle for a few minutes, but he finally grabs it, yanks it out for all to see. Everyone gasps.
He starts healing the burn marks and cuts I made last night, but he isn't only healing me, he's trying to get a mind link. "Get off! I just got hurt when the shard exploded. Let me go! It wasn't even this arm!" It's too late, Kessler's in my thoughts, seeing, probing, putting his damn nose where it doesn't belong. I struggle harder.
"You didn't get hurt by the shard." He sounds sick, almost like he can't breath, like he's tired. "You did this to yourself. They were hurting Kaitlyn, and you had to keep a mind link with her, you thought pain would help. You used a cigarette butt and a shard of glass, and ended up picking at the wounds half the night to keep the pain fresh." I give up struggling, he won't let me go. Does he know? I glance at Kait. No! Don't look at her! Rob can't know!
Suddenly, Rob's grip goes limp. I yank my arm back, but it's too late; he knows. "You love Kaitlyn, don't you?"
Suddenly me, Mr. Tough, can't look him in the eye. "Yes."
He has this look on his face, like he's swallowing glass and laughing about it. "You more than love her, you'd do anything for her. Crawl on your belly through broken glass, right?"
"Yes, damn it! I love her!" For an instant, I look up, fierce as anything, before my resolve shatters and I go back to staring at a spot near Kessler's feet.
Rob looks at Kait, and he still has that face. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Suddenly, I really see Kait for the first time since Zetes had her pulled out of the tank. She's shaking, her hair's all a mess, and any minute now she's going to cry. She is so beautiful, and I'm going to lose her. Our eyes meet, and we agree then, without any communication, don't hurt Rob.
Suddenly, Kait's thoughts are flying through the link. He can't know, he can't know, he can't know! I can't hurt Rob! I can't, I can't I can't I can't, no no no no no nonononononoNO!
I didn't realize till then just how shot Kait was. She needed sleep and peace and quiet before she could think without letting the entire link see, including Rob. She looked at me, then Anna and Lewis, and realized that they all heard her. "I just, I didn't realize ... so much happened, and I-. I'll get over it!"
Rob's face mutated again. Now he looks like he got hit by a bus and is trying to tell his mother he'll be okay. "No you won't. You'd better not, either of you." He keeps swallowing. "I love you Kait, Lord knows how much," a lone tear slides down his cheek, "but I can't come between what you two have. Nothing could." He slowly walks by me, and pats my shoulder. Take care of her.
I will.
I see Anna and Kait look at each other for a moment, then Anna runs after him. Somehow, I'm not suprised. Lewis and Lydia quickly walk out of the room too. Suddenly Kait turns and looks at me, and she's grinning like a little kid. I practically run to her, and pull her into my arms. She's shaking so badly I can barely hold her. I kiss her hair as I lead her to the couch. We just sit together for a while, my arms around her.
It was a while before she spoke. "I love you, Gabriel."
"I don't know how you can love a monster like me."
"Never a monster. Never. You have saved me more times than I can count."
"Almost enough to make up for the times I've hurt you."
"Did I tell you looked like a knight holding that shard? My knight. And I didn't thank you." She reaches out and puts her arms around my waist, then kisses me. I kiss back, and we stay that way for a long time. She smiled. "You thought so many beautiful things last night, now it's my turn." And so we spent the next few hours, Kait in my arms, thinking about the most beautiful things, and showing me each one in turn.
* * *
We must have slept for an hour or two. I woke up when I heard footsteps on the stairs.
"How is she?" God, Rob looks like someone died. His hair is messed up and his eyes are bloodshot.
"She's just tired." Now what the hell am I supposed to say? "Are you okay?"
He smiles like someone died and says, "Fine," with a weak laugh. "I mean, as fine as I should expect." He sighes, then looks at the ceiling for a minute. "Take care o- why am I telling you that? You would die for her, I don't need to tell you to take care of her!" He sighes again. "I just came to say that, well, if I had to pick someone else for Kait, it would be you."
"Thanks, Rob. I don't deserve it, I don't deserve her ! I don't know how she can care about me at all." I can't help looking at her, asleep in my arms. She looks like an angel, my angel. "She's worried about you."
"She shouldn't be. I'll be okay. Eventually."
"She knows that."
"Want help getting her upstairs?"
"Not yet. I just want to hold her in my arms for a little while."
"Okay." He turns to go.
He didn't tell me where he was headed, but I knew. "Tell Anna I said hi."
"How did you ... another stupid thing to say. You're a telepath in a permanent mind link with me, and I ask how you know where I'm going."
"I didn't figure it out from you; Kait told me," I said, watching the dazed look on his face. "She had a premonition. Good luck with her."
"Thanks," and he left.
Eventually, we all calm down. Kessler comes up to me, and I see the smile on his face. Finally it sinks in, what is about to happen, what I have to do.
"Thanks for keeping Kaitlyn safe for me," and he takes her hand. Kait gives me this fake smile, like she wants to cry. I do too, Kait. I do too.
It took me a minute to realize he was talking. "We have to go through this place, find the evidence we need to prove that Mr. Zetes was doing all this." I nod, like everyone else, fighting back the tears. Kait, I love you! I want to tell her, run to her, yank her away from him, but I can't. I can't even think it to her, Rob might hear. Damn you, Kessler!
Suddenly, he comes over to me with this look on his face. "Let me see your arm, Gabriel." It hurts, I want him to heal it, but he can't see this! "No!" I yank my arm back. I struggle for a few minutes, but he finally grabs it, yanks it out for all to see. Everyone gasps.
He starts healing the burn marks and cuts I made last night, but he isn't only healing me, he's trying to get a mind link. "Get off! I just got hurt when the shard exploded. Let me go! It wasn't even this arm!" It's too late, Kessler's in my thoughts, seeing, probing, putting his damn nose where it doesn't belong. I struggle harder.
"You didn't get hurt by the shard." He sounds sick, almost like he can't breath, like he's tired. "You did this to yourself. They were hurting Kaitlyn, and you had to keep a mind link with her, you thought pain would help. You used a cigarette butt and a shard of glass, and ended up picking at the wounds half the night to keep the pain fresh." I give up struggling, he won't let me go. Does he know? I glance at Kait. No! Don't look at her! Rob can't know!
Suddenly, Rob's grip goes limp. I yank my arm back, but it's too late; he knows. "You love Kaitlyn, don't you?"
Suddenly me, Mr. Tough, can't look him in the eye. "Yes."
He has this look on his face, like he's swallowing glass and laughing about it. "You more than love her, you'd do anything for her. Crawl on your belly through broken glass, right?"
"Yes, damn it! I love her!" For an instant, I look up, fierce as anything, before my resolve shatters and I go back to staring at a spot near Kessler's feet.
Rob looks at Kait, and he still has that face. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Suddenly, I really see Kait for the first time since Zetes had her pulled out of the tank. She's shaking, her hair's all a mess, and any minute now she's going to cry. She is so beautiful, and I'm going to lose her. Our eyes meet, and we agree then, without any communication, don't hurt Rob.
Suddenly, Kait's thoughts are flying through the link. He can't know, he can't know, he can't know! I can't hurt Rob! I can't, I can't I can't I can't, no no no no no nonononononoNO!
I didn't realize till then just how shot Kait was. She needed sleep and peace and quiet before she could think without letting the entire link see, including Rob. She looked at me, then Anna and Lewis, and realized that they all heard her. "I just, I didn't realize ... so much happened, and I-. I'll get over it!"
Rob's face mutated again. Now he looks like he got hit by a bus and is trying to tell his mother he'll be okay. "No you won't. You'd better not, either of you." He keeps swallowing. "I love you Kait, Lord knows how much," a lone tear slides down his cheek, "but I can't come between what you two have. Nothing could." He slowly walks by me, and pats my shoulder. Take care of her.
I will.
I see Anna and Kait look at each other for a moment, then Anna runs after him. Somehow, I'm not suprised. Lewis and Lydia quickly walk out of the room too. Suddenly Kait turns and looks at me, and she's grinning like a little kid. I practically run to her, and pull her into my arms. She's shaking so badly I can barely hold her. I kiss her hair as I lead her to the couch. We just sit together for a while, my arms around her.
It was a while before she spoke. "I love you, Gabriel."
"I don't know how you can love a monster like me."
"Never a monster. Never. You have saved me more times than I can count."
"Almost enough to make up for the times I've hurt you."
"Did I tell you looked like a knight holding that shard? My knight. And I didn't thank you." She reaches out and puts her arms around my waist, then kisses me. I kiss back, and we stay that way for a long time. She smiled. "You thought so many beautiful things last night, now it's my turn." And so we spent the next few hours, Kait in my arms, thinking about the most beautiful things, and showing me each one in turn.
* * *
We must have slept for an hour or two. I woke up when I heard footsteps on the stairs.
"How is she?" God, Rob looks like someone died. His hair is messed up and his eyes are bloodshot.
"She's just tired." Now what the hell am I supposed to say? "Are you okay?"
He smiles like someone died and says, "Fine," with a weak laugh. "I mean, as fine as I should expect." He sighes, then looks at the ceiling for a minute. "Take care o- why am I telling you that? You would die for her, I don't need to tell you to take care of her!" He sighes again. "I just came to say that, well, if I had to pick someone else for Kait, it would be you."
"Thanks, Rob. I don't deserve it, I don't deserve her ! I don't know how she can care about me at all." I can't help looking at her, asleep in my arms. She looks like an angel, my angel. "She's worried about you."
"She shouldn't be. I'll be okay. Eventually."
"She knows that."
"Want help getting her upstairs?"
"Not yet. I just want to hold her in my arms for a little while."
"Okay." He turns to go.
He didn't tell me where he was headed, but I knew. "Tell Anna I said hi."
"How did you ... another stupid thing to say. You're a telepath in a permanent mind link with me, and I ask how you know where I'm going."
"I didn't figure it out from you; Kait told me," I said, watching the dazed look on his face. "She had a premonition. Good luck with her."
"Thanks," and he left.