Chapter sixteen
New York, 1998
Eyrie building
Jesse sat in her bed reading the book Fox had brought her from the library, when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in, Alex" She said not looking up.
"Jesse! Jesse! Look what I can do!" Alexander said bounding in and jumping onto her bed.
Jesse set the book on the bedside table and put her full attention on the toddler. "What can you do Alex?"
The small boy closed his eyes, and seconds later he was bobbing up and down in the air. He fell back to the bed triumphantly.
"Wonderful, Alex. I see Puck is teaching you well."
"Can you do Jesse?"
"Well, I don't know. You remember when Puck explained to you about my sickness?"
"Boo-boo."
"Well, yeah. In a way it's like a boo-boo. But this boo-boo makes me weak. . .extremely sleepy, and I have trouble harnessing my powers."
"Harnsing?" the boy asked, confused.
"It means I have trouble using my magic."
"Oh."
Puck appeared in the bed room, and Jesse pulled the blankets up over her body.
"Whoops, should I have knocked?" Jesse dropped the blankets to show that she was fully clothed. "Ha, ha. Alex. what did I tell you about disappearing like that?"
"I no 'spear. I ran." Alex said.
"You, know you're picking up Jesse's attitude. Grandma Titanya won't like that."
"I personally think it's cute." Jesse said.
"Cute, doesn't cut it. Come Alexander, you need to finish your lesson."
Jesse chuckled, and went back to her book.
* * *
There was another knock at the door Jesse huffed, and put the book back on the table. "Come in."
Brooklyn stuck his head in. "Hey."
She immediately cheered up. "Hi!"
He walked over to the bed and sat down and kissed her on the cheek. "How ya feelin'?"
"Actually, I haven't felt this good in a long time. And I feel even better now that you're here." She kissed him deeply.
"Are you up to getting out of bed and joining us in the library for a movie." He asked when the kiss was broken.
"Who's us?"
"Okay, so it's just you and me. But still. . ."
"Sure." she said as he wrapped a blanket around her and scooped her into his arms.
* * *
December 25, 1999
Eyrie Building
The castle was alive with Christmas festivities. Alex, now three, excitedly jumped up and down, waiting to open his presents. The gargoyles, Elisa, David, and Fox sat at the dining table.
Jesse and Brooklyn sat by the fire. She had her head resting on his shoulder, and he had his head resting on top of hers, and together they gazed into the flames.
"Jesse?"
"Hmm?" She asked, shifting uncomfortably on the stone floor.
"Are you feeling okay."
"I am a little tired. But it's nothing to worry about."
"Oh." he said, giving her one more worried look.
"Okay everybody, time to open the presents." David said, standing.
Alex jumped with glee, and took his place at Fox's feet.
* * *
When all the gifts had been opened, everybody gathered at the table again, to have the hot chocolate Broadway had made for them.
Feeling suddenly dizzy, Jesse steadied herself on the chair. Brooklyn was instantly at her side.
"I--I don't feel so well, could you take me upstairs?" the mug in her hand fell to the floor and shattered, as did Brooklyn's heart, as he watched his love follow it.
* * *
The doctor closed his bag. "I doubt if she'll live to sunrise." he said to David and Fox.
"She won't die alone." Fox said, clenching her fist.
The gargoyles, plus Elisa, were gathered around Jesse's bed, where her shallow breathing was the only thing that was audible, other than the soft sobs, coming from the bystanders.
Jesse's eyes slowly opened. Alex crawled to her side from where he had been sitting on the end of the bed.
"Jesse okay?"
"Yeah Alex, I'm okay."
"You gonna get better."
"Yes Alex. I'm gonna go on a little trip, but when I see you again, I'll be all better."
The little boy wrapped his arms around her neck in understanding.
Angela, sat on the bed beside Jesse, and breathed deeply. "Jesse I--"
"Shh." Jesse said, then glancing at Brooklyn. "Take good care of him for me."
"I promise."
"And for you a gift. From my remaining powers, I give you a blessing."
Jesse moved her hand in slow circles, in front of Angela. A light dust
formed over the gargress. And Angela smiled with understanding. "Thank you"
"One more thing. My daughter, is she beautiful?"
"She's as pretty as her mother." Angela said, more tears flowing down her cheek.
Brooklyn sat down on the other side of Jesse, and the others moved away respectively.
"Jesse. . ."
"Shh, let me talk. You have the rest of your life." he laughed between his sobs. "Do you know what today is?"
"Christmas?"
"No, it was three years plus one month, that the doctor said I had two years to live. I wanted so much to see the new millennium. I want you. . .to celebrate it extra, for me."
Brooklyn clasped her hands. "Jesse, I love you. You mean more than anything else in the world to me. If. . ."
"If you are kind and good, the way that I know you. We shall be together again, in paradise. . ." and she said no more.
New York, 1998
Eyrie building
Jesse sat in her bed reading the book Fox had brought her from the library, when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in, Alex" She said not looking up.
"Jesse! Jesse! Look what I can do!" Alexander said bounding in and jumping onto her bed.
Jesse set the book on the bedside table and put her full attention on the toddler. "What can you do Alex?"
The small boy closed his eyes, and seconds later he was bobbing up and down in the air. He fell back to the bed triumphantly.
"Wonderful, Alex. I see Puck is teaching you well."
"Can you do Jesse?"
"Well, I don't know. You remember when Puck explained to you about my sickness?"
"Boo-boo."
"Well, yeah. In a way it's like a boo-boo. But this boo-boo makes me weak. . .extremely sleepy, and I have trouble harnessing my powers."
"Harnsing?" the boy asked, confused.
"It means I have trouble using my magic."
"Oh."
Puck appeared in the bed room, and Jesse pulled the blankets up over her body.
"Whoops, should I have knocked?" Jesse dropped the blankets to show that she was fully clothed. "Ha, ha. Alex. what did I tell you about disappearing like that?"
"I no 'spear. I ran." Alex said.
"You, know you're picking up Jesse's attitude. Grandma Titanya won't like that."
"I personally think it's cute." Jesse said.
"Cute, doesn't cut it. Come Alexander, you need to finish your lesson."
Jesse chuckled, and went back to her book.
* * *
There was another knock at the door Jesse huffed, and put the book back on the table. "Come in."
Brooklyn stuck his head in. "Hey."
She immediately cheered up. "Hi!"
He walked over to the bed and sat down and kissed her on the cheek. "How ya feelin'?"
"Actually, I haven't felt this good in a long time. And I feel even better now that you're here." She kissed him deeply.
"Are you up to getting out of bed and joining us in the library for a movie." He asked when the kiss was broken.
"Who's us?"
"Okay, so it's just you and me. But still. . ."
"Sure." she said as he wrapped a blanket around her and scooped her into his arms.
* * *
December 25, 1999
Eyrie Building
The castle was alive with Christmas festivities. Alex, now three, excitedly jumped up and down, waiting to open his presents. The gargoyles, Elisa, David, and Fox sat at the dining table.
Jesse and Brooklyn sat by the fire. She had her head resting on his shoulder, and he had his head resting on top of hers, and together they gazed into the flames.
"Jesse?"
"Hmm?" She asked, shifting uncomfortably on the stone floor.
"Are you feeling okay."
"I am a little tired. But it's nothing to worry about."
"Oh." he said, giving her one more worried look.
"Okay everybody, time to open the presents." David said, standing.
Alex jumped with glee, and took his place at Fox's feet.
* * *
When all the gifts had been opened, everybody gathered at the table again, to have the hot chocolate Broadway had made for them.
Feeling suddenly dizzy, Jesse steadied herself on the chair. Brooklyn was instantly at her side.
"I--I don't feel so well, could you take me upstairs?" the mug in her hand fell to the floor and shattered, as did Brooklyn's heart, as he watched his love follow it.
* * *
The doctor closed his bag. "I doubt if she'll live to sunrise." he said to David and Fox.
"She won't die alone." Fox said, clenching her fist.
The gargoyles, plus Elisa, were gathered around Jesse's bed, where her shallow breathing was the only thing that was audible, other than the soft sobs, coming from the bystanders.
Jesse's eyes slowly opened. Alex crawled to her side from where he had been sitting on the end of the bed.
"Jesse okay?"
"Yeah Alex, I'm okay."
"You gonna get better."
"Yes Alex. I'm gonna go on a little trip, but when I see you again, I'll be all better."
The little boy wrapped his arms around her neck in understanding.
Angela, sat on the bed beside Jesse, and breathed deeply. "Jesse I--"
"Shh." Jesse said, then glancing at Brooklyn. "Take good care of him for me."
"I promise."
"And for you a gift. From my remaining powers, I give you a blessing."
Jesse moved her hand in slow circles, in front of Angela. A light dust
formed over the gargress. And Angela smiled with understanding. "Thank you"
"One more thing. My daughter, is she beautiful?"
"She's as pretty as her mother." Angela said, more tears flowing down her cheek.
Brooklyn sat down on the other side of Jesse, and the others moved away respectively.
"Jesse. . ."
"Shh, let me talk. You have the rest of your life." he laughed between his sobs. "Do you know what today is?"
"Christmas?"
"No, it was three years plus one month, that the doctor said I had two years to live. I wanted so much to see the new millennium. I want you. . .to celebrate it extra, for me."
Brooklyn clasped her hands. "Jesse, I love you. You mean more than anything else in the world to me. If. . ."
"If you are kind and good, the way that I know you. We shall be together again, in paradise. . ." and she said no more.