Weeping Willow
Revised version


" Where it was dark now there is light
Where there was pain, now there's joy
Where there was weakness, I found my strength "
~"A New Day Has Come", Celine Dion

Chapter 9: Visions
Dinner was wonderful and both Willow and Folken enjoyed the time to just talk.
"Willow, I noticed that pendant you are wearing, and I cannot help but wonder where you got it." Folken asked before taking another bite of his meal.
"This old thing? Well, my grandmother gave it to me, she said to hang on to it and that it would come in handy someday and would help me. She always used to tell me that everything has a purpose. I guess she meant it would help me remember her."
"Hmm, I Do not know how, but…" Folken pulled his own pendant out from under his shirt and held it out to her. She took off her own and held them next to each other; they were exactly identical. "Some how you have the same pendant that the guardian of Atlantis gave me."
"That is really strange." Willow shook her head as she held both up to the light, letting it cascade over the silver chain and sapphire blue orb. "I wonder what this could mean..." She gently put her pendant back on, or at least the one she thought was hers. Folken took his own back and they finished their dinner, with a bit of small talk about Fanelia and how the twins were doing in school. Folken had noticed a slightly different feel to the energy of the pendant that hung around his neck but brushed it aside.
Afterwards Willow drove them to the grocery store where they stocked up on food. Then Willow decided that a trip to the local oriental store was in order. She gathered up several of her favorite treats, including mochi, rice cakes, rice candies and other goodies. She found some green tea and a new fan for the collection she had on the walls of the guest bedroom.
As Folken was walking through the aisles he quietly examined the food items and then moved to the isle containing other imported items, such as clothing, fans, jars and other knick-knacks. He walked down an aisle filled with huge vases, some of which he was sure he could climb into and be hidden completely. He smiled at the thought but felt slightly closed in by the huge fragile and expansive things that he quickly made his way to the next aisle. That's when he saw it, beautiful silver bracelet, it was obviously one of a kind, and he picked it up and fingered the intricate pattern, falling in love with the cold weight of it. It was well made and probably completely silver, he smiled and reached in his pocket and pulled out the small billfold they had been starting to collect for him. He had ID now that his wounds had healed though it had took quite some work to get the forged but unnoticeably so documents that would keep him from the scrutinizing eyes of the government. He flipped scowled at the picture that had been placed on his driver's license. He had questioned the logic of the entire process but Willow had convinced him he needed some form of Identification to get on in this world and he gave in. Yet when he had seen that horrid picture he questioned the logic again, 'Does it have to look that horrid?' He'd asked. Willow just laughed. 'In reality Folken that is one of the best license photos I have seen, you REALLY don't want to see mine... He simply shrugged and gave up.
Now, he still didn't understand but assumed it would come to some good eventually. He flipped through the dollar bills that he had been raising by doing odd jobs around the neighborhood, fixing appliances, the occasional car troubles, electricity, just about anything that he could figure out from a manual and his knowledge from Ziabach. He counted out just enough money and quickly made his way to the small counter at the front of the store and paid the woman for the bracelet, sure Willow would love it. Just as the woman was about to hand him his change Willow came up behind him and tapped on his shoulder.
"Folken..." He jumped, whirled around and kept her from seeing the bracelet.
"What are you buying? I could get you something if you wanted it..." Willow smiled up at him coyly
"Just..." He panicked for an excuse as he quickly snatched the gift up from the counter behind his back and slipped it into his back pocket. He looked at the items on the counter and saw something that seemed viable "Some gum, yes, that's it, gum." He laughed lightly and picked up a package of gum from the counter and turned around to face the cashier. "Just the gum please ma'am" He winked at the cashier and handed her the fifty cents change she had just handed him. She smiled and took it.
"Folken, I insist, it's just some gum."
"Will that be all?"
"Yes Ma'am. That is exactly my point, Willow, just some gum." He smiled and opened the package and unwrapped a piece before motioning for her to open her mouth, he stuck the gum gently between her lips, letting his fingers brush her bottom lip. She flushed lightly and smiled. Folken took a piece for himself and helped Willow put her items on the counter for the clerk to ring up.
The two headed home as Willow decided she should let him have little bit of independence, he probably felt like he should do something for himself. She smiled to herself as she drove them home.
Folken was relieved when she dropped the conversation, he had managed to get the bracelet from his back pocket to his front pocket with out her seeing it and avoided crushing it on the way home.
Another week past and Willow was given several new accounts to cover for the company she created a label for a computer program, a book cover and the front insert for an instrumental CD. She put the finishing touches on each of them before putting them in an airborne express package. She sighed and sealed the envelope
"I'm glad I only get few accounts a month." She felt exhausted as she tossed the package on the porch and called in the pickup.
It was still early morning and Folken was sitting on the couch and reading the morning newspaper while sipping at a cup of green tea. Made her way into the kitchen and poured a little more coffee into her cup that was filled with chocolate and cream as well. She leaned over the island and watched him as he read the paper, his eyes scanning the page. She smiled lightly as she watched him, and realized she was beginning to memorize his little habit, the things that he probably didn't even know he did himself. The way he raised and eyebrow lightly when he was concentrating on something, the small changes in his expressions, what she knew as a smile (that few would recognize as such). Oh, but she loved that dopey grin of his! She found herself staring at his lips as she remembered the way he looked when he was happy, truly happy with a contented smile that pulled at the corners of his eyes. And that laugh, gods how she loved to hear his rich baritone raised in joyous laughter.
Folken knew she was watching him, but he had grown used to her gentle scrutiny, it wasn't unusual for her to gaze at him from across the room, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. He sighed lightly and stood.
"I'm going to give Mrs. Jones a call and let her know I'm coming to check on that water heater, okay Hun?" He looked straight into her eyes and she snapped out of her trance. He had begun to realize that her trouble looking into people's eyes was something rooted in deep insecurity and he planned to bring her out of it, if only for her to look into his eyes of her own accord.
"Oh, right that's fine, I'll expect you back for lunch?"
"Of course." He set the paper down and set about preparing to go. Willow took her coffee and sat at her desk, she opened her laptop to work on her novel, a sort of "rewrite" of Phantom of the Opera. Folken had been encouraging her to start something new, something that she could put all of her emotions into and this had seemed like a good plan, were it not for the fact that she had been afraid of her own ability to produce something that was ruining her life. With this reality in the light she was having a hard time writing anything, let alone something worth publishing. But now she decided to set to her task.
Folken made the phone call kissed willow on the cheek and headed out the door, a tool box in hand.
Not ten minutes later the doorbell range apparently by the deliveryman and Willow frowned. "I thought the packages were ready to be shipped, all the man has to do is pick them up and go..." 'Maybe he wants a tip or something,' she rolled her eyes 'or he's a new recruit, yes that must be it.' She pulled open the door.
"The packages are..." She blinked, before her stood not the FedEx deliveryman but five short little men in dark hooded capes.
"Um, can I help you?" 'Halloween is half a year away' she added to herself.
"We are looking for Folken Lacour de Fanel." Said the little man she suspected was the leader of the group.
"Okaayy, he's not here at the moment but come in… uh, might I ask who you are and what you want with Folken?"
"We are from the Ispano clan, we sent him a letter previously at this address, did he receive it?" With those words Willow's face paled, suddenly worried that she should not have let them in... Told them to come back later, anything!
"Uh, yes he got the letter." She gulped out
"Well, then where is he? We must speak with him, immediately." The little man's tone was both irritating and frightening and Willow found herself wondering if just what had been in that letter...
* * *
Folken finished repairing Mrs. Jones's water heater and stood up. After kneeling on the concrete floor of her basement for nearly half an hour his back felt stiff. He stretched and packed up his tools before heading back up the steps. Elizabeth Jones was quite the nice old lady, she had shown him in and offered a glass of ice tea, cookies and myriad of other favors but he had politely declined them until he'd finished his job. Now he headed up the stairs, that glass of iced tea and one of her delicious cookies sounded wonderful. Besides, Willow wasn't expecting him back for another fifteen minutes at least.
Mrs. Jones was sitting at the kitchen table, a ball of yarn sat in front of her and she held a pair of knitting needles that she worked with a grand motherly ease A plate of cookies sat before of her as well as a pitcher of iced tea and an extra glass. He smiled and sat across from her.
"Well, Mrs. Jones the water heater should be working fine now. Just let me know should you need anything more." He poured himself a glass picked up a cookie.
"Thank you kindly Folken. It is so nice to have someone to fix things up in this house. It's been quite some time since it was good as new, now that Ted, has moved on. He was quite the handy man, that he was." She stared out the window for a moment and sighed, a crease formed on her brow for a moment and her thin lips drew together for a moment, tugging at the wrinkles on the corners of her mouth. Her long grey hair was pulled back gently into a long braid that fell down her back Turning back to him with smile on her lips, she held out a check to him for his work "If I didn't know better I'd swear you were him forty years ago," She gave second thought "Without the hair that is"
They both smiled broadly at this and Folken took both her hand in both of his. Gently he folded her fingers back on the check in her palm. "Thank you more the tea and cookies Mrs. Jones." She shook her hand as if to protest but then in wonder.
"Just like my Ted." She winked at him and patted his hand with her other. "You get back to that girl of yours she'll be wondering where you've gotten to." She winked and then went back to her knitting.
He stood and left, quietly "Have a nice day Mrs. Jones"
"Call me Aunt Liza, that's what most around here know me as."
"Good day then, Auntie Liza" He smiled and showed himself out, whistling as he walked the couple blocks back to Willow's house.
* * *
Willow paced back and forth, wondering what to do. Folken had left over an hour ago and five short little 'men' from the Ispano clan were demanding to see him.
"I'm sorry, he's not here right now," she insisted, "but if you'll wait a moment on the back porch I'm sure he will be back soon." She ushered them onto the porch and shut the door before they could protest, locking the upper bolt at the top of the door.
She rushed back into the house just as Folken walked through the front door. She grabbed the glass of water that was sitting on the counter and marched straight up to him as he huge his house keys on the rack.
"Folken where have you been!" She gripped the glass tightly in her hand, the glass nearing its breaking point.
"Fixing Mrs. Jones' water heater... I told you..." Folken was confused at her outright frustration and frightened at how tightly she was gripping that glass, which he assumed she wanted to hurl at him.
"Not now Folken!" She nearly screamed but didn't, remembering the strange little men on the back porch. Folken was taken back.
"What's wrong?" He asked, finally seeing her vexed look.
"There are five little men that say they're from the Ispano clan, on the back porch that are demanding to see you! I have no idea what they want or how the hell they got here!" She dropped herself onto a stool next to the island; sitting with her back towards him she sat the glass down but kept her hand firmly around it.
Folken didn't know what to think, he simply sighed and gritted his teeth as he rubbed his forehead with his left hand.
"You'll just have to convince them I'm not coming back. Entertain them for a while until it seems I won't be returning... Meanwhile, I'll go up on the roof and hide there in case they decide to search the house…" Willow spun around and glared at him.
"No! Folken, you can't keep this up!" Willow was sick of this; she didn't care if the whole world heard her.
"Why not? Hmm? Give me on good reason I have to hear them out." Folken was acting like a child and he didn't care.
"Folken, you know very well I can list several reasons."
"All right, state them."
"Folken!"
"Willow!"
"I can't believe you! Have you left your brain somewhere or has it just disappeared? Did you even read that letter?"
"Well, no… but…"
She couldn't take this anymore She whirled around and splashed the entire glass of water into his face, causing him to stop completely. He blinked for a moment and then wiped his face on his sleeve.
"Read it right this second!" She crossed her arms and turned away from him.
"So much for taking you back to Fanelia," he grumbled under his breath.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing," got up and found the letter, quickly returning he sat down on a stool next to her and read it. She tried to read it over his shoulder but it must have been written in the language from Gaea, because she couldn't decipher it. He whistled and stood. By this time, Willow was more than annoyed.
'Take me back to Fanelia? What the heck did he mean by that?'
Folken left and she ran after him.
"Dammit Folken! Tell me what the hell is going on!" Willow ran to catch up with him before he walked out on the porch, She block the door way, standing with her back against the window set in the door.
"I'm dealing with this, you are right I cannot avoid this any longer." He took a deep breath and then smiled lightly. "Besides I think they actually will be of some help… I will explain completely later, better yet, I will let them explain." He opened the door after flipping the latch open and she nearly fell out on to the porch, were it not for the reassuring grip of his arm around her waist she would have.
The little men all stood when he walked onto the porch and the 'leader' came forward, attempting to look intimidating. It didn't work too well, considering Folken's 6'5" height and his diminutive 4' nothing stature.
"We were beginning to believe that you wouldn't return." The little man said.
"I'm sorry for the delay, you see, I haven't been well, and had not read your letter until but a moment ago," Folken apologized, using every ounce of the authority he had been trained to have.
"It is of no consequence, we can repair and upgrade your… technology right now but it will not be free."
"Of, course. I assume that it would be possible to take it out of the royal funds in Fanelia?"
"Yes, but if I might implore as to how this will bode with King Slanzar de Fanel…"
"No you may not, I assure you it will be taken care of."
Willow was confused; she sat next to Folken on the porch swing, while the little men sat in chairs around the porch. She mentally made notes of everything that she needed to ask Folken.
'How do you know you can trust them? Why now, couldn't you wait? What's going to happen if the Ispano clan demands money from the Fanelian treasury and Van doesn't believe that they got permission from you? Doesn't everyone on Gaea think you're dead? What did you mean by taking me back to Fanelia?' Questions rolled through her mind.
"Now what exactly are the upgrades you intend to make?" Folken asked, feeling a bit more relaxed as he sat on the swing next to Willow. He wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and adjusted the sleeve of his dark blue shirt, keeping the cold metal from chilling her skin.
"Well, the upgrades will make it lighter, slightly smaller, more like a natural arm, though the claw like hand design is currently the most advanced and to change that extensively would be difficult." The little man tried to appear comfortable but Folken could see around his calm act and knew that the man was squirming on the inside. He had complete control.
"You are doing well, so far, be careful and I will not slit your throat." He said it so calmly and lightheartedly that at first no one in the part caught the gravity of his words, except for Willow, who was stunned. Folken gently tightened his protective embrace and rubbed her arm. All the little men were at a loss for words. Folken smiled authoritatively like a father would on an ignorant child, his gazed focused on the little man who sat before him.
"Well, uh…"
"Do continue on please, this is amusing to me, I should like to know what you would intend to do before I agree to this." Folken appeared entertained by the man's suggestions and it was quite unnerving to all present.
"Well, w-we intend to add some n-new features." He stumbled to find the words.
"Such as?"
"New injections, which include a new sedative, a pain killer, a poison, and a stimulant. Also a thinner needle that is less painful, increased mobility of the joints, stronger outer shielding, and stronger in general."
"Hmm, well, you can forget the poison, and I'd prefer to know exactly which chemicals and what their properties are. And I assume you intend to repair and adjust the bone graphs, correct?"
Willow leaned closer to him and realized his pulse was racing, although he looked more relaxed than physically possible.
"Yes, we'll be repairing the bone graphs, and I can have the chemical properties written out for you, I assume you'll want to recreate them if you'll be in access to a laboratory."
"Yes, that is what I intend to do, and you'll leave the poison out?"
"If that is what you really want, but I would suggest that it would be…"
"It isn't your place to suggest, I said I do not want it." Folken looked sternly at the little man, who fumbled to find the words to comply
"Yes-s sir."
"Sire." Folken was reveling in his newfound authority.
"Yes, Sire, I-if you will follow my assistant he'll direct you to our…"
"Just a moment, I'm not finished. How long is the procedure?"
"It'll be anywhere from four to six hours, under anesthesia."
"All right then."
Folken stood and held Willow in his arms as they followed the little men to a place in the forest. The leader pushed button on a small control panel and a massive black hole appeared in the ground. Willow gasped as a smallish levi-ship came to the edge of the hole and they boarded it. It carried them to the massive laboratory of the Ispano clan. Suddenly she felt extremely worried, as awe faded into concern.
"Folken," she whispered, "Are you sure you can trust them?"
"I know I can beloved." He turned to her and gazed into her eyes, seeing concern and fear trembling in them. "Do not worry, I am in complete control."
"But what about when you're on that table? When you're unconscious and…"
"You will have to look out for me then will you not?" things were flooding her memory, that made her tremble.
"Wait a minute Folken, I don't know anything about this! How will I know?" She was trembling and he realized it would be better for her to not be there.
"Do not worry Willow, they are getting paid for this, they will do everything correctly." He reassured her, not allowing her to protest by covering her lips with his own.
They landed and Willow felt she would fall over as Folken guided her off the leviship, his arm still tightly around her waist. They entered a small room and Folken removed his shirt. Willow wavered slightly and sat on a bench next to the wall.
Folken noticed her distress and came to her side softly, and knelt in front of her, taking her hands in both of his.
"You do not have to stay, love, I'll be fine." He gently ran his thumb over the back of her hand.
"No, I'm staying by your side." She whispered, and looked at her feet blushing slightly at the dedication in her voice. Folken beamed, knowing things would work out perfectly.
'Willow Lacour de Fanel… sounds perfect to me.' he smiled and sat on the table in the middle of the room. Willow felt more confident as she watched the Ispano medical technicians insert an IV into Folken's left arm. He sighed and lay back on the table as the anesthesia began to take affect. Willow gathered her courage and stood beside his left side, taking his hand in both of hers. He squeezed her hand lightly and began to nod off.
"Willow Lacour de Fanel," He mumbled softly, "I love you." Willow stared into his face in amazement as he went under.
'He - he just referred to me as his wife,' the realization shocked her. All she could do was hold his hand tightly as she watched his face in disbelief, half expecting him to sit up and pull her into his arms.
As the surgery was started, she forced herself to examine his left hand, not wanting to even glimpse the opening of the bone graphs and welding of metal. The sounds alone were enough to make her cringe.
Eventually Willow began to feel as if she too had been put under anesthesia. She felt as if she would fall over, dizzy with the sounds of the surgery and consumed with the warm feeling of his hand in hers.
She raised his hand softly, watching his toned muscles flex involuntarily as she did so. She brought it to her face, forcing the comforting feel of his touch to waft over her.
'Oh Folken, if you only knew how much your words mean to me.' She thought, remembering the gentle resonance in his voice as he had held her so many times before, murmuring soft reassurance to her as she fell asleep. He had never taken advantage of her and she knew he wouldn't ever but she wondered if he too would be taken from her, like so many other people in her life. As she sat there, she laid her head on the table, letting Folken's hand rest on top of her head. Softly, she began to daydream; feeling strangely protected by his side…
::::::::"Willow, what would you name a baby girl?" Zara asked, as they sat in Zara's living room. Zara was near the end of her third trimester and they knew the baby would be born soon.
"I guess I would name your baby girl Rachel."
"Hmm, Rachel Brooks…I like it," Zara said thoughtfully.
"I think Rachel Willow Brooks sounds perfect." Both girls jumped as Michael said this and then laughed, realizing he had snuck up in them.
"Ah ha! So there you are, we were wondering where you had gotten to." Zara laughed.
"Well, I'm glad I was so missed." Michael kissed the top of Zara's head. "And how's my little girl doing?" he asked, putting his hand on Zara's rounded stomach.
"I think she's fine but mom's a little tired."
"Oh, well then be nice to mommy Rachel Willow, she needs her rest."
Willow smiled as she took in the beautiful relationship they had, it was perfect…
Or, it had been...::::::::::::
She didn't dwell on the past much longer, although the happy memory had but a bittersweet end. Instead, her thoughts drifted to Gaea. Folken had told her so much about that place and it amazed her to think of what could be her future home. She daydreamed of flying with him over the cliffs, plummeting towards the water, perfectly peaceful. Her thoughts drifted to getting married, never having to worry about work again and at last children. She thought for a moment and then decided they would have her blue eyes and his blue hair, and beautiful white wings.
However, the thought of children made her shudder, would she even be able to have children? After… she didn't want to think about it, nor why she had wanted Zara to name her little girl Rachel…One in the same, it was too much to bear but she knew she would have to tell Folken, yet another thing she had kept hidden behind the walls of her subconscious, one that she had buried even from herself for so long. It wouldn't be easy, in fact, it'd probably be the hardest thing she would ever do, but she knew she had to do it.
* * *
Folken was dreaming or having a vision of some sort. He saw a much younger Willow sitting in what he somehow recognized as the waiting room a doctor's office. She was dressed in a patient's gown. There was a boy about her age with his hand tightly around her wrist.
"You can't have a baby, then you'd have to explain, do you want to tell your parents that you had sex with me?" He asked harshly. Folken's face drained of all color and then grew rather irritated, anger building inside him.
'So this is him.' Folken seethed, knowing this was the guy who apparently, had gotten Willow pregnant, and not by her consent.
"No, but… it's part of me, I can't kill my own flesh and blood, don't you understand?"
"You're the one who doesn't understand, do you think I want a kid? Hell no! Think you idiot! I won't help you and your parents will throw you out and your ass!"
Willow began to cry and Folken couldn't take it any more he walked up to the two and hurled a punch at the boy's head with his right fist, but instead of knocking him out it passed through him.
"What the?"
"I don't want to have an abortion," she sobbed quietly. She put her hand to her stomach, hoping that somehow her unborn child could forgive her.
He tried to reach out and comfort Willow but his hand passed through her as well. "Oh, Willow why didn't you tell me?" Folken felt tears on his cheeks and he knelt on the floor in front of Willow, wishing she could hear him.
A door to the side opened and a nurse stepped out.
"Miss Lewis." Willow looked up. "I'm afraid your insurance won't pay for anesthesia, but it isn't a very painful procedure, you'll be fine without it." Willow nodded, frightened, and ashamed.
"Don't listen to her Willow, its more painful than you can imagine, not just physically either!" Folken pleaded but his words didn't reach her ears, he knew they wouldn't but his heart broke as he watched her tear stained face.
"All right then, the doctor is ready."
The boy forced Willow to stand and walk through the door, passing through him as she complied. Folken got up and ran after them, only to find the door shut in his face. He assumed he could walk through it but instead ran into it. Damn, so he went through people and not things, what sick twist of fate.
"No! Willow! Don't do it! Willow! Do you think I don't know what this entails? Willow! Come back! You'll regret this more than you'll ever know! WILLOW!" Folken sobbed and fell to his knees, resting his head on the door, he pounded his fist against it but resulted in no effect, there wasn't even a sound, only silence.
After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and he fell forward, landing hard on the tile floor. He looked up to see the boy walking away with his hands in his pockets, head hung low as he stomped out of the office. Folken stood and walked down the hall he had come out of. He looked in each room as he went, there were three empty rooms, a room where a girl sat anxiously, waiting the results of a pregnancy test. In another two rooms girls slept off the effects of anesthesia. There was other room where the door was only opened a crack and to the right was a sitting room where another girl sat, eating a cookie and sipping at a glass of cool milk.
Folken frowned at the irony of the situation, cookies and milk like from the grandmother she would probably never be. He knew Willow was behind that other door, and he knew he didn't want to see what was happening to her. Nevertheless, he couldn't stand waiting in the hall while she went through such torture.
He softly nudged the door open and stepped inside. As he took another step forward he saw her legs were propped up on stirrup pads and she gripped the armrests tightly, grimacing she tipped her head back and Folken could see the tears pouring over her cheeks as she sobbed through clenched teeth.
"Oh Willow." He sobbed. He forced himself to look into the doctor's face and from there to where he was working. Folken nearly died as the small, only partially formed child slipped from Willow's body and into a Biohazard bag. The doctor pulled his instruments from her body and the nurse took the bag to dispose of it. Willow's body visibly relaxed but she became more hysterical, crying loudly. Folken came to her side and wanted to hold her but knew that she would only pass through his fingers. She brought her legs down from the pads in disgust and Folken felt comfortable sitting at the foot of her bed as she smoothed the gown to cover her.
He sat in the stool the doctor had been sitting in and mourned for her, confirming in his mind how much he loved her and wanted to take her away from this world. He remembered what the guardian had said before she sent him hurtling towards his new home.
"It is beautiful place, but do not let its beauty fool you for the wicked are hidden amongst the lovely."
He knew for sure that this was what she had meant.
* * *
Willow saw the guardian of Atlantis. Her silver wings glistened in a light that seems to emanate from everywhere around them as they stood in a large field. She blinked until her eyes adjusted and then just stood there, not sure what to think, and totally confused.
"Willow, I didn't expect to see you." She smiled, the warmth of her expression washing over Willow.
"Nor I." Willow examined the guardian and knew she was doing the same.
"I truly expected to contact Folken, but apparently..." The Guardian lifted the pendant from Willow's chest "you have his pendant."
Realization rained down on Willow, "The pendants they must have gotten switched at dinner!" She remembered handing Folken a pendant, her pendant.
"You have pendant? That makes things much more interesting, that it does." Eirene smiled and let the pendant fall back into place. I'd appreciate if you'd switch them back when you wake up. I have a message for Folken, can you relay it to him?"
Willow nodded, still surprised to be standing here.
"I have found a way for him to return to his home, in Fanelia." She smiled solemnly, knowing what her reaction would be.
"You have? But how? When?" Willow was amazed, and she knew how he longed to return to Fanelia more than anything else, well, almost anything else...
"The time lines, fate circles, and transition periods will be aligned perfectly for transport between worlds using that pendant," She motioned to where it hung from Willow's neck, "Exactly two years from now, he will arrive in Fanelia two days after he left, in his younger form." She explained. "Do you understand, daughter of Eve?"
"Yes."
"But?"
"But, what about me? I don't think I could live with out him; I love him, Lady Eirene! Please don't take him away from me!" Willow pleaded.
"Folken must return to Gaea, it will restore a balance o the planet, one that must be precariously measured every moment"
"But I have a pendant! It's identical to this one! I would gladly go with him, I would rather die after two years time with him than live a lifetime without him!" Willow was biting back frustrated tears.
"You do possess one of the pendants of the guardians of Gaea..." Eirene said, as if pondering the possibility.
"Tell me! Will I go with Folken or not?!"
"Yes, but since you did not have another form on Gaea you will have to come two years later, so you will both be in the same timeline and fate circle, otherwise an number of things could go wrong." The gravity of her voice made Willow hold her breath for a second and then sigh.
She didn't completely understand but she still could not get rid of the sense of pure joy that spread over her.
"I can not thank you enough Lady Eirene, Guardian of Atlantis." She bowed low to the ground.
"Love him, Willow Lacour de Fanel." Her words sounded like melodious wind as everything faded from his view.
* * *
After the surgery was finished the little men that had been working on Folken left, Willow noticed their retreating footsteps and pulled herself up to look at his face. He lay tranquil on the table but Willow knew he would wake up soon, the anesthesia was already beginning to wear off and he stirred under her touch.
"Folken," she coaxed, "Wake up, please, they're done, we can go home soon."
"Willow?" He asked for her in a barely audible whisper.
"Oh, Folken, I'm here." She was still holding his hand as he began to wake up fully. She put it over her heart so her could feel her pulse. His eyes fluttered open and he blinked at the bright light of the room. He was recovering quickly, very quickly and Willow knew that something about this sort of medicine made it extremely special and potent.
"Willow, I think I had another vision."
"Shhh, so did I, don't worry about it, just let the medicine do its work, then we can leave." Willow said softly, touching her fingertips to his cheek. 'Oh and here's your pendant back. She pulled it over her neck and looped it around Folken's neck as he held hers out to her. "They got switched at dinner the other night."
Folken nearly broke as he watched her, he knew the pain she carried and now he could see it in her eyes, he knew he had seen what had really happened. He only wondered why he hadn't seen it before; apparently she was just as skilled at putting on a mask as he was. Willow on the other hand could hardly contain her joy.
"Willow, just tell me, did you have an abortion after…" Willow came crashing back into reality and suddenly found all the joy fading for the moment.
"Yes." Willow whispered barely audible, her face down turned so her hair covered her eyes, but he knew her answer already. He let tears fall over his cheeks and she looked up at him, searching his face for the look of disgust she expected.
"Oh, beloved, why didn't you tell me?"
"I couldn't, I'd never told any one as much as I told you that night, let alone… Oh, Folken you must be disgusted with what I am." Willow buried her face in her hands.
Folken sat up carefully, he looked at the IV and knew it had only a few minutes of fluid left, it wouldn't matter if he pulled it out now. Carefully he slid the needle out from under his arm and put a piece of gauze and tape to it. Willow was still sobbing and he carefully brought her to a standing position, she kept her face hidden in her hands, not wanting to look at him. He pulled her into his arms, sitting her in his lap, and rested her head over his heart. She put her hands down but still didn't look up at him.
"Willow, do you hear my heart beat?"
She nodded.
"All you need to know is that as long as my heart is still beating and I have breath in me I will love you, no matter what."
He felt her trembling in his arms and knew she was crying when he felt her tears on his chest and sobs racked her body. He hated to see her crying, it raised something protective in him but left him feeling unable to truly help. But he knew that every emotion she had learned to suppress was surfacing. And such a flood of emotions lead to the tears pouring over her cheeks, it was release she needed. It was something he understood all too well. She relaxed
"I love you, Folken." She whispered and he held her close, gently kissing her forehead until she relaxed in his arms.
"I love you, now let's get out of here."
Willow nodded and they made there way back to the leviship and then back to Willow's house.



A/N: Well, would you look at this! A new chapter! Wahoo! Go me! Well, finals are coming up which also means summer is fast approaching! And maybe I'll actually get this done!!!
Thanks: To everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you guys rock!
Feedback: Any sort of constructive criticism is help mainly on my weaknesses. Organization, dialogue, Characterization, Stream of Consciousness, etc. Encouragement is nice as well, but really I'm also seeking to grow as a writer. Any literary techniques I can learn are great.