This Chapter is a strong R rating for adult situations.
Chapter 2
Darien woke up when a familiar scent filled his nostrils. Darcy had her back to him and she was spooned up tight against his body. Darien rolled his eyes, "This part I hate," he thought about what he said, "or not."
He brushed her blonde hair back from her neck and placed soft kisses on the bare skin. Darcy stirred a bit. His hand reached around towards her front and he cupped a breast as he moved from her neck to nuzzle her ear.
Darcy slowly opened her eyes and groaned her delight. Her hand came up and felt for Darien's hair. She gently ran her hand through the unruly brown mane, "Hmmm.Darien."
"You're ready, aren't you?" Darien said as he nipped her earlobe.
"That's the beauty about being a dominant; I don't have to rely on the 'Rhythm Method'." Darcy said as she wiggled her back against Darien, feeling his own need growing.
"Or use a calendar or a thermometer," Darien whispered. This was one of the things he had learned to control when he was around other women. Especially with Sloan and Claire, he always seemed to know what cycle they were in and when they were in their most fertile stage. Tom had taught him how to respond to only Darcy's needs. And right now, her need was apparent.
At least they were at home and not at a meeting like the first time. This had happened shortly after Ed and the others had arrived at the Agency.
There had been a meeting with some members of the co-existence faction and some government bureaucrats. The male dominants in the room had sensed Darcy's state and became a little edgy. Darien immediately sensed this and had to let the others now that Darcy was his. The room had an air of hostility until Darien sent a clear message reasserting his territory.
The humans had no idea what was going on, but sensed the tension in the air. Mark Ward had reassured them that everything was fine. The male dominants realized that Darcy was spoken for and quickly backed down.
Later on, Darien, Mark and Tom talked about what had happened. Darien had learned that when a dominant male comes in contact with a dominant female who is in her cycle, the male will start to 'flirt' with her. When there are several males around and they don't know if she is spoken for they will compete for her attention. Darien thought it wasn't all that different from the human world apart from being able to sense when the woman is 'ready' to procreate.
Tom had reassured Darien that the other males won't bother Darcy now that they know that Darien and her are together. Just like with him and Sloan, no male would dare come near her. Tom had forgiven Darien for that and helped him to understand his new instincts. Tom hoped that he would do a better job with Darien then what he did with little Kevin. He had only managed to confuse that little boy some more and it cost the life of a human. Kevin had also gone after Sloan and Tom had saved her just in time. He didn't want to repeat that same mistake with Darien.
Darcy's moans of pleasure quickly turned to giggles and that snapped Darien out of his visit down memory lane. Sometime during his reminiscing, the quicksilver had flowed and covered them both.
"Damn, this really is annoying," Darien complained.
"I think it's rather mysterious and somewhat kinky. Almost like being blindfolded," Darcy remarked.
~*~
"There is no other place that man would want to be than on his board surfing until the sun sets," Claire shook her head and watched from the porch as Ed surfed.
He had finally been given a clean bill of health from his doctor. Claire had been with him that day and the sheer joy that lit up his face. He had hopped off the exam table, shook the doctor's hand and bolted from the room. Claire was left standing alone with the confused physician.
"He's been waiting to go surfing," Claire answered the silent question and thanked the doctor for his time.
By the time Claire had left the examination room, Ed had already checked out at the insurance desk and was nearly out the door. If Ed had his 'baggies' on he would have stripped on his way to the van, Claire laughed at the thought of him struggling to pull his pants down as he ran across the parking lot. 'Ed must be foaming at the mouth right about now,' she thought to herself as he rolled down the window and poked his head through the opening.
"Come on, Claire, I haven't got all day!" Ed said with excitement in his voice. Ed held the door open for Claire and was practically dancing in his pants as if he had to make an urgent dash for the bathroom.
Claire got in the passenger side and looked at Ed with caution, "Tell me you're not going to speed home?"
"I want to surf, Claire, not get us killed," Ed said with a smile and started up his van.
That was thirty minutes ago and here she was watching him. It had been over a month since he last hit the waves. Getting shot had put that on hold for a while, until this morning. "Better to let him get it out of his system or he'll pout and nothing is worse than a man when he pouts," Claire said to herself as she took a drink of her ice tea.
"Hey Claire!"
Claire jumped and looked around to see where the voice came from. She saw Darien and Darcy. Claire smiled, "Hi, guys!"
Darien and Darcy joined Claire on the porch. "I see the beach boy is at it finally," Darien smirked.
"Yeah, he got the all clear today. He's been out there ever since we got home," Claire smiled.
Darcy shook her head and laughed, "We just wanted to stop by and see if you two wanted to join us for lunch, but," Darcy looked out at the ocean and the figure riding the wave, "Ed seems a little pre-occupied right now."
"Well, surfer dude can't stay out there all day long," Darien said as he watched Ed as well.
"You want to bet on that, Darien?" Claire said mockingly.
Darien and Darcy exchanged quick glances and looked at Ed as he rode the top of a wave just as it started to curl. "Point made," Darien rescinded. "It looks like he's flying."
"Well, you two are welcome to stay, I'm sure Ed will be done soon. Maybe I can convince him to shower and we can all go to lunch. But I'm going to warn you, he'll be hyper," Claire stated.
"Okay, sure," Darien watched for a moment, "Has he wiped out yet?"
"Yes he has," Claire said with a laugh.
"Cool," Darien said.
"Would you care for something to drink?" Claire asked.
"A coke."
Darcy hit Darien on his arm, "That stuff rots your kidneys; it's like drinking battery acid."
Darien rolled his eyes, "Just my luck to fall in love with a dominant health food freak."
"Darcy, you can come with me and see what we have. But I'm going to warn you, Ed is not exactly a health food freak either."
Darcy laughed and went inside with Claire. Darien had watched a helicopter come closer. At first he thought it was only the Coast Guard or Beach Patrol on the look out for sharks. As it got closer, it seemed to hover over Ed.
Darien slowly stood up and stared in shock at first. The net falling and knocking Ed off his board snapped him out of it.
"ED!!!" Darien leaped over the wooden railing and ran for the ocean. Claire and Darcy ran out of the house to see Darien in full stride as he ran for the ocean. Claire didn't see Ed at all but noticed the helicopter that hovered over where he had been surfing.
"Oh no," Claire said in shock, her thought was that Ed had been attacked by a shark. She and Darcy ran onto the beach behind Darien who was already in the water and trying to fight against the waves to swim out.
As Darien reached the top of a wave he could see Ed as he thrashed in the water trying to escape, but only to be swallowed up by another wave, "ED!!"
Ed tried to get away, but he swallowed and inhaled more and more sea water as each wave came over him. It tossed him underwater and he became more entangled in the net. He found it increasingly difficult to reach the top for air. He felt consciousness start to slip away and all he could think about was Claire.
Darien tried hard to reach Ed. He could see Ed's movements lessening, "I can't let him die."
Ed suddenly felt himself being lifted out of the water, 'So, this is what it feels like when you die,' he thought to himself. Ed felt pressure on his right ankle; his foot still hung outside the net. He opened his eyes and saw the underside of a helicopter; the blades seemed to move in slow motion as he was lifted higher.
A burning sensation erupted in Ed's lungs and he coughed up a generous amount of sea water. Air tried to rush back in, but water wanted to escape. Ed gasped for air upside down. He grabbed the net and realized that he didn't die and the pressure on his ankle was because he was still attached to the board's leash.
Claire saw something dangling from the helicopter, "What the hell?" she said. She could see someone at the controls of what looked like a pulley system.
"Is that a rescue helicopter?" Darcy asked.
"I don't know," as soon as Claire spoke a net was lifted out of the water with something or someone inside of it. Next to it, she saw the surf board hanging from the net.
"What the hell is going on?" Darcy yelled.
"It's Ed, they got Ed!" Claire heard herself scream.
Claire watched helplessly as the net was brought closer to the helicopter. Another person reached out and grabbed the leash that was connected to the board. It was cut free and Claire stared as it fell to the water. The helicopter flew off with Ed inside.
"ED!!"
"Claire?"
"ED!"
"Claire!"
"ED!!"
"Wake up, Claire! You're dreaming," Ed gently shook Claire. He didn't want to frighten her too much.
Claire sat up in bed, panting. She turned to Ed and felt his face, "You weren't kidnapped?"
"Kidnapped? No, you were dreaming. I woke up because you were shouting my name," he held her close and let her calm down for a bit, "You want to tell me about it?"
"You're going to think I'm crazy," Claire was blushing but because it was dark, Ed wouldn't have seen it.
"If you're too embarrassed then you don't have to tell me," Ed reassured her by rubbing his hand up and down her back. "Why don't you just go back to sleep, maybe you'll feel better in the morning and you can tell me then? Or with my luck, you'll forget it."
"Okay, just hold me," Claire sounded unusually nervous.
Ed leaned back on the bed and Claire rested her head on his chest. As long as she could hear his heart beat and feel the warmth of his skin, she would be fine, until he went out on his surf board. Watching Ed on his surf board will never be the same again.
This business with Arnaud calling Ed has really gotten to her. She didn't like the situation at all and now it was affecting her sleeping patterns. She heard Ed start to snore and smiled. She never knew that sound could be so comforting.
~*~
Morning came and Ed found Claire on the porch watching the surf. He handed her a cup of coffee and stared off at the ocean.
"Are you going to tell me what you dreamt last night?" Ed asked. Claire turned and looked into his deep brown eyes. He had the same poor lost puppy look in his eyes that Darien always used to manipulate her.
"Dahrien.oh," embarrassed she looked down at her feet.
Ed chuckled, "It's cool, I'm sure it's going to happen a lot." After a moment, Ed continued, "Just don't go shoutin' his name while we're.you know."
Claire smiled, "Of course not." Claire rested her head on his chest and let out a sigh, "You're going to be persistent about this dream aren't you?"
"You bet," Ed lifted her head so he could see into her eyes, "I know it was about me from the way you were saying my name. What was it about?"
"You were surfing and a helicopter came and dropped a net on you. The next thing I know you were lifted out of the water and pulled inside. Then the helicopter flew off," Claire said, "It seemed so real, Ed."
Ed pursed his lips together, "Well, I'll be sure to stay away from helicopters."
"I knew you would think it was silly, but with Arnaud calling you," Claire paused to look at Ed seriously, "He'll do anything, Ed. I've seen it. I'm afraid something is going to happen and no one will be able to help you."
Ed didn't know what to say to comfort her. Some how telling her that it was just a dream wouldn't be enough, it really had her nervous. He hugged her and rested his chin on top of her head. The two stayed like that for a few minutes, neither said a word.
~*~
Darcy nipped at Darien's ear. This was her way of waking him up in the morning. "Hey sleepy head, time to wake up."
A grunt was her response. She smiled. She rolled him over and nipped at his collar bone, not enough to break the skin but enough to leave a slight mark.
"Hey, watch it, what are you a vampire?" Darien said as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Vampires bite here on the neck," Darcy illustrated her point.
"Okay, okay, I'm waking up. Are most dominant women this dominant?"
"Hmm.yes," Darcy laid her head on Darien's chest and began to trace the outline of his well defined chest. "Darien?"
"Yeeesss," Darien sang.
"Don't you dare read my mind," Darcy scoffed.
"I won't I promise, ask away."
"I want you to be joined to me," Darcy looked up into Darien's quizzical expression.
"Is that a proposal cause if it is, aren't I supposed to *ask* you? Because it sounded more like you were telling me to marry you."
"I was," Darcy propped herself up on her elbow, "Dominant females are the ones who choose a mate and we're the ones who, well, ask."
"Tom didn't tell me this part," Darien said. "Okay, let me see if I understand this dominant life style. I have to go through this whole ruffling the plumage thing, dancing and showing off what I've got to offer like some peacock. After say I don't know, a few weeks of hard work, you decide if I'm the rooster you want in the hen house?"
Darcy smiled at Darien's example, "Yes, that's right."
"And when you make that decision, you *tell* me to be joined to you." Darien finished with a smirk.
"Yes."
"Women are the doms of the species aren't they?" Darien smiled, "I can go along with that.I think."
"Only when it comes to mating and stuff like that, everything else is up to the male." Darcy looked at Darien, "Well, will you be joined to me?"
"Okay, what does joining mean? Is it like a wedding?"
"Well, sort of, but not with all outrageous stuff that goes with it. Humans waste so much time, money and energy into something that should be very simple and meaningful."
"You.we.were human, you don't want a big wedding?" Darien asked as he pointed to her and then to himself.
"No, I don't. The important thing is not the dress or the food or how much more we spend than the next the person. What's important is the fact that we're committing ourselves to each other for life. People spend thousands on weddings and the party afterwards, then after a year or so, some divorce. Why spend all that money when you can go on a killer honeymoon?"
"Whoa.now that's deep, I guess you're right. People put so much into the Reception and dresses that they forget the real reason of what they're doing." Darien said as he stared up at the ceiling.
"Exactly." Darcy answered.
Darien turned to face her, "Okay, so, do like dominants have a Priest or Rabbi for this sort of thing?"
"No, only a Chosen One can join two dominants."
"Okay, now you've opened up a whole new discussion."
Darcy hit her head on the pillow, "Hasn't Tom told you anything?"
"Ahh.no.just how to control my dark side, oh.and the whole pheromone sex thing.and except what you just told me."
"Oiy vey! Well, Tom is a Chosen One. They're dominants that were hand picked to lead our people." Darcy said.
"How does Tom know he's a Chosen One?"
"He has a tattoo."
"On the back of his neck," Darien joked.
Darcy laughed, "You watch too much BBC America. You're close though, it's on his back just below his right shoulder."
"Just when you think you know a guy." Darien took Darcy's hand, "And yes, I want to be joined, committed, married.whatever you want to call it."
Darcy straddled Darien and leaned down to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his body. The scent on her was still very strong.
Darcy reached behind her and took him into her hand. Darien growled and his head dug into the pillow when he arched his neck. Darcy smiled as she continued to move her hand up and down slowly. Darien sucked in air through his teeth. Darcy's fingers on the downward motion would gently stroke his veggies and on the upward motion her thumb would glide torturously over the tip.
He rolled them both over until he was on top of her. With one thrust he was inside her.
~*~
For the two weeks after Arnaud had called Ed the first time, he and Claire had worked on models that dealt with Arnaud's cure. It had been too good to be true that Arnaud's cure would come without a price. The first sign was Darien's eyesight. At first Claire didn't make the connection but after he had said that he couldn't see the sign before they saved the crop, she ran some tests.
Indeed Darien's eyesight had started to deteriorate, but slowly. Claire had told Darien that she didn't know how long it would take before he was blind. Darien seemed to take it in stride, but she knew better.
Darien was angry again, one curse had been traded for another. Deep down inside he knew it was another death sentence. What good is an invisible blind man?
All that changed when a man from the new species mistook Darien for Dr. Ed Tate, a geneticist, and injected him with a gene therapy drug that altered his DNA. His eyesight had improved greatly, even better than the average 20/20. Darien was slowly accepting his new role in life, especially since his eyesight was no longer an issue, but what else did Arnaud's little cure have in store for him had he not been converted. That was a question that Ed and Claire sought out and they found it.
As they all sat around the table in the Official's office, Ed and Claire walked them through their findings.
"As far as we can tell, Arnaud's cure did have an effect on the gland. This is our theory. The gland originally secreted a toxin into Darien's blood stream. We believe that the cure caused another mutation in the gland to secret a different kind of toxin." Claire looked at Darien who had his head in his hands. "This toxin may have been affecting parts of the brain, first with the occipital lobe."
Darien raised his head, "First? What do you mean 'first'?"
Claire looked at Ed and he shook his head for her to continue, "Darien, we." Claire looked at Darien, ".believe that over a period of time other parts of your brain and body may have been affected."
"Like what?" Darien stared at Claire and then at Ed.
"Motor pathways, auditory pathways and possibly somatosensory pathways." Ed added.
"Samoa pathfinder?" Hobbes asked.
"Somatosensory. That is your sense of touch, pain and temperature. It also includes receptors in muscles and joints." Ed looked around, he saw the blank faces and sighed, "It's a series of nerves that sends the signals to your brain. It's all connected in the spinal cord." Ed noticed that Darien was lost, "Okay look, when proprioceptive, touch, or vibratory sensation is detected by the appropriate sensory receptors, the input travels along the afferent fibers that enter the dorsal horn of the spinal cord." Ed continued as he used a model of the spinal cord and brain to illustrate what he was saying.
"Okay, I still don't understand anything you just said, but it doesn't sound good." Darien said.
"You know, I still can't get used to looking at him and hearing all this smart talk." Hobbes said sarcastically.
Darien shot Hobbes a fierce look.
"I'm just saying," Hobbes extended his hand palm side up towards Ed.
"I know what you're saying," Darien said back angrily. "You can't believe that someone could look like me and be king of the smarty pants."
"I thought I was the king of the smarty pants?" Hobbes protested.
"Not anymore, my friend. There's a new king in town." Darien smirked.
"Can you two wait until school is over?" The Official barked. "So, Dr. Tate, what does all this mean and give me the Reader's Digest version."
"Well," Ed looked at Claire and back to the Official, "From our tests and we will have to do more, it looks like Arnaud's cure was meant to disintegrate Darien's senses and even at some point." Ed looked at Darien, ".cause paralysis."
"Aw crap," Darien leaned back in his chair.
"But," Sloan added trying to change the mood. She looked at Ed prodding him to continue.
"Huh.oh yeah," Ed looked for his research, "But, it seems like the gene therapy that Lewis gave Darien to convert his DNA altered the toxin producing cells."
"I can't wait to hear this," Darien said.
"No, no, Darien this is good, uhmm, actually. The gland may have been altered when your DNA was changed. The genome therapy may have acted like a cure and stopped the cells from producing the new toxin." Ed said.
"Do you know how?" Sloan asked.
"No not yet. But there are several things to consider. Dominants are extremely healthy and have a higher capacity to heal. The brain signals are also on a different level now or the conversion altered the bio part in some way that I haven't detected yet. It may have acted much like the first cure and killed the new toxin producing cells or they're just dormant." Ed said.
"Okay, so, does that mean I'm out of danger?" Darien asked.
"Yes, for now anyway," Claire stated.
"I don't like the sound of that," Darien said.
"Ed and I ran a lot of tests and we don't see any long term effects with your new DNA on the gland. We just want to monitor you closely that's all. All of this only becomes a factor when and if you decide to convert back to human DNA. The dormant cells may awaken and start producing the toxin again." Claire added.
"At this rate, it looks like I'm a permanent member of the dominant club," Darien affirmed.
TBC..
Chapter 2
Darien woke up when a familiar scent filled his nostrils. Darcy had her back to him and she was spooned up tight against his body. Darien rolled his eyes, "This part I hate," he thought about what he said, "or not."
He brushed her blonde hair back from her neck and placed soft kisses on the bare skin. Darcy stirred a bit. His hand reached around towards her front and he cupped a breast as he moved from her neck to nuzzle her ear.
Darcy slowly opened her eyes and groaned her delight. Her hand came up and felt for Darien's hair. She gently ran her hand through the unruly brown mane, "Hmmm.Darien."
"You're ready, aren't you?" Darien said as he nipped her earlobe.
"That's the beauty about being a dominant; I don't have to rely on the 'Rhythm Method'." Darcy said as she wiggled her back against Darien, feeling his own need growing.
"Or use a calendar or a thermometer," Darien whispered. This was one of the things he had learned to control when he was around other women. Especially with Sloan and Claire, he always seemed to know what cycle they were in and when they were in their most fertile stage. Tom had taught him how to respond to only Darcy's needs. And right now, her need was apparent.
At least they were at home and not at a meeting like the first time. This had happened shortly after Ed and the others had arrived at the Agency.
There had been a meeting with some members of the co-existence faction and some government bureaucrats. The male dominants in the room had sensed Darcy's state and became a little edgy. Darien immediately sensed this and had to let the others now that Darcy was his. The room had an air of hostility until Darien sent a clear message reasserting his territory.
The humans had no idea what was going on, but sensed the tension in the air. Mark Ward had reassured them that everything was fine. The male dominants realized that Darcy was spoken for and quickly backed down.
Later on, Darien, Mark and Tom talked about what had happened. Darien had learned that when a dominant male comes in contact with a dominant female who is in her cycle, the male will start to 'flirt' with her. When there are several males around and they don't know if she is spoken for they will compete for her attention. Darien thought it wasn't all that different from the human world apart from being able to sense when the woman is 'ready' to procreate.
Tom had reassured Darien that the other males won't bother Darcy now that they know that Darien and her are together. Just like with him and Sloan, no male would dare come near her. Tom had forgiven Darien for that and helped him to understand his new instincts. Tom hoped that he would do a better job with Darien then what he did with little Kevin. He had only managed to confuse that little boy some more and it cost the life of a human. Kevin had also gone after Sloan and Tom had saved her just in time. He didn't want to repeat that same mistake with Darien.
Darcy's moans of pleasure quickly turned to giggles and that snapped Darien out of his visit down memory lane. Sometime during his reminiscing, the quicksilver had flowed and covered them both.
"Damn, this really is annoying," Darien complained.
"I think it's rather mysterious and somewhat kinky. Almost like being blindfolded," Darcy remarked.
~*~
"There is no other place that man would want to be than on his board surfing until the sun sets," Claire shook her head and watched from the porch as Ed surfed.
He had finally been given a clean bill of health from his doctor. Claire had been with him that day and the sheer joy that lit up his face. He had hopped off the exam table, shook the doctor's hand and bolted from the room. Claire was left standing alone with the confused physician.
"He's been waiting to go surfing," Claire answered the silent question and thanked the doctor for his time.
By the time Claire had left the examination room, Ed had already checked out at the insurance desk and was nearly out the door. If Ed had his 'baggies' on he would have stripped on his way to the van, Claire laughed at the thought of him struggling to pull his pants down as he ran across the parking lot. 'Ed must be foaming at the mouth right about now,' she thought to herself as he rolled down the window and poked his head through the opening.
"Come on, Claire, I haven't got all day!" Ed said with excitement in his voice. Ed held the door open for Claire and was practically dancing in his pants as if he had to make an urgent dash for the bathroom.
Claire got in the passenger side and looked at Ed with caution, "Tell me you're not going to speed home?"
"I want to surf, Claire, not get us killed," Ed said with a smile and started up his van.
That was thirty minutes ago and here she was watching him. It had been over a month since he last hit the waves. Getting shot had put that on hold for a while, until this morning. "Better to let him get it out of his system or he'll pout and nothing is worse than a man when he pouts," Claire said to herself as she took a drink of her ice tea.
"Hey Claire!"
Claire jumped and looked around to see where the voice came from. She saw Darien and Darcy. Claire smiled, "Hi, guys!"
Darien and Darcy joined Claire on the porch. "I see the beach boy is at it finally," Darien smirked.
"Yeah, he got the all clear today. He's been out there ever since we got home," Claire smiled.
Darcy shook her head and laughed, "We just wanted to stop by and see if you two wanted to join us for lunch, but," Darcy looked out at the ocean and the figure riding the wave, "Ed seems a little pre-occupied right now."
"Well, surfer dude can't stay out there all day long," Darien said as he watched Ed as well.
"You want to bet on that, Darien?" Claire said mockingly.
Darien and Darcy exchanged quick glances and looked at Ed as he rode the top of a wave just as it started to curl. "Point made," Darien rescinded. "It looks like he's flying."
"Well, you two are welcome to stay, I'm sure Ed will be done soon. Maybe I can convince him to shower and we can all go to lunch. But I'm going to warn you, he'll be hyper," Claire stated.
"Okay, sure," Darien watched for a moment, "Has he wiped out yet?"
"Yes he has," Claire said with a laugh.
"Cool," Darien said.
"Would you care for something to drink?" Claire asked.
"A coke."
Darcy hit Darien on his arm, "That stuff rots your kidneys; it's like drinking battery acid."
Darien rolled his eyes, "Just my luck to fall in love with a dominant health food freak."
"Darcy, you can come with me and see what we have. But I'm going to warn you, Ed is not exactly a health food freak either."
Darcy laughed and went inside with Claire. Darien had watched a helicopter come closer. At first he thought it was only the Coast Guard or Beach Patrol on the look out for sharks. As it got closer, it seemed to hover over Ed.
Darien slowly stood up and stared in shock at first. The net falling and knocking Ed off his board snapped him out of it.
"ED!!!" Darien leaped over the wooden railing and ran for the ocean. Claire and Darcy ran out of the house to see Darien in full stride as he ran for the ocean. Claire didn't see Ed at all but noticed the helicopter that hovered over where he had been surfing.
"Oh no," Claire said in shock, her thought was that Ed had been attacked by a shark. She and Darcy ran onto the beach behind Darien who was already in the water and trying to fight against the waves to swim out.
As Darien reached the top of a wave he could see Ed as he thrashed in the water trying to escape, but only to be swallowed up by another wave, "ED!!"
Ed tried to get away, but he swallowed and inhaled more and more sea water as each wave came over him. It tossed him underwater and he became more entangled in the net. He found it increasingly difficult to reach the top for air. He felt consciousness start to slip away and all he could think about was Claire.
Darien tried hard to reach Ed. He could see Ed's movements lessening, "I can't let him die."
Ed suddenly felt himself being lifted out of the water, 'So, this is what it feels like when you die,' he thought to himself. Ed felt pressure on his right ankle; his foot still hung outside the net. He opened his eyes and saw the underside of a helicopter; the blades seemed to move in slow motion as he was lifted higher.
A burning sensation erupted in Ed's lungs and he coughed up a generous amount of sea water. Air tried to rush back in, but water wanted to escape. Ed gasped for air upside down. He grabbed the net and realized that he didn't die and the pressure on his ankle was because he was still attached to the board's leash.
Claire saw something dangling from the helicopter, "What the hell?" she said. She could see someone at the controls of what looked like a pulley system.
"Is that a rescue helicopter?" Darcy asked.
"I don't know," as soon as Claire spoke a net was lifted out of the water with something or someone inside of it. Next to it, she saw the surf board hanging from the net.
"What the hell is going on?" Darcy yelled.
"It's Ed, they got Ed!" Claire heard herself scream.
Claire watched helplessly as the net was brought closer to the helicopter. Another person reached out and grabbed the leash that was connected to the board. It was cut free and Claire stared as it fell to the water. The helicopter flew off with Ed inside.
"ED!!"
"Claire?"
"ED!"
"Claire!"
"ED!!"
"Wake up, Claire! You're dreaming," Ed gently shook Claire. He didn't want to frighten her too much.
Claire sat up in bed, panting. She turned to Ed and felt his face, "You weren't kidnapped?"
"Kidnapped? No, you were dreaming. I woke up because you were shouting my name," he held her close and let her calm down for a bit, "You want to tell me about it?"
"You're going to think I'm crazy," Claire was blushing but because it was dark, Ed wouldn't have seen it.
"If you're too embarrassed then you don't have to tell me," Ed reassured her by rubbing his hand up and down her back. "Why don't you just go back to sleep, maybe you'll feel better in the morning and you can tell me then? Or with my luck, you'll forget it."
"Okay, just hold me," Claire sounded unusually nervous.
Ed leaned back on the bed and Claire rested her head on his chest. As long as she could hear his heart beat and feel the warmth of his skin, she would be fine, until he went out on his surf board. Watching Ed on his surf board will never be the same again.
This business with Arnaud calling Ed has really gotten to her. She didn't like the situation at all and now it was affecting her sleeping patterns. She heard Ed start to snore and smiled. She never knew that sound could be so comforting.
~*~
Morning came and Ed found Claire on the porch watching the surf. He handed her a cup of coffee and stared off at the ocean.
"Are you going to tell me what you dreamt last night?" Ed asked. Claire turned and looked into his deep brown eyes. He had the same poor lost puppy look in his eyes that Darien always used to manipulate her.
"Dahrien.oh," embarrassed she looked down at her feet.
Ed chuckled, "It's cool, I'm sure it's going to happen a lot." After a moment, Ed continued, "Just don't go shoutin' his name while we're.you know."
Claire smiled, "Of course not." Claire rested her head on his chest and let out a sigh, "You're going to be persistent about this dream aren't you?"
"You bet," Ed lifted her head so he could see into her eyes, "I know it was about me from the way you were saying my name. What was it about?"
"You were surfing and a helicopter came and dropped a net on you. The next thing I know you were lifted out of the water and pulled inside. Then the helicopter flew off," Claire said, "It seemed so real, Ed."
Ed pursed his lips together, "Well, I'll be sure to stay away from helicopters."
"I knew you would think it was silly, but with Arnaud calling you," Claire paused to look at Ed seriously, "He'll do anything, Ed. I've seen it. I'm afraid something is going to happen and no one will be able to help you."
Ed didn't know what to say to comfort her. Some how telling her that it was just a dream wouldn't be enough, it really had her nervous. He hugged her and rested his chin on top of her head. The two stayed like that for a few minutes, neither said a word.
~*~
Darcy nipped at Darien's ear. This was her way of waking him up in the morning. "Hey sleepy head, time to wake up."
A grunt was her response. She smiled. She rolled him over and nipped at his collar bone, not enough to break the skin but enough to leave a slight mark.
"Hey, watch it, what are you a vampire?" Darien said as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Vampires bite here on the neck," Darcy illustrated her point.
"Okay, okay, I'm waking up. Are most dominant women this dominant?"
"Hmm.yes," Darcy laid her head on Darien's chest and began to trace the outline of his well defined chest. "Darien?"
"Yeeesss," Darien sang.
"Don't you dare read my mind," Darcy scoffed.
"I won't I promise, ask away."
"I want you to be joined to me," Darcy looked up into Darien's quizzical expression.
"Is that a proposal cause if it is, aren't I supposed to *ask* you? Because it sounded more like you were telling me to marry you."
"I was," Darcy propped herself up on her elbow, "Dominant females are the ones who choose a mate and we're the ones who, well, ask."
"Tom didn't tell me this part," Darien said. "Okay, let me see if I understand this dominant life style. I have to go through this whole ruffling the plumage thing, dancing and showing off what I've got to offer like some peacock. After say I don't know, a few weeks of hard work, you decide if I'm the rooster you want in the hen house?"
Darcy smiled at Darien's example, "Yes, that's right."
"And when you make that decision, you *tell* me to be joined to you." Darien finished with a smirk.
"Yes."
"Women are the doms of the species aren't they?" Darien smiled, "I can go along with that.I think."
"Only when it comes to mating and stuff like that, everything else is up to the male." Darcy looked at Darien, "Well, will you be joined to me?"
"Okay, what does joining mean? Is it like a wedding?"
"Well, sort of, but not with all outrageous stuff that goes with it. Humans waste so much time, money and energy into something that should be very simple and meaningful."
"You.we.were human, you don't want a big wedding?" Darien asked as he pointed to her and then to himself.
"No, I don't. The important thing is not the dress or the food or how much more we spend than the next the person. What's important is the fact that we're committing ourselves to each other for life. People spend thousands on weddings and the party afterwards, then after a year or so, some divorce. Why spend all that money when you can go on a killer honeymoon?"
"Whoa.now that's deep, I guess you're right. People put so much into the Reception and dresses that they forget the real reason of what they're doing." Darien said as he stared up at the ceiling.
"Exactly." Darcy answered.
Darien turned to face her, "Okay, so, do like dominants have a Priest or Rabbi for this sort of thing?"
"No, only a Chosen One can join two dominants."
"Okay, now you've opened up a whole new discussion."
Darcy hit her head on the pillow, "Hasn't Tom told you anything?"
"Ahh.no.just how to control my dark side, oh.and the whole pheromone sex thing.and except what you just told me."
"Oiy vey! Well, Tom is a Chosen One. They're dominants that were hand picked to lead our people." Darcy said.
"How does Tom know he's a Chosen One?"
"He has a tattoo."
"On the back of his neck," Darien joked.
Darcy laughed, "You watch too much BBC America. You're close though, it's on his back just below his right shoulder."
"Just when you think you know a guy." Darien took Darcy's hand, "And yes, I want to be joined, committed, married.whatever you want to call it."
Darcy straddled Darien and leaned down to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his body. The scent on her was still very strong.
Darcy reached behind her and took him into her hand. Darien growled and his head dug into the pillow when he arched his neck. Darcy smiled as she continued to move her hand up and down slowly. Darien sucked in air through his teeth. Darcy's fingers on the downward motion would gently stroke his veggies and on the upward motion her thumb would glide torturously over the tip.
He rolled them both over until he was on top of her. With one thrust he was inside her.
~*~
For the two weeks after Arnaud had called Ed the first time, he and Claire had worked on models that dealt with Arnaud's cure. It had been too good to be true that Arnaud's cure would come without a price. The first sign was Darien's eyesight. At first Claire didn't make the connection but after he had said that he couldn't see the sign before they saved the crop, she ran some tests.
Indeed Darien's eyesight had started to deteriorate, but slowly. Claire had told Darien that she didn't know how long it would take before he was blind. Darien seemed to take it in stride, but she knew better.
Darien was angry again, one curse had been traded for another. Deep down inside he knew it was another death sentence. What good is an invisible blind man?
All that changed when a man from the new species mistook Darien for Dr. Ed Tate, a geneticist, and injected him with a gene therapy drug that altered his DNA. His eyesight had improved greatly, even better than the average 20/20. Darien was slowly accepting his new role in life, especially since his eyesight was no longer an issue, but what else did Arnaud's little cure have in store for him had he not been converted. That was a question that Ed and Claire sought out and they found it.
As they all sat around the table in the Official's office, Ed and Claire walked them through their findings.
"As far as we can tell, Arnaud's cure did have an effect on the gland. This is our theory. The gland originally secreted a toxin into Darien's blood stream. We believe that the cure caused another mutation in the gland to secret a different kind of toxin." Claire looked at Darien who had his head in his hands. "This toxin may have been affecting parts of the brain, first with the occipital lobe."
Darien raised his head, "First? What do you mean 'first'?"
Claire looked at Ed and he shook his head for her to continue, "Darien, we." Claire looked at Darien, ".believe that over a period of time other parts of your brain and body may have been affected."
"Like what?" Darien stared at Claire and then at Ed.
"Motor pathways, auditory pathways and possibly somatosensory pathways." Ed added.
"Samoa pathfinder?" Hobbes asked.
"Somatosensory. That is your sense of touch, pain and temperature. It also includes receptors in muscles and joints." Ed looked around, he saw the blank faces and sighed, "It's a series of nerves that sends the signals to your brain. It's all connected in the spinal cord." Ed noticed that Darien was lost, "Okay look, when proprioceptive, touch, or vibratory sensation is detected by the appropriate sensory receptors, the input travels along the afferent fibers that enter the dorsal horn of the spinal cord." Ed continued as he used a model of the spinal cord and brain to illustrate what he was saying.
"Okay, I still don't understand anything you just said, but it doesn't sound good." Darien said.
"You know, I still can't get used to looking at him and hearing all this smart talk." Hobbes said sarcastically.
Darien shot Hobbes a fierce look.
"I'm just saying," Hobbes extended his hand palm side up towards Ed.
"I know what you're saying," Darien said back angrily. "You can't believe that someone could look like me and be king of the smarty pants."
"I thought I was the king of the smarty pants?" Hobbes protested.
"Not anymore, my friend. There's a new king in town." Darien smirked.
"Can you two wait until school is over?" The Official barked. "So, Dr. Tate, what does all this mean and give me the Reader's Digest version."
"Well," Ed looked at Claire and back to the Official, "From our tests and we will have to do more, it looks like Arnaud's cure was meant to disintegrate Darien's senses and even at some point." Ed looked at Darien, ".cause paralysis."
"Aw crap," Darien leaned back in his chair.
"But," Sloan added trying to change the mood. She looked at Ed prodding him to continue.
"Huh.oh yeah," Ed looked for his research, "But, it seems like the gene therapy that Lewis gave Darien to convert his DNA altered the toxin producing cells."
"I can't wait to hear this," Darien said.
"No, no, Darien this is good, uhmm, actually. The gland may have been altered when your DNA was changed. The genome therapy may have acted like a cure and stopped the cells from producing the new toxin." Ed said.
"Do you know how?" Sloan asked.
"No not yet. But there are several things to consider. Dominants are extremely healthy and have a higher capacity to heal. The brain signals are also on a different level now or the conversion altered the bio part in some way that I haven't detected yet. It may have acted much like the first cure and killed the new toxin producing cells or they're just dormant." Ed said.
"Okay, so, does that mean I'm out of danger?" Darien asked.
"Yes, for now anyway," Claire stated.
"I don't like the sound of that," Darien said.
"Ed and I ran a lot of tests and we don't see any long term effects with your new DNA on the gland. We just want to monitor you closely that's all. All of this only becomes a factor when and if you decide to convert back to human DNA. The dormant cells may awaken and start producing the toxin again." Claire added.
"At this rate, it looks like I'm a permanent member of the dominant club," Darien affirmed.
TBC..