Time Flies
Author's Note – This chapter is very definitely a turning point for the story. Lots of important stuff happens. The truth about Father Time's past relationship comes out. Also, this chapter is where the story really starts to earn its PG-13 rating. I'm pretty sure it doesn't hit R level, but it won't be in the G section anymore.
Disclaimer – All Santa Clause characters belong to Disney.
Chapter 9 – My True Love Gave To Me
"Ebony's mother?" In his shock, Bernard echoed the lady's words. "You can't be!"
"Can't I?" She smiled. "Why not?"
"Gaia Mnemes was a human," Bernard said. "She met Father Time without knowing who he was, she loved him, she bore his children, and she died. You are – I don't know what you are, but you aren't her!"
"I'm afraid I am," Lady Destiny said calmly. "Your story is lovely, of course – a pretty tale to pacify those who ask – but the truth is far stranger. And perhaps not so lovely.
"I have existed since before Time began. I am not a mythological force, as you understand the meaning of the word. Santa Claus, Cupid, Mother Nature, each of these depends on some part of the 'real world' to continue existing. They are powerful, yes – but limited. What I am has very few limitations."
"And you are…?" Bernard asked, impatient, but fascinated despite himself.
Lady Destiny sighed. "I am one of the Powers That Be. I am separate from your world of shifting realities, so that I may direct it. There are others like me, as removed from reality as I, but I do not know them. To remain in control of our power, we must remain isolated, no mortal attachments to weigh us down. If we were to know of one another, we might form attachments. We might care for one another – become friends – " she smiled ironically, " – fall in love."
"But Father Time…" Bernard began.
"Oh, yes," Lady Destiny said softly. "Yes, I had to work with one person. Father Time. When one man is all that you know of, for century upon century, millennia onwards through all eternity, you do form a connection – willing or not. And I loved him. There is good reason it was forbidden, you know. I thought of him, above all others, when he should have been nothing more to me than another grain of sand in the desert that I rule.
"My thoughts strayed to him, time and again, when I should have been weaving the threads of Destiny. And somehow, through my threads, he and I were bound together. I had never been touched by my own powers before, but I – unlike most mortals – had enough sense to know that the threads of Destiny are unbreakable. I traced the pattern of my threads, and I saw what the future would hold.
"I would meet him. I was happy to know it. He knew of me, or at least suspected that a being like me existed in the mists of Destiny, but I had never fully revealed myself to him. But I would not meet him as myself. For two months, I would be permitted to take the guise of a human, and walk the earth.
"It was then that he found me. He wanders through the world once a year, and our paths crossed in New York. He believed me to be a human, and though it is imprudent for a mythological personage to love a human, it is hardly forbidden. He fell in love with me in those two months, and the story is much the same as the one you knew. Except for one crucial detail.
"I did not die, after my children were born. I returned here, to Destiny. I knew that, when the time came, Father Time would find our children, and they would follow the path that my threads wove for them so many years ago. They have begun their journeys on those paths – and you will travel with them."
"Me?" Bernard had listened quietly to the story to that point, but he couldn't keep silent at that. "What are you talking about? I'm not bound by your threads."
"Do you really think that you would know of it if you were?" Lady Destiny pointed out. "My threads are subtle and quick. You were ensnared by them long ago. But do not grieve, elf-child – there are worse shackles than the threads of Destiny."
"That depends on your point of view," Bernard said coldly. "Why are you telling me this? Why should it matter to me whether I'm caught by your threads or not? If you hadn't told me about it, I wouldn't know either way. If I really am bound by the threads of Destiny, I have to act out the part they've given me to play whether I know about it or not."
"That is true in most cases," Lady Destiny agreed. "But not for you. Your destiny is a great one, little child of the elves, but to fulfill it you must understand it. You must know the truth about my children." She reached out to touch Bernard's cheek, her fingers only as solid as the caress of a summer breeze. "Take care of them, elf-child. Watch over my sons and daughters. They will need so much guidance in the days to come."
Bernard drew away. "I can't," he whispered. "I – I don't know how."
Lady Destiny smiled sadly. "You will."
They stared at one another in a moment that, in the swirling mists of Destiny, was truly Timeless. Finally, Lady Destiny looked away. "I have said what I summoned you to hear. I release you. My daughter's need of you is greater than mine."
"Ebony…" Bernard paled. How could he have forgotten her? "Ebony! Where is she? Take me to her!"
"You still do not understand Destiny, do you?" Lady Destiny asked rhetorically. "Even after all I've said. Very well – if mortal concepts are what you require to grasp my domain, mortal concepts you shall have." She waved her arm casually, and the mists in that direction solidified into an archway.
"Ebony is through there?" Bernard asked.
Lady Destiny smiled slightly. "Pass through the archway, and I guarantee you will find what you seek."
That was enough for Bernard. He went.
He didn't see that Lady Destiny's smile faded, just before her form melted back into the mists of her realm.
He also didn't see the Time Flies. At least, not until they ambushed him.
There was darkness. That was the first thing Bernard noticed. Wherever he was, it was very dark.
Then he realized that this was because his eyes were shut. He tried to open them.
"Ow…"
His head hurt. He vaguely recalled being hit. By Time Flies. While he was in Destiny. Looking for –
"Ebony!" His eyes shot open.
"Well, it's about time."
"Ebony! You – you're alive!" Bernard scrambled to her side, ignoring the aches when his body protested. He was so relieved to see her that it didn't occur to him to wonder why she was just lying there. Or why she looked so pale.
"You noticed." Her mouth twitched, as if she wanted to smile but couldn't quite make it. "So, any chance that you being captured was all part of some grand master plan too obscure for the understanding of a mere mortal?"
"What?" Bernard blinked. "Captured?"
"Yeah. You know, kidnapped by those little grey fairies, dragged here while unconscious, put in this cage thing. Captured."
"We're in a cage?" Bernard took a look around. "I don't see a cage."
"Circle," Ebony said, nodding her head towards what passed for the ground. Bernard looked more closely where she'd indicated. Yes, there was some sort of marking there – a grey line, only a few shades darker than the mists. It went all the way around the pair of them, enclosing them in a circle about the size of a small room.
It didn't look too dangerous, though. Frowning, Bernard reached towards it.
"Don't!" Ebony gasped, just as his hand touched the line.
A violent force flung Bernard to the center of the circle, where he lay panting for a moment. As soon as he'd caught his breath enough to move, he crawled back to Ebony.
"Ok. We're captured," Bernard admitted reluctantly. "In a cage."
"Not part of the plan, then," Ebony said resignedly.
"No. Not really." Bernard's heart felt as though a hand squeezed it, seeing the despair in Ebony's eyes. She'd given up. He'd thought that nothing could ever make her give up. "But don't worry – I'll think of something. I'll get you out of here! I promise."
Ebony shook her head. "How?" she asked wearily. "You think I haven't been trying since they put me here? It can't be done. We're going to die here." She looked away. "You shouldn't have come."
"I had to save you," Bernard protested. "I couldn't leave you."
"Why not? You were perfectly willing to when I told you – " She stopped. "Never mind. I don't want to fight now. Just sit with me. I don't think you'll have to wait much longer."
"What are you talking about?" Bernard stared at her with growing dread.
"You can't see it?" Again, she came close to smiling, her lips straining against the skin of her cheeks. "Look at me, Bernard. Look at what's happening to me."
And the details of her appearance that Bernard hadn't wanted to see finally registered. She was pale, her skin tinged with grey. The green color had been leeched from her hair, leaving it a muted brown, and the edges were slowly mingling with the mists. And her eyes – Bernard caught his breath in horror. Her eyes were no longer a hazel green, but the same swirling silver as the mists, flecked with gold and rainbows. They were beautiful – and entirely inhuman.
"No," he whispered, reaching out to touch her cheek. He half expected his hand to go through her, but she was still reassuringly solid. "No. This can't be happening."
"I'm sorry, Bernard," Ebony said quietly. Feeling almost removed from the situation, he noticed the whispery quality of her voice, as though she were fighting for every breath. "I know you didn't want to see me die."
"You're not going to die," Bernard insisted desperately. "Don't talk like that. You're going to live, and meet your family, and be happy with them. They'll come for you. They'll get you out. You'll see."
"I don't think I have that long," Ebony said. "I can feel myself disappearing. It's not so bad, now that you're here, but it's still happening. I can't stop it. I don't think I have very much time left."
A tear slid down Bernard's cheek. Ebony tried to raise a hand to wipe it away, but she couldn't manage. "Don't cry," she said. "It's really not so bad as it could be. It doesn't hurt or anything. And you're here. I think – if you hold me – I won't mind."
Bernard stared at her for a moment, fighting back the tears that burned the backs of his eyes. Then he reached down, and took her in his arms, cradling her body to his. It felt completely right and completely wrong, both at the same time.
"Thank you." Her words were as soft as the breeze, but they still had power enough to break his heart.
"It will be all right," he said hopelessly, trying to reassure himself as much as her.
Ebony sighed. "No, it won't." She looked up at him. "I'm glad you're here. Maybe it's selfish and horrible, since it means you're going to die, too, but I'm glad I got to have this one last moment with you. It really means a lot, that you'd come after me. Especially after everything you said."
Bernard shook his head. "No – I didn't mean it. Well, I did, actually, but I didn't tell you everything." He hesitated. He'd always shied away from expressing his innermost feelings so openly… but Ebony deserved to hear them. She deserved to know. "I feel the same things you do. We are connected, somehow. And I – I don't think I could be happy without you. I need you. You're part of me."
Ebony couldn't smile, but some of the sadness left her eyes. "You mean it. I knew you felt something." She pressed closer to him. At first, Bernard thought she was trying to be affectionate – but then he realized that her body was going limp, out of her control. "I'm glad…" Her eyes closed.
Bernard stared down at her. "No." He brushed her hair away from her face, searching for some sign of consciousness. "No! Ebony!" The tears he'd been fighting off came, but he hardly noticed them. "Ebony, answer me!"
She didn't. Bernard clung to her body, rocking back and forth in place, as he sobbed. "No… no… no…"
This couldn't be happening. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Somewhere deep inside, Bernard had taken it for granted that he would be able to save Ebony. He hadn't even considered the possibility of failure. He needed her too much, cared for her too much…
Loved her too much. It hit him like an electric shock, but he knew as soon as he thought the words that it was true. He was in love with Ebony. That was why he'd been so desperate to bring her safely back. Never mind that he hardly knew her, that there were a thousand reasons not to feel this way. He loved her.
And he couldn't let her go without a fight.
Bernard's thoughts were suddenly more clear than they'd been in days. He was thinking quickly, sharply, like broken glass and daggers. She'd said it felt like she was fading away – but that his presence held her back, somehow. He'd anchored her. So all he had to do was give her a firmer anchor, and she'd be able to come back.
In theory, anyway. It would be harder in practice.
There was a way to do it, of course. With magic, there was a way to do practically anything. It was just a question of whether the consequences were worth… but no. Bernard dismissed that thought. The consequences couldn't matter. Not when Ebony's life hung in the balance. He would save her. Whatever happened to him, it would be worth it.
He took a deep breath, looking at her unresponsive face for strength, and began to strip away the mental wards that all telepaths build to keep the thoughts of the outside world from invading their every waking moment. It was harder than he'd expected. The wards had been ingrained into his psyche. Telepaths never took their wards down.
But he couldn't think of any other choice.
Just as he'd done when he'd demonstrated his magic to her, Bernard Reached for Ebony's mind. But this time, he didn't just seek out her thoughts. He took the fading light that was Ebony's consciousness into his own, and clung to it with his own.
At first, her mind tried to drift away, but he hung on to her fiercely, determined not to let her go. He would not lose her. Not here. Not now. Not to this. And then something in her, perhaps that part of her that was drawn to him, responded, trying to grasp at the steady focus his consciousness provided.
But it wasn't enough. Bernard could still feel her essence slipping away, dissolving into the Time from which she'd been born. He was holding her, buying her time, but it wouldn't last. Another sob shuddered from his body. He'd given her everything he had, and it still wasn't enough.
No – not everything.
Maybe he was going it about this the wrong way. Holding her, clinging to her wasn't working. He wasn't close enough. But there was one more thing he could try.
He wasn't sure he could do it. It had never been done before. He didn't even know if it was possible, or if either of them would survive it.
But what the hell. They were probably going to die anyway.
Bernard Reached for Ebony again – but this time, instead of trying to touch and hold her essence, he sought to do something completely different. He sought to merge it with his own.
It felt like falling – tumbling – plummeting into a long, dark tunnel that led straight down, with no knowledge of when he would hit bottom, or what he'd find there when he did.
And then Ebony was there.
Not "there" with him in the physical sense, in which he was used to thinking, but there nonetheless. She surrounded him, but he held her within himself. He saw the world through her eyes, as well as his. All her thoughts, feelings, memories, wishes, fears, and dreams, everything was there, all inside him – overwhelming him –
– She was young, very young – a child. She was listening to people talk about her. Her parents? No, she'd been given to an orphanage to be put up for adoption. These were foster parents? Yes, that sounded right. But the way they were talking – didn't they want her? They didn't. They were sending her back. She was unwanted – unloved – no one cared about her, not these people, not her real parents, not anyone.
How could anyone not want her? He would. He'd want her no matter where or when she was. He would always want her, he had to make her see –
– She was older, but still younger than when they'd met. She'd been crying. She'd thought she'd found people who would take her in – an older couple, who'd lost a daughter her age eight years ago – but they'd died. She'd liked them. Everyone she'd cared about died. It was her fault. It had to be.
He wanted to tell her that it wasn't, but she couldn't hear him, no matter how hard he tried to reach her –
– It was the first time she saw him. He looked so ridiculous through her eyes, in his strange shirt and long hair – why had she agreed to go anywhere with him? She was snapping at him, annoyed that she'd promised her friend she'd go on this date, and dragging him off before he could explain that he wasn't her friend's cousin. Was she really so angry all the time? Or was it just around him?
– And then it was later, when he told her about her heritage. She didn't believe him. She wasn't that special. Who did he think he was, telling her that she was the daughter of a myth? She was a nobody, the unwanted bastard of a nameless mother and an absentee father. He –
He'd read her mind! How cool was that? Oh… he was mad at her. Well, she hadn't been very nice to him, had she?
He didn't mind, anymore. He wished she'd be rude to him again. That would mean that she was herself, whole and entire. He wanted her to know how much he longed for her, but he couldn't seem to make her hear –
– And he surfaced from her memories, yanking himself away. That wasn't what he was here for. He took a breath, and then another, holding himself steady to reality. He had to be firmly grounded there, before he could hope to anchor Ebony.
A light sensation drew his attention to his physical body for a moment. Something was coiling gently around his body. He spared a glance only long enough to determine that it was nothing dangerous, then turned his full attention back to Ebony. It was only the mists of Destiny, weaving around the pair of them. It couldn't be as important as Ebony.
She was confused. She'd thought she was dying, and had resigned herself to going quietly. She'd left Bernard – and then he was there again. Was he dying, too? The thought made her sad. She wished he would live. She could have died more easily, knowing that he'd be safe.
:: No, Ebony, :: Bernard thought at her, praying that she'd be able to hear him. :: You won't die. Not now. You're safe. ::
:: Bernard?:: Her answering thought was incredulous, hesitantly reaching from mind to mind. :: You – how? What happened? ::
:: It doesn't matter, :: he told her. :: Just come back. ::
:: I don't know how. ::
:: Follow me. I'll help you. ::
Bernard gently guided both their psyches back into their respective bodies, but he didn't try to disentangle their souls. He wasn't sure he could.
"Bernard?" Ebony opened her eyes, looking hazily up at him. "You were inside my head."
"Er… yes. I'll explain later," Bernard promised. "How do you feel?"
"Well, I don't think I'm about to die anymore, if that's what you mean. But," Ebony grimaced, "I hope you don't want me to run any marathons, because I'm definitely not up to anything that difficult. Like motion."
"That's ok," Bernard said, smiling down at her. "As long as you're alive."
"Alive, yes," Ebony said. "And still trapped in this cage."
"Cage?" Damn. He'd been so worried about Ebony that he'd forgotten about the cage. "Well, I'm sure someone will come after me eventually." A thought struck him, and he pulled out the hourglass he had around his neck.
"What's that?" Ebony asked, squinting up at it.
"It tells me how long I can stay here." Bernard winced. The reading wasn't good.
"You don't have much longer, do you?" Ebony asked, not very hopefully.
"Ten minutes," Bernard admitted reluctantly. "Probably less."
Ebony sighed. "Well, it was a good try. Thanks for whatever you did to bring me back."
"I'd do anything for you." Bernard couldn't believe he'd just said something so maudlin, but it was true. Anything she needed from him, he'd give her.
"Yeah?" She smiled a little.
He smiled back. "Yeah." He took a deep breath. "Look, Ebony, there's something I need to tell you."
She blinked. "What, now? Not exactly the time."
"This is the only chance I'll get," Bernard said. "When I thought you were – well, right before I pulled you back, I realized something." He swallowed hard, as she stared at him with a frown. "Ebony… I love you."
Her eyes widened. "You – what?" She laughed, unshed tears in her voice. "You know, I'd given up on ever hearing you say that." Her expression softened as she gazed into his eyes. "I love you, Bernard. It's stupid and sappy and melodramatic to say it at a time like this, but I probably won't get another chance. I love you and I want to be with you forever." She smiled ironically. "Guess I'll get to do that part, anyway."
Bernard didn't bother to answer. He kissed her instead.
She tilted her head up to meet his, responding to him with a passion driven by hopelessness. It was a kiss few people ever get to experience – a true love, end of the world kiss, the kind that usually happens only in the movies. It was wild, and desperate, and frightening in its intensity. They clung to one another, their touches as much seeking comfort as acting on desire.
Ebony pulled back suddenly, startling Bernard. He started to turn red, wondering if he'd done something wrong. But she smiled, if shakily. "Don't worry – you weren't that bad. And if I didn't like it, I'd bite you instead of kissing you."
His blush got worse. "How – "
"Your expression," Ebony told him, smiling wryly. "Dead giveaway." She shook her head. "Look, don't waste time talking. Help me get my clothes off."
Bernard choked. "Excuse me?"
She gave him an impatient look. "We don't have much time before we fade into this mist and die, right? And you can't say you don't want me, after kissing me like that. I'm feeling a lot better than before you got here, but I think you're going to have to help me with – "
"Wait!" Bernard stared at her, scandalized. "Are you saying that – that you want to – "
"Sleep with you before I die?" Ebony finished. "Yes. That is exactly what I'm saying. I've waited twenty years to find my one true love, and now that I've got you I'll be damned if I'm going to fade back into nothingness without doing a lot more than kissing." Her expression turned serious, a contrast to her flippant tone. "I love you, Bernard. And I want you. If you willing, I'm ready to take this all the way."
"I – " Bernard shook his head helplessly. "I love you, Ebony, but – I don't know what to do."
She smiled. "That's ok. Neither do I." She reached up to caress his face. "We'll find out together."
She guided his hands onto her body, both of them trembling a little as he began to unbutton her shirt. He accidentally snapped one of the buttons off, in his nervousness, and their sudden smiles released some of the tension. It wasn't like the shirt mattered anymore, anyway. He finally got it off her, and discarded it. Tendrils of the mist curled around it, and absorbed it into fog.
Ebony looked up at Bernard. He was trying very hard not to stare at her bra. "You're going to have to look at it, eventually," she told him, amused.
Bernard met her eyes, and she realized that he was scared. Not just of dying, but of what they were doing. Well, that was all right. So was she, a little.
Ebony took one of his hands, and placed it gently on her breast. When he was still unsure, she drew him into another kiss. As she encouraged him wordlessly, with her lips and tongue, she felt his hands loosen, and start to explore her body. It was strange, to be touched so intimately, but she didn't want him to stop. Definitely not. Strange was good.
She tugged at his shirt, trying to get it off over his head, while he fumbled with the unfamiliar fastenings on her bra. He moved his head, trying to get a good look at her back so he could see what he was doing, so she moved her lips onto his ear. She'd always thought his pointy ears were kind of sexy, anyway. But for some reason, this seemed to distract him almost as much as the kissing had. Still, he eventually managed to get one of the straps off her shoulder, and –
"Holy shit! What are you two doing?"
Bernard and Ebony jerked away from one another, as if they'd been burned. "Cupid!" Bernard gasped, recognizing the speaker. "Oh – we were – "
"No, never mind, I can see what you were doing," Cupid cut him off quickly. "Though I have to say, this isn't really the best place for it. Look, you two have to get out of here."
"We can't," Ebony said, pulling her bra back into place. "There's a wall."
"What?" Cupid peered into the mists. "Oh. Damn. So there is. That's a problem."
"How did you get here?" Bernard demanded, trying to pretend that he wasn't straightening his shirt.
"I tracked the pair of you," Cupid said. "I don't know what you were doing before you started – that other thing you were doing – but whatever it was, it turned all my magic inside out. And I'm supposed to be present for any great act of love, so I figured I'd come along."
"Kinda voyeuristic," Ebony said, sounding none too pleased.
"The act of love was me saving you," Bernard told her impatiently. "Not the – the other thing."
"Yes, well, anyway," Cupid said hurriedly, "we need to get out of here. Something's gone wrong back at Father Time's workshop."
Bernard shot Cupid a suspicious glance. "You aren't another figment of Destiny, are you?"
"What are you talking – never mind, I probably don't want to know," Cupid said. "Look, maybe you could smash up this barrier. She's one of the children of Time, right? Destiny ought to obey her."
"Yes," Bernard said slowly, thinking back to his encounter with Lady Destiny. "Yes, it ought to. Maybe – "
"Um, can I just make a point?" Ebony interrupted. "That barrier shocks me whenever I try to touch it."
"Yes, but if you were outside it…" Cupid trailed off. "Which you aren't."
"So much for that," Bernard said.
Cupid started to say something, then stopped, frowning. "Say – do you two know that you're getting all foggy?"
Bernard looked at Ebony, then down at himself. She was still fading into the mists, but now he was doing the same thing. "Damn," he said softly.
"It was a good try," Ebony said, patting his arm. "Really. There was even a point for about five seconds when I really thought we had a chance." She looked over at Cupid. "Get lost, would you? We have a romantic moment to finish, and I don't think we've got that much time left."
"Um." Bernard went pale, looking off into the distance. "I think we may have less time than we thought."
"What do you mean?" Ebony followed his gaze. "Oh. Oh, that is not good."
"What are you two looking at?" Cupid turned around, and a look of horror came across his face. "Time Flies – coming this way!"
Author's Note – Sorry the chapter wasn't longer. It had some difficult scenes that I wanted to get through. Especially that one with Ebony and Bernard. That was hard and a half. ^_^ Anyway, next chapter… well, the cliffhanger will be resolved, for one thing. Also, we'll find out just what's been going on while Bernard was in Destiny.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed!
Kitty the drunken butterfly, ShadowGraffiti, TheAlmightyMasterT-Chan, Tragedy Ann, Black Wolf Meleny.
Zhai'helleva!
- Mystica