22
Music: Everybody by Sister Hazel and Feels Like Home by Chantal Kreviazuk
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Way back in '93, I learned something from a little show called Northern Exposure. "A person has three choices in life. You can swim against the tide and get exhausted, or you can tread water and let the tide sweep you away, or you can swim with the tide, and let it take you where it wants you to go."
I was about to find out how well I could do the backstroke.
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It was quiet, almost too quiet, but not with the oppressiveness that foretells great trouble in the near future. No, this was a blanket of peace and tranquility, like that which you would expect in serene glade hidden deep within a forest. The locale, however, was most certainly not woodsy in any way, shape or form. It was, instead, an office, one that doubled as a conference room, with a view of the charming parking lot several stories below. The glass wall that overlooked the main floor, where people buzzed about busily, also allowed the subdued hum of their voices to come through. It was pleasant, like the ever present sounds of life from insects or the woodland creatures in that aforementioned glade.
What a difference a few weeks can make.
Alyx stretched lazily, not caring if anyone saw her. She was done for the day... hell, the week, and she was looking forward to time off with her children and, even better, a couple days with Darien, who would be flying in on Sunday to spend part of the Memorial Day weekend with them. How he wangled the time off from the Official, she didn't dare guess. She was simply happy he'd been able to get away so soon after wrapping up his part in the Keller affair.
Okay, so in truth the Keller affair might not be completely dealt with for years, but Harrison himself was in custody, along with a dozen others, and the tangled threads that had been discovered were just beginning to be probed at, in hopes of pulling all the knots out without snapping any of them before the end was reached. It had been the events in early April that had led to her having this spiffy new office, as well as the one next door the other members of her team, Mirage, shared. A team that had been increased by a factor of one in recent weeks.
Cavanaugh had been able to use the Keller situation to her advantage and had Agent Corvan - Mikey - transferred to her division. Mirage had been assigned the laborious task of discovering exactly how deep the corruption ran; how many agencies, government or otherwise, had been tainted by the backroom maneuvers Keller and his ilk had been making over the last 15 years, which was, oddly enough, an eerie reflection of the original Mirage's grand purpose. Cavanaugh had confided to Alyx that she hoped it wasn't yet too late.
Mike and Alyx's trip had been successful, as a new set of control programming was firmly in place and likely to hold for the foreseeable future. She would still have to deal with warning signs if she pushed the envelope too far, but nothing like the debilitating headaches of before. And recovery would be a comparably simple matter of rest and relaxation for a time; no more drugs, no more enforced unconsciousness, and no more fear of what would happen to her body when there was no choice but to reach beyond her normal endurance. Mike had even had some success at suppressing the implanted personas, though, at this point, there was no way to erase them without doing major damage to her mind and real personality.
They'd gone back to Newport so that Alyx could repair the damage she feared she had done with her children, only to find everything fine. The minor wounds she had inflicted had scabbed over, and nearly healed. In fact, they now seemed to understand her better, Rose especially. Understood that there was indeed a downside to their abilities, a potentially dangerous downside; and, while Alyx in no way wanted them to be afraid of what they were, she had also been desperately trying to convince them that it wasn't all fun and games. That what they did, what they were, was completely out of the realm of the known. Like the maps of early sailors, they were off the edge of known territory: here there be monsters.
The real trick was to not become one.
Mike had made it clear to Alyx's superiors that she could not continue to be used carelessly, something Cavanaugh had been arguing for months, but this time, with Alyx's breakdown as proof, the words finally sank in. No longer would she be working on piddly-shit missions that could be handled by any competent agent. The reassignment to the Keller aftermath was inevitable and something Cavanaugh had demanded. The work would not be any easier, that was for sure, but the focus was something specific, instead of random assignments handed down by a dozen or more divisions and proclaimed as the utmost importance even though most weren't.
Mike and Alyx still swapped working weeks, splitting their time between Newport and DC, but with his addition to Mirage, the flow of power never waned. Although their talents differed, Mike was eminently experienced and an acceptable replacement for Alyx as leader of the team. They both partnered Xavier, now. Something Mike had never experienced before, as he had worked almost exclusively solo for the majority of his career, his inherent talents lessening the need for a partner or handler, especially when deep undercover. The new arrangement, so far, was working astonishingly well. Part of that was most certainly due to Xavier's sudden change of heart.
At first Alyx had feared it was her doing, that while under the influence of those other personas she had expended the effort to alter Graywolf's mind, his perceptions where they related to her. But when she broached the subject with him, fear causing her voice to be faint, he had assured her that it didn't matter whether she had had a hand in it or not. The change was to everyone's benefit and he was far happier for it. He had confided that he did not want to ever become like Keller, and that it had been too close by far. He then asked - asked - for the chance to remain her partner and she, trembling in relief, had accepted, a weight upon her heart lifting, for she wasn't sure if she could continue doing this job without him by her side. She and Xavier, in their own way, were as made for each other as much as she and Darien were.
Just then Cavanaugh walked by with Tomas Giovanni by her side. Tomas had been called back to duty even after all these years because, much as he had told Alyx and Xavier, he had kept an eye on things and had information vital to the investigation. He wouldn't be working in the field, but behind the scenes, helping them untangle the web of lies and deceit to find the one who was ultimately pulling the strings. William Lee had also returned, working with Cavanaugh and Alyx, telling them everything he could about the last 15 years. He, as much as anyone, wanted answers as to what had been going on all these years. Information that was not forthcoming from the Chinese. The trade representatives that Keller had been meeting had made a beeline for their embassy in DC and holed up there until transport could be arranged for them out of the country. Any and all requests for a conference went, politely, ignored.
Lee wasn't the only person to have remained in the US. All three of his compatriots, family members, albeit distant ones, had been granted asylum until other, more permanent, arrangements could be made. A good thing too, as Xavier had gone and fallen head over heels in love with Lee's cousin. Liangyi Song was a beauty indeed and about the same age as Graywolf. She spoke very little English, though she understood more and Gray spoke no Chinese whatsoever, but it didn't seem to matter. Apparently, the first time his green eyes had laid upon her jade ones he had fallen into that pleasant abyss and never even tried to climb back out.
Alyx more than approved, as Liangyi was an intelligent, beautiful woman who was more than a match for Xavier. It was a damn good thing that the slender lady, which she was in every sense of the word, had fallen for Alyx's partner just as hard for she would have hated to see Gray's heart broken. The courting was moving along with careful deliberation and he spent most of the time with his head in the clouds, which she found amusing, but she didn't tease him about, though the temptation was there. He was happy and that was worth more than gold to her.
Speaking of being happy, she had her own happiness to consider. With a last glance about the room, she stood, collected her jacket, and left the office.
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"Rise and shine sleeping beauty."
The far too conscious and cheery words were accompanied by the dreaded sound of curtains being drawn back to allow the bright early morning sunlight to not only spill into the room, but across the bed where Darien lay. He groaned, rolled over and dragged one of the pillows protectively over his head. This also had the effect of muffling the sound in the room, leading him to believe that his dratted partner had abandoned the attempt to wake him and gone away.
Seconds later that false sense of security was ripped away, along with the covers, exposing his boxer clad body to the comparatively cool air of the room. "Up and at 'em, Fawkesy. Don't want to keep the kid waiting, now do ya?"
Darien, without opening his eyes, flung the other pillow in the direction of the voice and was rewarded with a solid thwap and a grunt as the cotton covered down-filled grenade landed right on target, causing Darien to grin in pleasure. "I wanted to go to her place last night, but noooooooo. You said we had to stay here and then proceeded to ply me with liquor and trick me into this bed so's you could have your way with me." As he spoke he squirmed his toes about until he hooked the covers and dragged them back up over his head, fully intending to go back to sleep for another couple of hours.
"Well, it is traditional for the couple to sleep apart the night before their wedding."
Darien was suddenly wide-awake and it wasn't due to the softly spoken words, which he hadn't really heard, but the voice. A very familiar voice, whose owner should have been across the country saving lost souls, and not standing in this hotel room that overlooked the Atlantic. He lowered the blankets, just enough to allow his eyes to peek over the edge of them, to see Father Tom standing there, wearing a serious look that was completely fake based on the laughter that could be seen in those bright blue eyes of his. Hobbes, on the other hand, wasn't bothering to hide the laughter and made sure to snap a picture of Darien's discomfiture with the recently acquired digital camera that had been brought along for the weekend.
To make matters worse, behind Tom stood the imposing figure of Xavier Graywolf, who dwarfed the slim body of Chris, both of whom were sporting knowing grins. Darien's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What's going on here?"
"A wedding. Or did you miss that part?" Hobbes stepped over to the bathroom door and swung it open to reveal a garment bag that Darien didn't recognize. The bright ripping sound of the zipper being slid downwards showed what lay within, but it didn't really clear up anything for Darien.
"What in god's name is that?" He was seriously beginning to wonder if he was actually awake or if it was just some weird dream.
"A tuxedo," Graywolf rumbled in response. "Much like the ones we're wearing." It wasn't until then that Darien noticed that all of them were indeed putting on the Ritz, right down to the top hats and tails. Though, where in world they'd found a penguin suit for Xavier was a mystery greater than the destruction of Atlantis.
Darien pushed himself upright, scratching the back of his head. "Who's getting married?"
Hobbes glanced over at Tom and snorted. "Must be the jet-lag." He focused back on Darien. "You, my friend. We've been planning this for weeks."
Darien shook his head, still not quite getting it. "I'm not getting married," he stated in all certainty. "Hell, me an' 'Chele haven't even talked about setting a date yet. Been too damn busy."
"Exactly," Chris said, "so we decided to take care of it for you."
"You decided to... Wait. You're telling me you're throwing me a surprise wedding?" Darien had gone way past confused to utter astonishment. "Why in the name of all that is holy would you do that?" Tom cleared his throat and Darien glanced sheepishly in his direction. "Sorry."
Chris looked to Hobbes for support. "Give us a minute," he said to the pair. Chris swallowed hard and, with a stricken look, fled from the room with Xavier. "You changed your mind? About marrying the kid?" Hobbes apparently needed to make sure they were on the same page in this discussion before explaining what the devil was going on.
"N...n...no. Whatever gave you that idea?" Darien had the odd feeling he'd missed something, something of great import. Add to that the look on Chris' face and... and Darien wasn't sure which way to turn. "I just wasn't expecting to get married today, is all." He turned to Father Tom. "How'd you get mixed up in this mess?"
Tom shrugged and sat down on the end of the bed. "Simplicity. They asked me." He, unlike everyone else, wasn't wearing a tuxedo, just the usual black suit and collar of his profession. "I don't want to know what strings they pulled to arrange this, but I do know they did this because they care and not to trap you. They want you as part of their family very much, from what I gather."
Darien allowed a slow smile to cross his face at the words. He just hadn't realized the kids cared that much about him. "So how's this gonna work?"
"I'm going to be performing the ceremony, but there will be a Justice of the Peace present to make it all legal," Tom explained. "You don't have to go through with this. I believe your young lady would be more than understanding should you choose to wait."
Darien shook his head. It was strange that he didn't feel as if he was being backed into a corner and forced to make a choice that really wasn't one. Like the non-choice that had left him gifted with a slightly used Quicksilver gland and lacking his brother. "How much time do I have?" he asked, to which Hobbes gave a whoop.
"More'n enough time for you pretty yourself up there, Penelope." Hobbes was grinning from ear to ear and Darien couldn't help but do so as well. "I'll go let the kid... Chris know everything is set. Least at this end."
"Hold up there, pardner." Darien's voice stopped Hobbes with his hand on the room's doorknob. "Are you saying 'Chele don't know about this?"
Hobbes chuckled and glanced at his watch. "She's finding out right about now."
"Oh crap," Darien mumbled, which earned a real laugh as Hobbes made his escape, leaving Darien alone with Tom. "This is nuts."
"Perhaps," Tom agreed, "but I imagine you will find it a relief to have it over with."
Darien frowned slightly. "No, not a relief. I'm not sure what this gets us, beyond making life way more complex than it already is." He grabbed one of the remaining pillows and hugged it to his chest. "Wish I could've told Charlie off and bailed, but..."
Tom nodded in understanding. "Have you had more of those dreams?"
'Those dreams' were ones inspired by the weird mind-meld of the pineal and Quicksilver glands. Darien had been more than ready to tell the Official, 'I quit' even though Michele had insisted that he needed to stay with the Agency. That is until he'd had a series of Quicksilver dreams revolving around another of Chrysalis' plots. One that had driven him to talk to Father Tom about, it was so disturbing. In the end, the situation had played out almost exactly as his dreams had shown, but the end resolution had been markedly different. He wasn't sure what that meant. Always before when his Quicksilver dreams had shown him things, they'd been hints, warnings. Like seeing Arnaud or his Grandmother, Madeline, during those hours of sleep shortly before encountering them again in person. Or like the first time, when he'd seen that sleazy motel and tried to kill Hobbes after the offer of 'hot doughnuts.' But he'd never really been able to see anything of use; that had always been Michele's curse. Maybe... maybe their relationship, her mental influence on him was changing his own borderline prophetic dreams.
That's what Tom had suggested, anyway. Though coming to that conclusion had required a very long discussion and Darien revealing details about his fiancée that he would normally tell no one outside the few people at the Agency who already knew about her. Tom could be trusted, however, and not just because of sanctity of the confessional - something that ever-cynical Darien did not necessarily believe in these days. No, it was due to the fact Kevin had trusted their old parish priest with his concerns over the I-Man project and using his brother - Darien - as a guinea pig to further those experiments.
"Nah. I just..." Darien sighed and scrubbed his hands across his face and then through his hair, making it stand up wildly. "I wish she wasn't right sometimes, is all."
"Right about what?" Tom asked, his curiosity balanced by what was obviously an honest concern for his former wayward pupil.
"That I'm needed out there. I want to be here, with her and the kids, but I can't be. Not yet." Damn if he didn't want that more than anything. Even more than getting the gland out of his skull. He could live with being the invisible man the rest of his life so long as he had 'Chele and her family by his side for the duration. Oh, and Bobby and Claire too. Life wouldn't be the same without them around, but... but he couldn't figure out how to pull that off.
Tom nodded and got to his feet. "Good."
"Good? We get married and still have to be apart. How is that 'good'?" Darien questioned, though whether it was directed at Tom or the god he represented was seriously open to debate.
Tom just smiled. "That is something only the two of you can figure out. What's 'good' is that you've taken some responsibility in your life. Now, we are on a bit of schedule here so..." He waved at the tux still awaiting Darien's pleasure.
"So, I take it one step at a time," Darien muttered.
"A journey of a thousand steps begins with just one," Tom reminded him as he opened the door. "The hard part is taking it."
Darien waited for the door to shut before throwing off the covers and practically bouncing from the bed. "Nah, this one's easy."
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With a squeal of glee, the body impacted the bed and the person drowsing peacefully upon it. Peace that, while not shattered, was most certainly disturbed. "Time to get up. Things to be, people to do and all that."
Michele cracked open one eye and glared balefully at the redheaded source of boundless energy that was crowing far more annoyingly than any cock at the dawn. In fact, the last time they'd owned a rooster it had lasted less than six months, though it had made a rather tasty dinner. "Go 'way. I want to sleep in for a change."
Rose snorted. "Right, like you ever really sleep. You've been awake for hours." She sighed overdramatically then moved the bouncing to mere inches below 'Chele's solar plexus.
"Nnnnngggg," was the incoherent response as air was forced unwillingly from the lungs. 'Chele used the only weapon at her disposal - fingers - and began to ruthlessly tickle the child who erupted in irrepressible laughter. After several minutes, the advantage going to Michele due to her long experience in getting others to surrender to her will, she giggled, "Do ye cry uncle?"
"Can't," Rose snorted. "He's out."
Michele laughed softly, her hands stilling so that the child could speak without having to fight for air. "Truce?"
"Aye, truce," Rose agreed, panting. "You cheat."
"No, she exploits her enemies' weaknesses," Dani said from the doorway. "You were supposed to wake her, not wrestle her."
Rose huffed in indignation. "She's awake ain't she?"
'Chele grinned. "Can't argue with that, Dani. What's up?" She settled back against the headboard, quite awake now and feeling relaxed and happy. A change she was slowly getting used to.
"You have a wedding to attend," Dani stated, a smirk lifting the right corner of her upper lip. Another gift she had inherited from her father.
'Chele mentally ran through her schedule and came up a blank for anything of great importance during the weekend, much less a wedding. Oh, Darien was due to arrive in a couple of hours, which was anything but unimportant, but that was it. Her plans with Darien involved vast quantities of snuggling and as much time as she could beg, borrow, or steal in this very bed. Not that she was going to shut out her kids, as they enjoyed spending time with the ex-thief as much as she did, but this would be the first occasion since early April that they'd had any time alone. She frowned slightly. "No I don't."
"Well, then we spent all that time decorating for nothing," Manda mock-complained as she entered the room carrying about an acre of white silk.
"What is that?" Michele had a sinking feeling that she knew exactly what it was, as well as a sudden insight as to why her children had seemed to develop a fascination with baseball the last few weeks. They'd been planning this - she wasn't ready to really focus on what this was and so let it slide by without close examination for now - and had clearly learned a trick to block her unintentional eavesdropping on their thoughts. Even a mental overhaul couldn't change her basic abilities or areas where she had spill over. She narrowed her eyes, focusing on each of the children present one at a time. "What have you done?"
"Surprise. You're getting married today." Rose hopped off the bed and skipped across the room to help Manda drape the gown over the settee.
"Oh no. No. No. No. No." Michele shook her head vehemently. "I may not be able to have a fancy wedding like I want, but it takes more than a couple weeks to plan a shindig like this."
"We've got it covered," Dani insisted, confidence oozing from her now that thoughts of springtime sports weren't blocking the pathway.
"But there's so much to do. Cake..."
"Done," from Rose.
"Flowers?"
"Your favs," from Manda.
"Blood tests and all that paperwork?" They couldn't have pulled that off, could they?
Manda grinned. "We had some help with those, but, yes, all the minutiae have been dealt with."
"Justice of the Peace?"
"Yep, to make it official. Father Tom will perform the actual ceremony," Dani explained succinctly.
'Chele brightened, knowing how Darien felt about the priest in question. "Tom? How... Never mind. I don't want to know." Then, as if it were her last hope before admitting defeat, "Witnesses?"
"Bobby and Xavier," Rose answered solemnly.
"Xavier?" Michele couldn't have been more surprised if her daughter had said she'd been to the moon and confirmed it was indeed made out of green cheese. It did convince her that they would have an answer to everything and anything she could possibly ask, but she wasn't quite ready to throw in the towel. "All right, who was in on this?"
The children glanced at one another, plainly arguing over who was going to spill the beans. In the end, it was Dani who apparently lost the mental game of rock, paper scissors, though how they managed to play it three ways, 'Chele had no idea. "All of us, Uncle Mike, Bobby and Xavier."
"He got the rings," Rose added, "and helped with the tuxes and stuff."
'Chele shook her head, dumbfounded, at the audacity of her children. "What if I don't want to get married? Today, that is." Since she most certainly wanted to get married, she didn't want them to get the impression she had changed her mind or that she and Darien were having problems.
"Why do you want to wait?" Dani asked in all seriousness. "C'mon, mom, we know you. Both of you." She strode to the window that overlooked the backyard and gazed out it. "You will just keep finding reasons to not get married. Valid ones, admittedly. Work, schedule conflicts, excessive risk, whatever."
"We talked it over while you were off at Sàbhailte Cala and decided to make sure you got it done," Manda told her.
"We didn't want to wait. We want Darien to become a part of this family. He needs us, mom." Rose's voice was earnest, that knowing she had inherited from her mother making itself apparent yet again.
"I know he does," Michele agreed, her voice soft, "but what if he's not ready to do this?" She knew a commitment of this sort was not something that came naturally to Darien. He'd spent most of his life doing his damnedest to avoid anything even vaguely resembling responsibility, and she wanted no part of forcing him into marriage until he was ready.
Dani's focus turned inwards for a long moment, then she smiled. "He was surprised, but is getting dressed, with much grumbling about the monkey suit, as we speak." She blinked back into focus. "So, any other arguments?"
Michele got out of bed and joined her eldest by the window. The arbor off to the right of the yard was decorated with white flowers and paper wedding bells, making it clear the small glade with the waterfall was where the ceremony was going to take place. She allowed a small smile to tickle the corners of her lips upwards. "Not a one."
"Yay!" Rose cheered, then, "Crap, that means I gotta wear that dress."
"Only until after the ceremony," Manda reminded her.
"And we get some pictures," Dani warned, clearly not about to let this occasion go by without a full video accounting.
Rose stuck out her tongue. "Oh, all right, but don't push your luck."
'Chele chuckled. "I'm certain Darien will find you adorable beyond belief." Rose blushed bright red, just as expected.
"Mom," she grouched as Manda and Dani laughed.
"We'll get out of your way for a bit. Let me know when you're ready to put that on," Dani waved at the dress, "'cause you will need help."
Michele nodded and they turned to leave the room. "Hey," she called out.
"Yeah?" Rose asked for all of them.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," they said in unison, and then left Michele alone with the wedding gown on what was turning out to be one of the most significant days of her life.
"Memorial Day, indeed."
