The Song of Eternity

Canto 10 : The Gift

Verse 5: Redemption

Fear is a powerful emotion,

But love is equally as strong.

What happens when you haven't

loved or feared for most of your life?

What if death was all you knew?

"What do you mean he ran off?" Vincent asked Rogue as people started filing out of the hotel. His head was still spinning from the kiss with Elena, and now he had to deal with Cole running away from the dance.

"He just left, said he had to go," Rogue told him quietly. She kept the real reason for Cole's escape to herself.

"Take it easy Valentine," Murphy said as he put a hand on Vincent's shoulder. "I'll take her home and track Cole down," he assured Vincent. "Besides, I'm sure you want to get back to Elena," he chuckled.

Back at the mansion, the kids were pulling in after a fun night at the dance. Logan and Ororo waited at the door with Damon as they watched the last car pull up the driveway. "So why is the wrong brother bringing Rogue back?" Logan frowned as he saw Murphy open the door for her and walk her up to the mansion.

"No idea, Cole bolted for the door at the end of the last song," Damon explained before Rogue walked past them into the mansion. "Get anything out of her Murphy?"

"Nothing," Murphy lied as he frowned back out at the night sky as he pulled out and lit a cigarette.

"Aren't you a little young for that?" Logan said as he sliced it in two.

"Do that again and you'll regret it old man," Murphy said as he produced another cigarette and lit it with magic this time. "I gotta go find Cole. Get some rest Damon, I have a feeling some of us are gonna be missing watch duty tomorrow," he said as he walked to his car and waved goodbye.

"Damn kid," Logan laughed as he went inside the mansion leaving Ororo and Damon alone.

"Well that was an interesting night," Ororo mused as she glanced at the car's fading headlights. "It is going to rain tonight," she said as she looked up at the sky.

"Must be handy, knowing the weather before it happens," Damon laughed.

"It has its perks. I'll see you around Damon," she replied as she kissed his cheek and left him alone on the doorstop.

"What the hell is happening around here?" Damon swore as he rubbed his face and went to his car.

Murphy was nervous. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this nervous. He was sucking down his cancer sticks pretty fast and didn't show any signs of slowing down as he had to turn on the windshield wipers and slow down his driving some because of the rain.

His thoughts drifted back to the drive back with Rogue. So...what'd you do to spook Cole like that anyway? When she didn't reply he just kept talking. Fine, don't tell me, I just want to figure out where my brother went.

I told him that I knew the truth.

The truth, eh? What truth are we talking about here? He had asked her as he tried to think what 'truth' the young girl could think she knew that would scare his brother like that.

The truth about the two of you and me. The whole truth.

Oh...that truth. He had replied as his knuckles went white from gripping the wheel. Out of curiosity's sake, why in god's name did you think it was a good idea to tell him that you knew? He questioned her angrily. The kid was just getting back to normal and then you had to go and drop that on him.

He can't move on by ignoring his past. He has to confront it, and me before he can be free.

When did you figure this all out?

Back when we saw you guys at your first show it started. After that song 'Cailin'. I've had dreams of the past since then, explaining things to me. Do you know who and what I am?

Yeah. You are her. At least part of you is or was. Cole knew it too, but was too afraid, stubborn, or dumb to make his move before now. Murphy told her as they pulled through the mansion gates and drove up to the front in silence.

"What are you going to do?" a woman's voice asked Murphy from the passenger seat.

"You need to stop fucking doing that," he swore as he swerved out of surprise. "Almost gave me a damn heart attack Aeris," he said as he glanced at the transparent woman. "I'm going to talk to the nut and see what's going on," he told her angrily as he pulled the car over to the side of the road. "Fancy filling me in on where he is, or are you just here to chat?"

Vincent drove his car back to Elena's apartment slowly as he contemplated the night's events in his mind. He had finally decided to make a move on Elena, and she had kissed him. After that Cole had ran away from the hotel following a confrontation with Rogue.

"Are you even listening to me?" Elena asked him as she grinned at the gunslinger.

"I am sorry," he told her.

"It's okay," she laughed. "You need to learn to trust those two and let them handle things on their own," she told him.

"Those two... couldn't handle themselves against a 12 year old girl without an international incident," Vincent replied as he rolled his eyes.

"Was that a joke? From Mr. Stoneface hardass Turk?" Elena laughed. "You've changed a lot since the Jenova and mako were taken out of you," she added.

"Yes, I have."

"Still as quiet as ever though," she laughed as Vincent pulled the car up to the curb.

Vincent shook his head as he walked around the car, opened the door, and helped Elena out of the car. He walked behind her up to the door to her apartment. "Well, I hope you had a good time," he told her as she unlocked the door. "I need to get out there and-," he was cut off as Elena spoke.

"Would you like to come inside?"

He closed his eyes as the cold rain washed over him as he flew straight up. He had run from the hotel the second after Rogue had broke the news to him. Maybe the cold can make me feel better. He finally coasted back to the ground after some time. He had no idea how long he had been flying. The wings had ripped through his tuxedo the second he left the hotel. He collapsed to his knees and let the numbing water wash over him.

"There you are," a feminine voice broke through his thoughts. Cole paused for a second then opened his eyes. He looked up at the woman in front of him. "What are you doing out here in the rain?" she asked him.

"Leave me alone," he said as he wrapped his arms around himself.

"What could you possibly hope to accomplish? Coming out here in the rain?" she smiled at him. She shook her head when he refused to reply. "You need to get over this, you know?" she told him as she kneeled beside him. He still refused to acknowledge her. "Fine, be that way," she pouted. "I'll let him try to reason with you," she told him as she walked back to the car at the side of the road.

"Get the hell away from me Murph," he growled as he sensed his twin approaching him. His eyes narrowed as he looked over to his brother who had taken a seat in the cold mud beside him. "Leave me alone," he muttered as he closed his eyes tightly to hold back the tears.

"Yeah, well.... I can't," Murphy told him. "You see, I only have another month and a half to get you and your shit straight before I leave this place," he confessed.

"...the hell you talking about?" Cole replied.

Murphy sighed as he leaned back resting his elbows on the wet ground. "You didn't think I've be able to stick around here forever did you? They gave me until the end of the year to get you sorted out," Murphy explained. "So, on with the show. Why did you run away from her?"

"She said she knew I was Starmore. She said she knew the truth about you. She said," he gulped," she knew the truth about herself."

"So...fucking...what?" Murphy scoffed at him. "So what if she knows? She hasn't gone around blaring it to everyone, has she? You want to know what your problem is?" Murphy asked him as he stood up. "You are afraid. Afraid that you might quit feeling sorry for yourself and that you might be happy again. You told me once, that you did not want to force yourself on her because of your past, but you are too stubborn to even realize that she wants this too," Murphy said as he walked back to the car. "I'm sick and tired of trying to reason with you people. I finally got Valentine fixed, and now all I have left to do is take care of you before I can leave here. Now get your shit together before I have to knock some sense into you," he swore as he hopped back in the car and drove away.

Cole sat there a while in the cold rain as he thought about the events of the night. Finally a voice broke into this head. "You gonna go after her?" the transparent woman from earlier asked.

"I don't want you interfering anymore Aeris," Cole replied coldly. "You tell Murphy that it goes the same for him," Cole told her as he stood up and took flight into the sky.

You can only run for so long Cole, Aeris's voice came into his mind even as he flew. What are you going to do when you run out of places to run?

"Leave me alone!" he screamed as he flew as fast as his wings would carry him.

Do you even know what you are running from?

Cole's eyes narrowed. "The past."

The past that you are forcing yourself to think about. The past you could just... let go.

Cole paused in mid-flight and let out a deep breath. "I can't let it go. It is my own burden," he muttered as he looked down onto the outskirts of town.

Maybe you don't have to bear the burden alone? Aeris's voice spoke to him as her recognized a building and a light in a familiar window.